Vibratory finishing of steel

Q. I manufacture silver smith stakes. These are made from hot forged mild/medium carbon steel. My process is as follows after the part is forged and bent it is rough ground with 100 grit belt to remove any flaws or pits. It is then descaled in a steel shot drum tumbler. I sand the parts with a 220 grit belt on a soft cloth contact wheel. Then I buff with a 300 grit latex bonded abrasive then use a steel cut and color compound. I achieve a near mirror finish with this process but it is time consuming and grueling. I am wondering if I can use vibratory finishing to cut out the second or third step of the process. The parts are basically long steel tapers bent in a squiggle shape.

A. Just from your process description, I would definitely think you can eliminate a lot of time using mass finishing equipment. If nothing else, you will be processing a lot of parts at one time. To get the finish you require may take a 2 or 3 step process, but again, it is machine time, not hand work.

? Do you know what the surface finish is now? Ra or RMS? Also do you have a vibratory or centrifugal system?