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Mirror polishing a weld joint between stainless steel sheets [Indonesia] 

June 25, 2008

We need a long sheet of about 20 meters long x 50 cm width of stainless steel with mirror finish...
Since there are no manufacturer close to our area that can supply this kind of sheet, we try to join multiple sheet and polish the welded join... How to polish the welded join so all sheet will looks like one sheet of mirror polished plate with no join at all?

Hartono Setiono
buyer - Semarang, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia

You have at least 2 problems. #1 the weld seam. Even if you can match the profile of the 2 adjoining sheets, you may not match the color or grain aesthetics. #2 If you suceed, you will not be able to or you will have to blend in the entire sheet unless you mechanically work the whole surface.

AF Kenton Nova Finishing Systems Inc. Huntingdon Valley, PA

The majority of the issue with getting the same coloration is that the material used for welding the steel together is that it is a different composition than the sheet. If you can manage to get either MIG wire or TIG sticks of the same composition as the sheet you should be able to drastically reduce the visibility of the join.

Marc Banks
Blacksmith - Melbourne, FL