Polishing a stainless prop

[phillnjack]

Ok here goes
i would like to know how to polish up a stainless propeller.
obviously i know it has to be balanced afterwards etc, but i only have minimum hand tools and a
power grinder/polisher and a drill etc.
No real professional stuff for polishing.
I will be using good old wet n dry at various levels to get a nice finnish,but would realy like to get a nice mirror type finnish.
is there any suggestions apart from sending it to a polisher as here in the uk the prices for polishing would be so high its not worth having done.
Years ag o i done a lot of alluminium polishing but that is a much softer material to polish and is pretty easy.

so if anyone cane give some ideas i would appreciate it

phill.....

[zul8tr]

To polish go up thru the wet grades from 220 to 2000. But to get the mirror finish you want you will need to polish with a compound. If you don't have polishing buffing wheels then what is left is lots of hand work with very fine grit polishing compound and a pad after the 2000 wet. If you have a variable speed drill they sell basic buffing wheels and compound sticks that can be hand drill mounted with the fine (white) and rouge (red) compound sticks. You can mount a varible speed drill in a vise and set to about 500 rpm and hold prop very tight with gloves and have at it with the white first then the red. Seperate wheels are needed for the white and the red. Od course Safety always.

I always sand props in the circular arc direction rather than radial.

Note there are opinions out there as to satin finish vs mirror finish on props and which works better. Depends! I use satin with 400 grit.

[mark sholund]

Phil,

I don't think you want a polished face on your race propeller.

If you look at the newest blades from a CNC machine they are

not polished at all. I do over 1000+ R/C boat propellers a year

and we haven't polished in years. You would like to get a nice

textured finish with a cretex wheel with aprox. 80 to 120 grit

finish. If you want send it to me and I will finish it for you for

$20.00 plus shipping back to you.

Be Careful And Safe,

Mark Sholund
Email is: shoboat@charter.net
231-590-3023

[phillnjack]

sounds like i maybe have been thinking too much about a mirror finnish for looks, and not what the prop
should be like to do its intended purpose.

To mark
thanks for the offer, i would send it,But i live in the united kingdom, and postage to and from would cost
more than the price of a good prop.
about $80 each way for postage !!!!!!!!!!
We have seriously high postage from uk to usa and vice versa.

so will have to sit here over the winter polishing by hand.


phill...

[mark sholund]

Phil,

Not a problem, I just shipped two orders to the UK so I am aware of your postal system.

Just thought I would share some knowledge with you.

Happy Holidays,

Mark Sholund

[phillnjack]

i do appreciate it mark.
any info is always good to have .
I have seen many nice boat bits for sale on ebay from the us ,but the postage is a killer.


phill