Jake,
I'd say the short answer is yes. :)
And IF you order the brass pre polished..it'll save you even more time and effort. And it would come with a protective plastic. Then your just polishing any small areas that may have gotten "scuffed" in the forming and fabrication.
two cents,
bill

Thanks Bill and Gene,
I appreciate the feedback, I can see as you say Gene I am waisting to mutch time and money. Bill it sounds like you guys have more options with material purchase in the states, in Australia you can buy polished SS plate but only up to 6mm thick. I like working with 8mm and can only buy standard mill finish.

I think I may be overdoing the polishing but using the corrct philosophy. Do you think the machine I am using is inapropriate?? Would a finer orbital sander work better, such as the type used on automotive panels?

Cheers
Glen
Down Under
www.deepsteeldesign.com

When I worked for the kitchen shop (made kitchens for hospitals and restaraunts, all stainless steel work), they used a flexible shaft with buffing wheels (the round pads that are stitched together with a hole in the middle) on the end to make a pad about 6" wide (or thick). This would be hooked to a motor on a portable table which could move around the shop. They had a separate one for each grade of rouge or polish they used.

Rick Crawford at Smoky Forge

NO, an orbital sander is not the right tool for polishing. You need a real buffer, also called a buffing lathe. I'd suggest one at least one horsepower, capable of running 8" diameter buffing wheels.

You also need real buffing wheels if you're going to do serious buffing, particularly on stainless steel. Stainless is notably abrasion-resistant, which makes it hard to polish. So you need very aggressive buffing compound made especially for stainless steel, and you need a wheel that will hold plenty of compound. I like the hard Airway pleated wheels. Stitched muslin also works fine.

Brass is musch easier to polish than stainless, so you can get where you're going a lot quicker, and get a higher polish, too. With brass, after you finish with the sandpaper, you can to Tripoli, then White Diamond, then rouge and have a very high finish. On stainless steel, those buffing compounds will hardly cut the metal at all, so you need to start with emery, then go to a special stainless steel compound that contains microfine alumina abrasive.

If you need your buffer to be manipulated by hand, then you'll want to get a high-powered flexible shaft buffing head like aout body shops use. The kind that has a one HP motor on the floor or bench and a four foot flexible shaft to the wheel. These get a bit expensive compared to a stationary buffing lathe, but they allow you to work on pieces that are too large to handle on a stationary machine.

OTH
on the other hand,
if you are still sanding

an orbital pattern will accent every darned scratch you missed.

while frustrating, this is good, no?

Gene Olson
Sculptor
Elk River, MN

Guys, how about protection from tarnishing after the brass has been polished. Any advice??

Cheers
Glen
Down Under
www.deepsteeldesign.com

I have polished brass until my hair turned green. Lots of 316 C stainless also. My favorite tools are side grinders, a 4 1/2" and a 7", for initial grinding. I start with the roughest grit that will remove the impressions that need to be removed. This is not a process that can be farmed out to a laborer because you are changing the looks of the piece.
One piece of advice because I'm so cheap. Buy the best paper you can find. Don't try to use the Home Depot type discs. They are made for wood and soft materials. If you don't have a specialty store near you ask your local auto body shop where they buy their supplies. Otherwise you are limited to mail order from on line suppliers. http://www.klingspor.com/_vti_bin/shtml.dll/products/default.htm is one.
I disagree that random orbit sanders aren't useful. I find them especially useful in the higher grits for spotting where there are missed spots.
If you have an air compressor that will handle it a small air grinder with 2 or 3" discs will really speed your work. The main advantage is the ability to control speed. If you don't then finishing ready for polishing can be done with a Dremmel type tool.
Sorry for the long winded response but I'm willing to give more specific advice if you have questions during your progress.
Just what I do,
Lynn

Glen, there are two well known lacquers that are formulated specifically for "copper based" metals. Incralac and G.J.Nikolas. For the Nikolas: http://www.finish1.com/splash.htm

and for Incralac, made by StanChem

a google search will find tons of info.

bill

fwiw, I use Nikolas. But I've also had great results with the Incralac.

Thanks Guys, heaps of advice to keep me buisy for ages.

Cheers
Glen
Down Under

A few years ago I took a one day finishing course from an abrasive company, J Walter, Inc. that featured their products. I have been buying them since. They showed us how to go from rough welds to mirror finish in a few steps with their "Quick-Step(TM)" system. It's a backing pad that fits on your angle grinder, and various flex wheels, abrasive pads and felt buffing pads quickly attach with a good hook and loop system. They have a trial pack that made me a believer - their product number is 07-Q 953. Here's a couple of links: (lots of other good stuff ontheir site)
http://www.jwalterinc.com/walter_us/servlet/ProdSearch?franchise=abrasive&item=07Q953

http://www.jwalterinc.com/walter_us/servlet/ProdSummary?franchise=abrasive&criteria=appl&category=15&cbopgroup=80

We send all our brass polishing to hammonds in longford ireland, they use stand up double ended polishing machines 3 hp with taper spindles, and only use M&T compounds, there compounds are made of scratch free abrasives. On large work they use flexi hose machine with a six inch buff. Keeping the buffs clean and try is very important. They use Abrasive nylon buffs, to remove old laquer or other marks, this wheel comes in different grades, next a stiched cotton wheel, using fine high/cut abrasive compounds gray in colour, they finish with loose leaf buff, for sheet brass they finish also with extra soft buff or a extra soft pleated cotton buff,the final finish compound is white in colour. This company is very expensive, but the finishing is top class.