I need to make some custom interior trim and I'm not sure which direction to go with it.
The pieces are 3/16" thick, and 1/2" and 3/4" wide. The two 1/2" pieces are about 40" long and the two 3/4" pieces are about 18" long. There's also a few short 1/2" wide pieces.
My choices are steel, stainless, and aluminum. I want it to be shiny, and STAY shiny so I think Aluminum is out for me. Plus I want to attach some studs to the backside which is difficult with aluminum. It's not really thick enough to thread.
So that leaves steel and stainless steel. The pieces will be ball milled down the center. That shouldn't be hard to do with steel. Using 304 stainless would make it very difficult to machine, and most shops don't like to mess with it. So I can use 303 stainless which machines well and polishes nicely. However, it's almost THREE TIMES the price of 304, which is already almost twice the cost of steel. And it's not easy to find in the dimensions I need. I don't want to pay for more machining than I need to.
I plan to silver solder studs to the backside. If I use steel I would have it chromed.
I am thinking the cost of chroming the steel is WAY more than the additional cost of the stainless. I can polish the stainless myself, so I don't have to pay the $25 per foot most polishers charge. Even if I did I think the stainless still comes out less expensive.
Can you think of any reason not to use stainless? Any opinons or experiences machining 304? I have found it to be okay to turn on a lathe, but not sure about ball-milling. Is the additional cost of 303 worth it? I found it once but don't even know if I can find it again in a 3/16" thick flat bar.
The pieces are 3/16" thick, and 1/2" and 3/4" wide. The two 1/2" pieces are about 40" long and the two 3/4" pieces are about 18" long. There's also a few short 1/2" wide pieces.
My choices are steel, stainless, and aluminum. I want it to be shiny, and STAY shiny so I think Aluminum is out for me. Plus I want to attach some studs to the backside which is difficult with aluminum. It's not really thick enough to thread.
So that leaves steel and stainless steel. The pieces will be ball milled down the center. That shouldn't be hard to do with steel. Using 304 stainless would make it very difficult to machine, and most shops don't like to mess with it. So I can use 303 stainless which machines well and polishes nicely. However, it's almost THREE TIMES the price of 304, which is already almost twice the cost of steel. And it's not easy to find in the dimensions I need. I don't want to pay for more machining than I need to.
I plan to silver solder studs to the backside. If I use steel I would have it chromed.
I am thinking the cost of chroming the steel is WAY more than the additional cost of the stainless. I can polish the stainless myself, so I don't have to pay the $25 per foot most polishers charge. Even if I did I think the stainless still comes out less expensive.
Can you think of any reason not to use stainless? Any opinons or experiences machining 304? I have found it to be okay to turn on a lathe, but not sure about ball-milling. Is the additional cost of 303 worth it? I found it once but don't even know if I can find it again in a 3/16" thick flat bar.
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