Aluminum Enclosure Sanding

Frequent question about boxes and accessories: painting, etching, clearcoating, lettering, glueing, and so on.
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esauvisky
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Post by esauvisky »

Hi guys. I'm starting to etch aluminum enclosures and I've seen, after extensive research, that it's a must to perfectly sand the face that will be etched.
So I've run into a few problems/questions, and as I didn't found answers elsewhere I've came here to ask you veterans. =)

1- How do you achieve a perfectly flat surface? Do you use sanding blocks, orbital sanders, etc.? How long does it takes?
2- Is wetsanding better than drysanding for aluminum enclosures? Why?
3- How do you get a reflective finish like this one below?
Image

Any other recommendations will be very much appreciated. Thanks!

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jtn191
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benobo
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Post by benobo »

3- How do you get a reflective finish like this one below?



http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_4491972_polis ... inish.html

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Post by Ice-9 »

benobo wrote:3- How do you get a reflective finish like this one below?



http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_4491972_polis ... inish.html
Looks good, but I can tell you it wont stay like that long unless it is clear coated afterwards. (it is on a motorcycle and open to the elements) and a guitar pedal will oxidize but slower.
It's fairly straight forward, if you want to start it , press start. You can work out the rest of the controls for yourself !

No silicon heaven ? preposterous ! Where would all the calculators go ?

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Post by Pettol »

Old thread but since I made the example above I wanted to answer.
It's hand sanded, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 grit and then polished with Autosol. It's crucial to change sanding direction when going to the next grit. In that way you will see when you're done (no scratches in the previous direction).

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