Achieving a Premium Brushed Finish with (Blemished) Stainless Steel Plates

metal finishing

1- The surface had a lot of pits and pin markings.

So you want JIT Companies to quote a #4 brushed on 6ft x 6ft x 1/2″ stainless steel plates?

No problem, we would be happy to help with your metal surface finishing needs! But there are a few things that we all need to be aware of in advance.  On a recent project, we provided pricing for this material.  We assumed the metal surface would be relatively blemish-free because we were told that there were no significant pits or blemishes in the existing surface.

Well, you know what happens when you assume something….

metal finishing

2- The 2nd pass – long way to go.

The material we received was not in the condition we believed it would be in.  Needless to say, our pricing was way off and we had to make the dreaded call to inform our client that there would be extra costs.  At JIT Companies, we will only provide a premium finish on everything we do. We do not cut corners even if the opportunity presents itself.

After a brief conversation to discuss the matter with the end user, a decision was made to continue with the project on a time and material basis since all of the material had varying degrees of surface blemishes.  The bottom-line, they wanted a beautiful, pit-free finish that we were happy to provide.  Due to the material size, we needed to finish them with our long belt stroke sanders.

metal surface finishing

3- Finally, pits are out and now for the final surface blending!

A word of caution regarding stainless steel plate material and metal surface finishing: Save yourself some aggravation by asking questions regarding the surface specification and actual conditions about the material you are purchasing.  There might be a better quality material available at a higher price but it would mean less time and money spent when it comes time for polishing at JIT.

Working with a nasty surface from the start is a time and labor consuming process.  We see this issue frequently with the quality of materials that are currently available from metal suppliers. Because of this, we will be continually updating our equipment to speed the processing times and provide the quality you expect from the artisans at JIT Companies.

Oh, the end result? They were beautiful of course!
(See the finished plate surface below)

Ready to learn more about how JIT Companies can help you with your next metal surface finishing project?  Call us at 507-326-5240 or request a quote here.

metal surface finishing

4- The finished plate surface!