Possible New Project

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I've got a request to fabricate a couple of table bases. One is going to be tricky so I thought I'd bounce it off ww.1st, the rings. I reckon I'll have to sub that out. I'm wondering how close someone can get to specs rolling rings out of 1/4 flat bar.2nd and most important, the finish. The customer wants polished chrome or stainless steel look. She knows that fabricating this out of SS is not practical. Chrome is more practical but as I understand it, chrome plating finish is only as good as the finish you start with.  So I pretty much have to polish it. Having said that, the rings would be hard to polish unless you polish the flat bar 1st then roll it. So I'm confused.Now there is also "chrome" powder coating. I've talked to two PC companies. The first said "It looks just like chrome". So I go there and look at a piece they'd done. It didn't look like chrome. It looked like pretty grey paint.So I called a much bigger company. I told them what the 1st guy said and how wrong he was. This guy said his really does look just like chrome. So I drive 40 miles only to find his looked just like the other guys. Now when I think of chrome I think of mirror finish not shiny grey.I'm thinking if I take the time to polish it, I can then clear powder coat it. Anyway here is drawing. This would be a really good paying job if I could figure out how to do it right. Attached ImagesLast edited by TPnTX; 04-09-2007 at 06:00 PM.
Reply:I would take the 1/4" flat bar, bust out the O/A torch, heat it up and wrap it around a steel barrel or something similar. If you need to, tack it to the side of the barrel, heat it, beat it ( you probably won't have to beat it ) and wrap that puppy! Those are your rings. Why not make it out of aluminum? It will be light and you can polish it. Be forewarned though, if starting with raw  aluminum, it takes a good amount of work and a heavy duty polishing wheel plus some good rogue to get it shiney. Here is a radiator support I finished for a turbo customer:John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Originally Posted by MicroZone...Why not make it out of aluminum? It will be light and you can polish it. Be forewarned though, if starting with raw  aluminum, it takes a good amount of work and a heavy duty polishing wheel plus some good rogue to get it shiney...
Reply:I've never done anything with aluminum.
Reply:It's actually easier to work with. If you don't have a TIG or MIG spool gun, just drill it and bolt the pieces together. If you need more help, feel free to post questions or look up my phone number on my web site. I'd be happy to help.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:you might also see if the chrome people do the polishing for you . most places will copper coat it then polish that then do the chrome over it. could be an option but not shore what the $$ would be. you could also look into haveing the aluminum polished for you. could eat into your profit margen but if you are not a polisher you likly will spend too much time doing it to make any $$ on the deal any way. see what others charge for the polishing then add that into the finished price. without the proper tools and chemimcals polishing can be a hated task that will eat up your time and money.i would look to some one else to do that part and just do what you do best, weld it up and ship it out. summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.
Reply:So.....Each rectangle is 18" x 30" ?How are you going to get two circles that are 18" tall and wide into 30" width?Do you want ovals (that ups the ante)?KRS***************************************Lincoln AC225 stick welderLincoln HD100 WeldPak flux core wire feed welderThree of the cheapest grinders money can buy
Reply:Sounds like a fun job.  You can do the ring/elipse/oval.  Do a plywood pattern as I know your familiar.  Go for the aluminum.  Take it as an opprotunity to do something new and different.  Bolt, screws and rivet are available to welders, too.  I sometimes forget this and want to weld every thing.
Reply:KRS - the TOTAL width is 30 inches. What is half of 30....15, right? Considering the thickness of the bar, on all 4 sides of the circles, it's not going to be much of an oval. 1/4 x 4 = 1 inch, so it will only vary by this : 18 x 2 = 36 - 1 = 35 / 2 is 17.5 ...or 2.5 inches on each side to fit within the square. All calculations aside, perhaps she needs to re-think her table. It would be easier for you TX if she considers something a little "longer" in width - like 36". John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:The only thing that looks like chrome plating is pretty much chrome plating.  Smooth, shiny, metallic, and reflective.Polished stainless or polished aluminum can look smooth, shiny, metallic, and reflective, but they still don't look exactly like chrome plating.And a plating job is only going to look as good as the polishing job underneath.  Plating doesn't hide anything.Ahhhh, now I see the circles/rings in the sketch.  All material is 1/4 inch thick and 2-3 inches wide?  Four long straps ~30" long, four short straps ~18" long, and two rings ~17.5" OD, right?  With a ring/slip roller, the rings shouldn't be hard to do at all.  But the 17.5" OD rings would overlap/interfere in the middle of the table, they won't fit!Like MicroZone suggested, if you or the client want the rings to touch the outer uprights and touch themselves in the center of the base as well, the dimensions of the table base have to change slightly to accomodate that.  18" high and 36" wide (outer dimensions) will do that.
Reply:Yep you are right. I initially told her (and forgot to mention here) that a circle can't touch four sides in a rectangle. So she agreed they could touch top and bottom and each other. Again your correct the long side must be apprx 36"Last edited by TPnTX; 04-10-2007 at 06:36 PM.
Reply:okay okay let say I considered al-loo-menu-uhm. Would I have to make a joint or something in order to use a fastener of any sort.Something like this. Attached Images
Reply:"The only thing that looks like chrome plating is pretty much chrome plating" I had a guy hand me a few parts just the other day and i asked him if he had just had them chromed and he said no i had them nickel plated    looked just like chrome..