Dressing cut aluminiuminumiun

[Crash Cash]

I'm making a small bracket out of a piece of aluminum angle, and I was wondering what's the best way to clean up the cut end? Last time I did this, I just used my bench grinder, but it loaded the hell out of the wheel with the soft aluminum and ruined it.

I figure with all the Grade-A machinists around here, somebody will know a better way!

 

[slapnpop]

IMHO, nothing beats clean machine marks, but since you aren't milling...

Sandpaper works just fine. What grit to start with depends on how rough your cut is. Somewhere between 80 and 180 should work. Go up to about 600 for a brushed metal look, or you could keep sanding to 2000, and then use some Mother's Mag wheel polish to go for that mirror look.

 

[HaulinAshe]

Surprisingly, a good quality fine tooth flat file, when held firmly and square, makes a decently dressed, cut edge.

You can also use a small sanding drum and Dremel. Or if you want to give the whole thing a brushed finish, which looks good for a long time and does not glare, use a wire brush or wire brush wheel on the Dremel.

Rubbing compound and elbow grease will yield a nice satin finish.

Personally my preference, my buddy has a glass bead blast cabinet. Gives aluminumunumnumnummm that sandcast look which resists stains and tarnish extremely well.

 

[Silent]

I use a belt sander or a random orbit air sander. Both do well.

 

[Patriot]

my cat's tongue...

 

[k7lvo]

I usually dress cut aluminum with blood - mine! :meh:

 

[C&C]

I would use a file (to desired dimension), then wet/dry paper to smooth. If you want a brushed look you could use a wire brush or even a scotchbright pad for a finer look.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

... and ruined it.

If you still have that wheel, try using a star wheel dresser on it. If you can't find instructions on how to use one, PM me.

Remember the lesson the ginding wheel taught you because sandpaper can load up the same way. The chips and filings need to go somewhere or they will cause problems. A file can trap aluminum too. When that happens it's called pinning and it can scratch the hell out of your workpiece. If you own a file, you need a file card to keep it clean.

While looking for the image of the file card I fould this:

https://www.hnsa.org/doc/tools/index.htm

There are a lot of good tips in there.

Personally, I'm a fan of Scotch-Brite on aluminum. A Scotch-Brite deburring wheel on a pedestal grinder is really handy and Scotch-Brite pads can be used by hand or mounted on a random orbit sander. Don't beath the dust!

Note: Don't wear gloves as shown in the photo.

 

[BwanaDik]

+1 on the file, it's what I use. Don't EVER use a grinding wheel on anything but steel (no bronze, aluminum, copper, wood etc.) as the wheel may actually come apart. We had these warning all over at work specifically because that happend to a guy once who was grinding aluminum. It wasn't pretty

 

[08FJR4ME]

... and ruined it.

If you still have that wheel, try using a star wheel dresser on it. If you can't find instructions on how to use one, PM me.

Remember the lesson the ginding wheel taught you because sandpaper can load up the same way. The chips and filings need to go somewhere or they will cause problems. A file can trap aluminum too. When that happens it's called pinning and it can scratch the hell out of your workpiece. If you own a file, you need a file card to keep it clean.

While looking for the image of the file card I fould this:

https://www.hnsa.org/doc/tools/index.htm

There are a lot of good tips in there.

Personally, I'm a fan of Scotch-Brite on aluminum. A Scotch-Brite deburring wheel on a pedestal grinder is really handy and Scotch-Brite pads can be used by hand or mounted on a random orbit sander. Don't beath the dust!

Note: Don't wear gloves as shown in the photo.

+1 on all the above, EXL2 on the scotchbrite wheel S9 will give you more life.

 

[cruppelt]

Fine tooth band saw blade for rough cleanup, or rough hand file to smooth hand file (file work goes fast with aluminum), and definitely use a rough scotch brite pad for the end finish. This makes it look like the grained finish you get from a time saver.

 

[Crash Cash]

Damn. No matter what Ignacio says, you guys are all right. That HNSA link is killer. I am on my way to being a certified tool-using primate!

On the good side, I got my tax refund, and I think I'm going to invest a little of it in some decent tools, like a band saw I've wanted for a while.

 

[road runner]

I like using these 3M Roloc Disc on an angle die grinder. They come in 3 different grades, course is brown, medium is maroon, fine is green. They also come in different diameters, depending on which head you have for the die grinder. You also have to buy the head, but you only need one because the Roloc disc is what wears out. They are great for removing gaskets also, but be careful or use the fine so you don't grind down the part. I use the course on everything, but I'm careful with the softer material like aluminum.