Frosted Metal Case Instead of This Shiny One?

[Dman777]

Hi,

Does anyone  know  of a frosted metal case that would fit the clock kits in this picture? I would like frosted metal instead of shiny. It would got better with my decor.

http://www.pvelectronics.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_15&products_id=138

Thanks,

-Darin

[Dman777]

Weird... I am not able to edit my post...but I wanted to say a case that would not need modification like drilling and such. 

Thanks.

-Darin 

[Paul Parry]

Can you not just go over it with a bit of sandpaper?

That would give you a more matt effect.

 

Cheers,

Paul

[Nick]

Its not called "frosted" - the standard term is "brushed".

Easy to do. Take off the current shiny case. Get some fine "wet and dry" paper (stuff that is waterproof - ordinary sandpaper will NOT do - this is a carbide paper that will rub down stainless steel), a block of cork or other wood about 3" x 2" with rounded edges and some light mineral lubricating oil (like "3-in-1").

Wrap some W&D round the wooden block, wet it all over with the oil, and using long (full length of the piece), straight, strokes work in one direction on the piece, not lifting the block off until you've run over the end (else you'll break up the nice lines). Once in a while, wipe down the metal with a clean rag to remove the eroded metal & grit, and re-lubricate the paper. You may have to use several bits of paper.

You could convert this from smooth to brushed in maybe 30 minutes.

HTH

Nick

[JohnK]

Steel wool is good too - especially for rounded/curved surfaces. Needs extra care at the start and lift-off points; a bit of practice fixes that.

 

I am not keen on the finish produced by steel wool in a drill press giving lots of 'brushed' circular areas.

 

John K.

----- Original Message -----

From: Nick

To: neoni...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Monday, June 09, 2014 6:53 PM

Subject: [neonixie-l] Re: Frosted Metal Case Instead of This Shiny One?

Its not called "frosted" - the standard term is "brushed".

Easy to do. Take off the current shiny case. Get some fine "wet and dry" paper (stuff that is waterproof), a block of cork or other wood about 3" x 2" with rounded edges and some light mineral lubricating oil (like "3-in-1").

Wrap some W&D round the wooden block, wet it with the oil, and using long (full length of the piece), straight, strokes work in one direction on the piece, not lifting the block off until you've run over the end (else you'll break up the nice lines).

[Grahame Marsh]

I would suggest getting a piece of ali from a hardware store and practicing the technique before starting on the real thing..

Grahame

On 09/06/2014 14:57, JohnK wrote:

Steel wool is good too - especially for rounded/curved surfaces. Needs extra care at the start and lift-off points; a bit of practice fixes that.

 

From: Nick

To: neoni...@googlegroups.com

[Nick]

...should have added that if you are in a really humid atmosphere, you may need to re-passivate the stainless steel with some Nitric Acid - Google for the method - basically, SS doesn't corrode largely because it has a layer of CrO2 on its surface - when made, the SS is completely de-greased and then pickled in Nitric Acid - this removes any free Fe from the surface leaving the remaining Cr3+ ions to react with oxygen to produce a layer of Chromium Oxide a few molecules thick.

4Cr + 3O2 → 2Cr2O3

In a dry atmosphere, the newly brushed SS will form its own passivation layer in time...

You can "matt" the surface with Hydrofluoric Acid (i.e., micro etch it) - this works well but not all SS is the same and micro-etching is not suitable for high-Sulphur steels (303 grade) and low-Nickel grades (400 series). 

HTH

Nick

[Nicholas Stock]

As a chemist, I would not advocate using HF unless you've got the appropriate equipment/training..;-) It'll eat your bones...literally. As for nitric acid, that's not a novice friendly substance either. Pete's stainless steel case is nice, but if you want a matte look, find a local metalwork/fabrication shop and ask them if they can do it for you. 

(another) Nick

On Mon, Jun 9, 2014 at 8:07 AM, Nick <ni...@desmith.net> wrote:

...should have added that if you are in a really humid atmosphere, you may need to re-passivate the stainless steel with some Nitric Acid - Google for the method - basically, SS doesn't corrode largely because it has a layer of CrO2 on its surface - when made, the SS is completely de-greased and then pickled in Nitric Acid - this removes any free Fe from the surface leaving the remaining Cr ions to react with oxygen to produce a layer of Chromium Oxide a few molecules thick.

4Cr + 3O2 → 2Cr2O3

In a dry atmosphere, the newly brushed SS will form its own passivation layer in time...

You can "matt" the surface with Hydrofluoric Acid (i.e., micro etch it) - this works well but not all SS is the same and micro-etching is not suitable for high-Sulphur steels (303 grade) and low-Nickel grades (400 series). 

HTH

Nick

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[Nick]

On Monday, 9 June 2014 16:14:31 UTC+1, Pramanicin wrote:

As a chemist, I would not advocate using HF unless you've got the appropriate equipment/training..;-) It'll eat your bones...literally. As for nitric acid, that's not a novice friendly substance either. Pete's stainless steel case is nice, but if you want a matte look, find a local metalwork/fabrication shop and ask them if they can do it for you. 

(another) Nick

Yup - I wasn't seriously suggesting that he do that himself - HF is evil  - should have made that clear !

Nick 

[John Rehwinkel]

Does anyone  know  of a frosted metal case that would fit the clock kits in this picture? I would like frosted metal instead of shiny. It would got better with my decor.

Another approach would be the way a lot of "frosted" or "etched" glass is done these days, by applying clear adhesive frosted vinyl to it.

Examples (this vendor offers free samples too):

http://www.signground.com/product/oracal-8810-frosted-glass-cast/

A more affordable source for small quantities:

http://www.hhsignsupply.com/productcart/pc/ORACAL-8810-Silver-Grey-Frosted-Glass-Cast-Vinyl-By-The-Foot-662p44430.htm

- John

[GastonP]

What about sandblasting the standard issue one? It works well and if done with glass micro-pearls will give you a nice and even matte effect.

Gastón