




























































































Shaw Stainless is an industry leader when it comes to stainless steel polishing. We offer different grades and types of polishing to meet your requirements. Stainless Steel Polishing can be done either mechanically, chemically, or both. The type of polishing depends on the application. We have experts on hand to help you decide by your application and budget. Shaw Stainless is continuously looking into new technologies for ways to provide the best quality polished products possible and to supply more cost-effective options to our customers.
If you are looking for a consistent surface finish, polishing is a necessary process on mill finish stainless to produce an aesthetically pleasing surface finish. Our diverse equipment allows us to offer a variety of finishes on many different types of products including pipe, tube, round bar, square bar, flat bar, angle, plate, sheet and even fittings.
Our stainless steel polishing technicians are experienced craftsmen that are experienced in different surface finishes. Incorrect polishing can cause distortion, discoloration, work hardening, or loss of tolerances. Extra care is especially required when taking a mill finish up to a #4 finish and higher because of all the steps needed in using progressively finer grits. Polishing is not a race against time. It is having the knowledge that patience is one of the key elements in supplying our valued customers superior consistent quality.
The complexity of the product effects how labor-intensive the stainless steel polishing process is, which determines the cost. Pipe or tube being less labor intensive than, for example, fittings or an inside of angle requiring a hand-held tool being the most complex.
Stainless steel Mechanical polishing is accomplished by utilizing abrasive materials on rotary equipment. This can be achieved by using hand-held tools for difficult to access or unusually shaped parts or automated processes for larger areas depending on project requirements. To achieve a polished surface, a series of abrasive grits are applied in a successively finer sequence until the desired finish or surface roughness is achieved.
Surface roughness is a measure of the texture of a surface. It is quantified by the vertical deviations of a real surface from its ideal form. If these deviations are great, the surface is rough; if they are small, the surface is smooth.
If your surface roughness is critical, a profilometer is used with a diamond tipped stylus that automatically drags across a surface for a set distance and gives the results in many different formats. The most typical are Ra (micro-meters), Ra (micro-inches), RMS, etc.
Surface finishes on stainless steel are generally selected for appearance. The degree, extent of forming and welding should be taken into consideration when selecting raw material. You would not want to start with polished raw material that is going to be scratched in process and is going to be final polished anyway. In this instance it is often more economical to use a cold rolled finish material, and then polish.
Stainless steel sheets can be produced with one or two sides polished. When polished on one side only, the other side may be rough ground in order to obtain the necessary flatness.
* Standard stainless stock polished finish is between 100 - 180 Grit (#3 to #4)