Many stainless steels are high in chromium, which as a pure metal is too hard/brittle to machine and can only be ground - this is probably why most stainless grades are about as hard as spring-tempered high carbon steel (a material you anneal before working on if you
have sense!).
At least stainless doesn't pressure-weld to cutting tools like titanium...
have sense!).
At least stainless doesn't pressure-weld to cutting tools like titanium...
Thanks good advice! Unfortunately i dont have access to a belt sander though i could get a handheld one. Do you think that would be better than an angle grinder?
Sorry but FORGET IT.
All 4 edges on 2 plates? FORGET IT.
By HAND???? FORGET IT.
Only way to do it is with a real Mill and proper shaped cutters, or simplify job to a 45 degree bevel, the water cutters might incline the cutting head for that.
Conventional mill machine will do, no need for CNC (although of course it helps) but even so not many can handle the 1000 mm side.
You will never ever get a uniform surface on that edge by hand, not even working 100 hours.
SS is unforgiving and WAY too hard.
most likely 1.4301
i don't really see why it shouldn't work with electric hand tools.
since this thread is going nowhere and people either say that its no problem or its impossible i will simply do it and show you guys the results.
Sage advice:
Do a small scrap piece first, you might have a small piece cut off as excess from what you intend to use.
Clamp on to safe support before using electric hand tools.
Wear eye and ear protection.
It seems you are doing it for the first time.
Once you do a small piece, you will know for yourself how difficult or easy it is for you personally, and decide what to do.
If the water jet people can do it, have them do a small piece as a sample.
Enjoy the effort, or lack of it.
Do a small scrap piece first, you might have a small piece cut off as excess from what you intend to use.
Clamp on to safe support before using electric hand tools.
Wear eye and ear protection.
It seems you are doing it for the first time.
Once you do a small piece, you will know for yourself how difficult or easy it is for you personally, and decide what to do.
If the water jet people can do it, have them do a small piece as a sample.
Enjoy the effort, or lack of it.
Yes that is the way. Of course it is not impossible but it is simply hard work. I do recommend to ask the waterjet guys for advice.
* Please note that anyone that has worked with stainless steel and the normal hand tools will say more or less the same. Stainless steel is a bitch to work with. It is generalizing but I dare to say that most have done it once to find out they won't do it a second time. Tough material, difficult to machine, not the best acoustically, heavy, expensive....but good looking (sensitive to scratches though). Aluminium is way easier to machine and it has many plusses especially when anodized.
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I don´t say you won´t cut or grind or file it, my point is that you are doing for looks, and it will look uneven, "handmade" in the bad meaning of it, improvised, amateurish, etc.
You will "process" 8 long edges by hand which of course will be exposed and will all be different.
You do not have the proper tools (hint: no manual tools qualify) , nor jigs to guide them straight, same depth, same angle all around those steel plates.
I fear you will damage those plates, abandon the project with frustration, and best case have to trim damaged edges again using waterjet to at least have uniform edges all around.
In any case, it´s your project and you´ll do whatever you want.
My contribution is my suggestion of having the waterjet cutting a beveled edge, but nothing beyond.
Good luck.
A good choice.
I suggest you drill a hole in a piece of soft scrap, such as aluminum, the cut a quarter of it to make a radius gauge. Then you can check your work as you progress to be sure the rounded edge is uniform.
I once took a piece of mill finish stainless up to mirror finish. Just used an electric hand 1/4 sheet sander with silicone carbide sandpaper.
What you propose is possible but it won't be easy to do, in particular, to do it sufficiently uniformly to look impressive.
Have you ever worked with austenitic stainless steel?
I have build stainless steel furniture and also hand tooled a 6 mm thick by 1 m structural steel tool plate so it looked machine finished.
Neither was easy, your proposal will combine a difficult task AND a difficult material.
Possible, but be prepared for possible difficulties too.
I really hope you do, I am most keen to see what you can achieve.
Best wishes
David
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It looks like you have some experience with steel, though a softer grade.
You can use a pipe or rod to guide the tool back and forth, and go slowly.
But my suggestions stand, do a small piece first, and also do as much on a machine, then finish by hand, without power tools.
Or mill a step in the metal. and epoxy or weld 4 / 6 / 8 mm wire into the step, blend to finish.
Way easier, and the wire corner will give the radius, 4 mm will give R2, and so on...
You can use a pipe or rod to guide the tool back and forth, and go slowly.
But my suggestions stand, do a small piece first, and also do as much on a machine, then finish by hand, without power tools.
Or mill a step in the metal. and epoxy or weld 4 / 6 / 8 mm wire into the step, blend to finish.
Way easier, and the wire corner will give the radius, 4 mm will give R2, and so on...
For R4 you need 8 mm wire, not a practical suggestion then!
But I would still prefer a guided machining set up rather than free hand, and only final polish by hand, get as much as you can done by machine.
I can polish optical surfaces, like plastic lens molds, so the difficulty of making a smooth cut one meter long is appreciated by me.
But I would still prefer a guided machining set up rather than free hand, and only final polish by hand, get as much as you can done by machine.
I can polish optical surfaces, like plastic lens molds, so the difficulty of making a smooth cut one meter long is appreciated by me.