How far can steel be polished?

[Commie]

I mean by hand or with home tools? I was grinding down a cheap stainless tooltip, using dremel as a lathe. With progressively higher grit sand paper, then with steel wool, then with toothpaste on a piece of leather.

It's pretty shiny now, but still doesn't match the chromed brass atomizer that it sits on Anyone know if it's possible to polish stainless steel at home to be shiny enough to match chromed brass?

 

[barefootntx]

yes you can, it will polish down to a chrome/mirror finish you need something with a finer grit to it did you go all the way down to 0000 steel wool? then 2000 grit sand paper, then mothers polish, its supposed to be for aluminum rims,but used on a piece of leather or felt it will polish ss. just have to have patience and keep working at it. you are doing it at home and the hard way. ive been there, done that.

 

[zoiDman]

I mean by hand or with home tools? I was grinding down a cheap stainless tooltip, using dremel as a lathe. With progressively higher grit sand paper, then with steel wool, then with toothpaste on a piece of leather.

It's pretty shiny now, but still doesn't match the chromed brass atomizer that it sits on Anyone know if it's possible to polish stainless steel at home to be shiny enough to match chromed brass?

Some Stainless Alloys just don't get that Shiny.

And even a High Chromium SS Alloy has a Hard Time being as Shiny as even a Cheap Chrome Plate.

BTW - It's Very Hard to Polish things without a Buffing Wheel and some Buffing Compound.