Engine turned or "jeweled" finish on stainless

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Anybody have any experience engine turning stainless? I'm going to attempt this finish on my 67' camaro console/dash parts. Recently I had these parts (fake wood decal on aluminum / die-cast and black plastic) refinished using the "hydrographic method. Also known as "water transfer printing", It's a really cool process used to coat any shaped object w/ a variety of finishes e.g. carbon fiber, camouflage, wood grain etc. It seems the only limit to this process is a true metallic finish. They couldn't mimic a true brushed or engine turned stainless finish so I settled for carbon fiber. They did a great job but the modern finish just doesn't work with my classic car so I hope to fabricate these parts myself out of stainless steel and then finish them myself. I've read articles suggesting the use of emery embedded rubber "Cratex" round rod in a drill press set at 500 rpms. Cratex round rods look like the best option but they come in different grits. Opinions? link to engine turned webpage:http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~eamonn/et/et.htma link to hydrographics: be sure to check out their gallery, company does outrageous stuff:http://www.hydroshockgrafix.com/ Attached ImagesLast edited by badknot; 07-26-2012 at 10:50 PM."Steel is weak. What is steel compared to the hand that wields it?"- James Earl Jonesmiller 225 w/ 3035spoolmate, Lincoln sq wv 275 w/radiator, hypertherm 600 plasma cutter, other stuff
Reply:I have created similar finishes on aluminum with a medium grit 3" surface conditioning roloc disk in a mill and PLENTY of patience.   The problem with using a typical drill press is getting a nice even pattern. Not saying it isnt doable, but its SO much easier with a mill.If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:Tools:Mill or Drill-press running at ~1000 RPM touch time about three seconds (light touch)Cotton Buffing Bob of desired diameterClover Lapping Compound (shown is results on steel and aluminum using 280 grit (fine))Paint brushLots of time and patienceDRO is certainly useful if using a drill press graph paper is a good alternativeHere are the results:
Reply:badknot  -  Ditto, 200mphbusa, good pics, good info.     Old School approach to dialing in the scale and look for a custom piece:     Hardwood Dowel - easy to modify for desired diameter, keep it short.     Leather Boot - countless grades and thicknesses - pulled taught and bound on the dowel - wire or clamp.     Clover  -  grit per application.      Happy Trails.   Opus     p.s  Hydrographics are analogous to JB-Weld.
Reply:The stuff in that first link is amazing!Quote from the guy:"Although I am now a professor of computer science, I still like to do engine turning as an antidote to sitting in front of a computer all day."Really?!?! 200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:A pencil eraser works great. There are several sizes to choose from. You can use the small every day pencil or the kindergarten large size. Chuck it up in the press add compound and there you go."Liberalism is a mental disorder" Dr. Savage
Reply:The prettiest ones I've seen on SS are done a little different.  The abrasive is spread on the sheet, the tip is a small SS end brush with a collar on it to keep the bristles focused.  I have used Cratex and it works fine on  Al.  Multi gang heads  can be made to let you lay down a larger pattern. Advance the material a bit, drop the head and move on. My experience ended up that each cratex tip must have a small spring behind it to adjust tension. Even then some are lighter, others are darker.  1981 we made some SS trim for the Chev Impalas... was great but way way too time consuming. Some of these examples are first rate. enjoy,Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:just messing around w what i've got lying around. Scrap alum using scotch brite pad, I didn't bother with polishing metal first...less than satisfactory results. Stainless using rolled up piece of emery cloth...bet I'm the only guy with an engine turned putty knife. The stainless knife started to walk on me, obviously I try to do a better job on my gauges and I'll look into better abrasives. My real issue will come while attempting this finish on the complex curved surfaces of the console cluster. I'll have to fabricate some sort of jig that would allow me to pivot a hand drill etc. Attached Images"Steel is weak. What is steel compared to the hand that wields it?"- James Earl Jonesmiller 225 w/ 3035spoolmate, Lincoln sq wv 275 w/radiator, hypertherm 600 plasma cutter, other stuff