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Q&As since 1989


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Cabinet maker needs faster prep of new mild steel for lacquer

Hi; we are a small design/cabinet making outfit and have recently been using mild steel, polished and patterned with an angle grinder, then clear lacquered, to make furniture and barfronts . I presume mild steel has an oxidized layer, from manufacturing + oil, to protect it? Is there a better way of removing this than an angle grinder, which I'm not looking to doing again; we've got another similar job coming up soon.
Thanks,

Geoff Holman
designer/ cabinetmaker/shopfitting - Aberystwyth, Wales, UK
2007

Sandblasting is the way to go provided you don't want to duplicate the semi-circular pattern of the angle grinder, although "sandblasting" is a term without a really precise definition anymore. More precisely, you need a someone who can blast your pieces with either garnet, aluminum oxide or some other abrasive media.

Stephen Mann
- Palm Springs, California, USA
2007