Found Dreaming

Received a request for another wedding plaque, just about all done

nice plaque

That looks great. That Simon sure gets around!!

Now that looks sharp and crisp... BEAUTIFUL cast!!... and finish, I might add.

Thanks to everyone , I am having a few issues trying to get a nice scratch free surface. I started the polishing process starting with 80 grit wet and dry, and worked my way up to 1200 grit, I then use a buffing wheel with polishing soap using grey then brown, finishing with white, but I'm still getting fine scratches and they're pissing me off

I have a good bit of experience at metal polishing.



The single biggest mistake people make is to not sand out the scratches of the previous grit paper before moving to a finer grit. For instance: with the 400 grit you absolutely must get out all of the 220 grit scratches before you move up to the 600, or you will have nicely polished 220 grit scratches in your final product.

If the scratches you are seeing are really very fine, so that you have to hold it up to the light just right to see them, then we can assume they are left from the buffing process and not from the sanding. Buffing is the same as sanding but a bit more forgiving. You should get out the previous compound's scratches before moving on or you must buff a lot longer.

Here is my final finish on aluminum and brass. Use a clean micro fiber cloth. When I say clean I do not mean fresh out of the package. Textile mills are filthy. Cloth from the mill contains all kinds of grit. Wash them thoroughly in hot soapy water and rinse well before using. After they are dry get a high quality liquid metal polish with a mild abrasive in it. Rub the hell out of your piece until those ultra fine scratches are gone. That's it.

The polish I use is made by an English company. It is the best I have found. http://www.englishcustompolishing.com/usca/museum.html

There are plenty of others.

Richard

Rasper wrote:I have a good bit of experience at metal polishing.



The single biggest mistake people make is to not sand out the scratches of the previous grit paper before moving to a finer grit. For instance: with the 400 grit you absolutely must get out all of the 220 grit scratches before you move up to the 600, or you will have nicely polished 220 grit scratches in your final product.

If the scratches you are seeing are really very fine, so that you have to hold it up to the light just right to see them, then we can assume they are left from the buffing process and not from the sanding. Buffing is the same as sanding but a bit more forgiving. You should get out the previous compound's scratches before moving on or you must buff a lot longer.

Here is my final finish on aluminum and brass. Use a clean micro fiber cloth. When I say clean I do not mean fresh out of the package. Textile mills are filthy. Cloth from the mill contains all kinds of grit. Wash them thoroughly in hot soapy water and rinse well before using. After they are dry get a high quality liquid metal polish with a mild abrasive in it. Rub the hell out of your piece until those ultra fine scratches are gone. That's it.

The polish I use is made by an English company. It is the best I have found. http://www.englishcustompolishing.com/usca/museum.html

There are plenty of others.

Richard

Thank you Richard, I'll give that a try

Finely got it finished, the people that asked me to make it decided that they didn't want the horse shoe and wanted a darker timber. The timber is MDF thats been stained and coated with polyurethane. I took the plaque to a shop called Caboolture Presentation http://cabpp.com.au/ and they only charged me $11.50 to mount it, damn cheap if you ask me.... The owner asked if I can make another plaque so he can have a play and maybe get a better and nicer way of mounting them, its a husband and wife team and they are very easy to get along with

cast some lugs on the back side maybe some cut off vents so it can be screwed to the wood.

I would try to find a different wood then MDF, they have it on the Endangered list here in Oklahoma, we have to use real lumber

MDF??? How'd you get the wood grain effect? If you "made" that effect, that's TOP SHELF!! Beautiful job!! Would love to know your secret.