Aluminum Fish Art

[howiesca]

I am polishing large aluminum art pieces plasma cut from sheet aluminum. Alot of the metal art and machine shop pieces I have seen have a swirl pattern as the finished look. Does anyone know what type of brush, pad, or tool people use to create this finished look?

[mpierich]

Originally Posted by howiesca

I am polishing large aluminum art pieces plasma cut from sheet aluminum. Alot of the metal art and machine shop pieces I have seen have a swirl pattern as the finished look. Does anyone know what type of brush, pad, or tool people use to create this finished look?

The photo's too small.

But, go to the hardwares store and get some steel wool and some Scotch-Brite pads, both in 2 or 3 different grades. Also get some 600 and 800-grit wet/dry sandpaper and a rubber block to wrap it around. I'm confident you'll find the effect you want with one of those. you'll do better by hand rather than wth a machine, it'll be easier to control.

[howiesca]

I took the pic with my camera phone just to show the type of piece I was talking about. There is no finish on it yet, actually I just started sanding and polishing this one and want to experiment with different finishes.