[Jewelry making - Article 00256] - Re: [Orchid] Zam on steel?

[Noel Yovovich]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========


>     Hi, my little brother is building a steel project box from
>     galvanized steel that he ground the zinc coating off of. Now he
>     wants to polish it using a Dremel flex shaft. Is Zam a good choice
>     for this? " 

    Hi, Elaine, I'm not really an authority on this, but I've been
    learning welding for the last year. The thing that took the most
    getting used to is how *hard* steel is. You can use heavy steel wire
    brushes and such that would essentially disintegrate silver, brass,
    etc, and the steel is barely touched. As a result, I doubt zam would
    do much of anything. Wire brushes in a heavy-duty drill would be a
    good start, or very coarse sandpaper discs. "Flap-wheels", which
    have many overlapping layers of sandpaper are good, because a single
    layer wears out in no time flat. These things are found at home
    centers, hardware stores or welding supply stores. After sanding
    finer and finer, steel wool (again, in a power tool if you don't
    want to spend your life on it) will probably give a great final
    finish. Doing any of this with a dremel is possible, I guess, with
    enough patience. I think I'd do it by hand-- it'd be faster! If it
    were I, though, I would experiment with sanded finishes. The motion
    lines make beatiful, eye-catching swirls. Regardless, unless it is
    stainless, it will have to be coated to prevent rust, even indoors.
    The clear finish choices are the same as for non-ferrous metals. HTH!
    Tell him good luck! --Noel


____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________