zArlen
10+ Year Contributor
- 70
- 0
- Mar 29, 2012
-
Erie,
Pennsylvania
Hey guys, I don't know how many of you will be interested in the topic of polished hardware, but as I do all of the polishing and trim work in the shop I work in I thought I would share some of what I do with you guys.
In the world of custom hot rods and customs, the difference between winning first and second place is all in the final details. It's about going above and beyond "good enough" and taking the extra steps to finish off every part - every last nut and bolt.
This is where this little tech article/tutorial comes in. I don't know how many of you will use this information, but here's how I polish all of the stainless button cap bolts and screws at work for that show quality shine. Although it takes some time, it's a very simple process that brings your build quality and appearance over the top.
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These button cap bolts are being used as bumper bolts for a car we're building at the shop, so they're relatively large pieces. They came out of the hardware bin with a textured look on them. Some people wouldn't care, but for me, they could be nicer.
Step 1 - Sanding
The first step was to start sanding the heads of the bolts to prepare them for polishing. This can be done very easily with an electric drill and some sand paper.
Insert your bolt into the drill so that you can spin it on the paper.
After the bolt is secured in the chuck of the drill, take you sandpaper in your hand and fold it so it's folded relatively thick. In the picture I am using 6 inch sanding discs for a DA sander. I folded the paper into quarters and made a "sanding pad" of sorts. You MAY want to wear a glove... depending on the thickness of the paper it can get hot and burn you. Simply spin the bolt in the drill on high speed and touch the paper to the head of the bolt.
Start with 180 Grit paper and inspect the head of the bolt periodically until it's sanded smooth and there is no more texture or imperfections remaining. After that, take 320, and 400 grit sand paper and sand the head of the bolt the same way you did with the 180. You can see the finish/scratches change with the smoother sand papers. At this point you can remove the bolt from the drill...
It should at this point look like this. The bolt in front has been sanded with each grit paper, and the one in the back is what I started with.
Step 2 - Buffing
The buffing step is perhaps easier and sometimes faster than the sanding part of the process. You'll need a buffing wheels of sorts, and bar compounds from a company like Eastwood. We have a pretty large buffer at work, but a bench grinder with smaller 6 inch buffing wheels on it will get the job done. You MAY have to sand with 600 grit depending on a bench grinder, as they normally take a little more work to do the same job.
Here is the buffer we use at work
To buff the bolts, insert the bolts into the drill one at a time (duh), turn on your buffer, and spin the bolt in the drill on low speed while you touch the head to the buffing wheel. USE TWO HANDS AND SOME SORT OF EYE PROTECTION.
When you buff the bolts, angle the drill slightly downward. If you try to buff the bolts on the buffing wheel at a perfect 90 degree angle, it can knock the drill out of your hands and make it hard to control. Start with light pressure at first until you're comfortable and then you can push a little harder. It doesn't take a lot!
First start with tripoli compound, usually brown in color, and then after the bolt is buffed with brown, switch to a white rouge compound for final polishing. You will need to use separate buffing wheels for each compound to prevent cross contamination.
When all is said and done you should have something that looks like this. The bolt in front is polished and ready to install compared to the one that had no sanding/polishing.
Here are a few more of the bolts I polished for the bumper brackets.
You'll see a lot of this type of thing when I start my build thread for my GSX.
Again, sorry if anything is unclear or confusing... this is the first time I've written any sort of tech article. Hopefully I didn't forget anything. Good luck my friends! Hope it helps!
In the world of custom hot rods and customs, the difference between winning first and second place is all in the final details. It's about going above and beyond "good enough" and taking the extra steps to finish off every part - every last nut and bolt.
This is where this little tech article/tutorial comes in. I don't know how many of you will use this information, but here's how I polish all of the stainless button cap bolts and screws at work for that show quality shine. Although it takes some time, it's a very simple process that brings your build quality and appearance over the top.
--------
These button cap bolts are being used as bumper bolts for a car we're building at the shop, so they're relatively large pieces. They came out of the hardware bin with a textured look on them. Some people wouldn't care, but for me, they could be nicer.
Step 1 - Sanding
The first step was to start sanding the heads of the bolts to prepare them for polishing. This can be done very easily with an electric drill and some sand paper.
Insert your bolt into the drill so that you can spin it on the paper.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
After the bolt is secured in the chuck of the drill, take you sandpaper in your hand and fold it so it's folded relatively thick. In the picture I am using 6 inch sanding discs for a DA sander. I folded the paper into quarters and made a "sanding pad" of sorts. You MAY want to wear a glove... depending on the thickness of the paper it can get hot and burn you. Simply spin the bolt in the drill on high speed and touch the paper to the head of the bolt.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
Start with 180 Grit paper and inspect the head of the bolt periodically until it's sanded smooth and there is no more texture or imperfections remaining. After that, take 320, and 400 grit sand paper and sand the head of the bolt the same way you did with the 180. You can see the finish/scratches change with the smoother sand papers. At this point you can remove the bolt from the drill...
It should at this point look like this. The bolt in front has been sanded with each grit paper, and the one in the back is what I started with.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
Step 2 - Buffing
The buffing step is perhaps easier and sometimes faster than the sanding part of the process. You'll need a buffing wheels of sorts, and bar compounds from a company like Eastwood. We have a pretty large buffer at work, but a bench grinder with smaller 6 inch buffing wheels on it will get the job done. You MAY have to sand with 600 grit depending on a bench grinder, as they normally take a little more work to do the same job.
Here is the buffer we use at work
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
To buff the bolts, insert the bolts into the drill one at a time (duh), turn on your buffer, and spin the bolt in the drill on low speed while you touch the head to the buffing wheel. USE TWO HANDS AND SOME SORT OF EYE PROTECTION.
When you buff the bolts, angle the drill slightly downward. If you try to buff the bolts on the buffing wheel at a perfect 90 degree angle, it can knock the drill out of your hands and make it hard to control. Start with light pressure at first until you're comfortable and then you can push a little harder. It doesn't take a lot!
First start with tripoli compound, usually brown in color, and then after the bolt is buffed with brown, switch to a white rouge compound for final polishing. You will need to use separate buffing wheels for each compound to prevent cross contamination.
When all is said and done you should have something that looks like this. The bolt in front is polished and ready to install compared to the one that had no sanding/polishing.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
Here are a few more of the bolts I polished for the bumper brackets.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
You'll see a lot of this type of thing when I start my build thread for my GSX.
Again, sorry if anything is unclear or confusing... this is the first time I've written any sort of tech article. Hopefully I didn't forget anything. Good luck my friends! Hope it helps!
Can't beat polished stainless button caps, they're gonna be all over my car. Well, the parts a lot of people look at anyway. haha. Just have to be careful not to scratch them!
