Chainplates

[Leo]

Iím replacing my chain plates. Can I purchase stainless stock and make my own? Any special treatments to the stainless? Also would Silicon Bronze be a suitable material? And what grade or considerations would I have using it?

Leo

[Matthew Sebring]

Yes you can purchase stainless stock depending on which area of the country you live in and how industrial your city is. In my hometown there are two places within a half-hour drive of me where I can get bar or sheets but I live in a refinery city on the gulf coast so really that isn't surprising. As for treatments, what you will probably get will have a mill finish which is a very very long way from a nice mirror polish. However, with a hand-held belt sander, orbital sander, and polishing wheel it is possible to make a perfectly smooth mirror finish. Just plan on it taking a while. I would typically start with an 80 grit belt and work my way down to a 400 grit disc before taking it to the buffing wheel. If you can get away with it I reccomend bar stock rather than sheet for normal chainplates so you don't have to do any difficult long cuts in the metal. However, bar-stock is frequently slightly cupped from the manufacturing process so will take some more effot with the sanding. Also keep in mind that you are removing metal when sanding so don't start with something too thin to begin with. Some of the last chainplates I made were coated with pickling paste after being polished and then lightly polished again to remove the haze left by the pickling paste. Don't know if that step helped much.

[SV Papillon]

If you are going to sand SS you will want to pickle it before the final buffing, the sanding will bring out ferous metal and rust if exposed to saltwater. Pickling paste, availible through most welding suppliers, is a acid that will remove the ferous metal. Make sure to follow the instructions for application and removing as it is a strong acid. SS flat bar is availible in multiple grades to get away from too mush finish work. Another alternative is silicon bronze which is also sold in flat bar stock. If you are in the NW check out Alaskan Copper and Brass.

regards

T Scott

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
I'll just add that you want to avoid manganese bronze and naval bronze; both are actually forms of brass.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

[osteoderm]

I've had great success cleaning up stainless with wet-dry sandpaper. If it's really rough, a Fein or disc sander with 180- or 220-grit to start, but I've had best luck finishing by hand with a succesion of grits, 400 down to 1600. If you keep the grades of paper close each time you change, it's really not as much nad-sanding as you'd think, and the final pickling and buffing with rouge or compound goes really quickly.
Also, always drill any holes after all bends have been made.
Also, for pieces such as backing plates that don't need to look all snazzy, I know a few folks whoswear by acid-resistant stainless boilerplate. I can't recall the numerical alloy grade of the stuff... Doesn't take a polish for damn, but also doesn't rust as quickly as normal 304 or 316.