While most plating books have a chapter on electropolishing, I think the chapter in the Electroplating Engineering Handbook [onĪ. A standard 3-phase rectifier with probably 5 percent ripple should be fine. The voltage depends on rack to cathode spacing, conductivity of the solution, etc. The current must be high enough to get out of the 'etching' range and into the 'brightening range'. The controlled variable should be amperage rather than voltage, Alec. HOBBYIST - PIETERMARITZBURG, SOUTH AFRICAĪ. WHAT IS THE IDEAL VOLTAGE REQUIRED TO POLISH S/STEEL AND HOW SMOOTH SHOULD THE DC CURRENT BE? ALEC UPFOLD Burnishing tools can be obtained from Cogsdill or Sugino just to mention a few.

You will be burnishing to achieve a 4-8 microinch finish which is ideal for a PTFE seal. But, having over a dozen years worth of experience in the area you are endeavoring into I would like to make the following recommendation: Prepare surface of rod to a 32 - 64 ra finish first electropolish 'to clean' second and roller burnish the O.D. You don't want to mess with acids unless you have a lab facility with adequate ventilation. I agree with Ted and that is to send the components out for electropolishing. Now if you were to chrome plate and lap those rods. Generally electropolishing is not about smoother finishes, it's about cleaner finishes - and it may not increase the life of your seals.

I think you'd be better off having an electropolishing shop do a sample part for you than to invest weeks of effort and who knows how much money, only to find that it didn't help. However, it also may not solve your problem. You need well over 100 ASF and must take pains to insure that your solutions remain water-free because low current or excess water will cause etching.Įlectropolishing does take experience, but it's obviously not impossible. The most readily accessible source of info is the Electroplating Engineering Handbook. Most are based on sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid or a mixture of both, and some formulas include some additives. There are several different solutions for electropolishing stainless steel. Have you had any responses to your request?Ī. We polish the rod with 1000 grit emery paper. The current rod finish is about 35 µinches.

Currently the best life we have achieved is about 500 cycles.

I am doing some research on this approach to improve the life a Teflon seal through which this rod passes on a continuous cycle basis. in area) and how to set this up? DC voltage? Current?, electrolytic solution, concentration and volume, time duration, etc. Can anyone please tell me the recipe to electropolish a 316 SS rodġ/8' x 2' ( 0.7 sq. We would be happy to work with anyone on this. It is important to remember that you should passivate even after electropolishing to get the optimum performance. There are some improved electropolishing systems available that are safer to use than the old systems, also. It is important to get the right product to do the job, not just throw some citric acid in a bath. The formulation you use depends on exactly what you are doing. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered in order to determine the exact setup you want to use, but you can easily start up with just some 5 gallon plastic pails or simple poly tubs, if you want to. Because you do not have the hazards of nitric acid, it can be done in a very simple and economical way. It is easy and safe to set up a citric acid based system for passivation, that can grow with your business.

Diy stainless steel polish