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Help Picking Stainless Alloy?

I need to make some fittings for our bathroom. I'd like them to look like polished chrome to match some hardware they will bolt to. I'd like it to be fairly easy to machine (all lathe work), and I'll need to silver solder two pieces together.

I've done a little digging, and it appears that 303 & other easy to machine alloys can be harder to silver solder neatly. I also don't know how easy they are to polish. Should I just go with 304? My recollection is that it's hard to get a good finish on 304.

I've certainly seen a nice finish on 400 series SS (416?), but I've never worked with the stuff and have no idea how easy it is to machine, solder, polish, etc.

Suggestions? Comments?

Thanks!

Doug White

Reply to
Doug White
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You will generally find solid stock in 303 and tube in 304 and 304L. Both silver solder fine with the proper flux and the higher temp silver solders. These tend to have some bronze in them so they often come out yellowish. Polishing is just a matter of working your way through the various grits and polishing compounds. Skip a step and you will never get it right.

The 400 series tend to be darker and dirtier look> I need to make some fittings for our bathroom. I'd like them to look

Reply to
RoyJ

Reply to
Machineman
400 series is not as corrosion resistant as the 300 series, so would probably require more maintenance to keep that fine finish.

Randy

Reply to
Randal O'Brian

I found a nice article online:

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that claims that 430 can be polished to look like chrome. Apparently it's because it has no nickel in it. That suggests that 416 would also work well. I ordered some from McMaster Carr, and we'll see how it turns out. They didn't have 430 in rod stock.

Thansk for all the sugestions.

Doug White

Reply to
Doug White

Handy and Harman sell a color-matched braze rod for stainless. I've been using my yard-long sample frugally since 1982. Still have about foot or so left. We fabbed a rack with it. Nice match. Use lots of flux and work quickly.

Yours, Doug Goncz ( ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz/incoming ) Student member SAE for one year. I love: Dona, Jeff, Kim, Mom, Neelix, Tasha, and Teri, alphabetically. I drive: A double-step Thunderbolt with 657% range.

Reply to
Doug Goncz

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