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  #1  
Old 10-24-2018, 05:53 PM
sandmanred sandmanred is offline
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Default Methods to get smooth reflections

I'm working a practice panel for the tail cone of a motorcycle. I want to improve my ability to make the panel with no or at least very little ripples in the reflection. I also wanted to practice making the step you see to allow for inset of the seat assembly.



The step went well. I first bent a 90 about 5/8 long and then bent the shelf about 3/8 long to get 1/4 inch step to allow for the seat assembly to sit flush with the finished surface.


Smoothing the panel is my challenge. I used a file to find the low spots and bring them up. I did that over the whole panel and then polished it out. It's fairly smooth to the hand but the reflection show undulation, especially with movement of the panel while watching reflections from the panel. So I used a close fitting dolly and slapper while trying to read the reflection to find the spot that needed to come up. I improved it some but would still like to do better.


Any tips for reading a panel to get is smooth enough to look nice in the reflection? The file method just doesn't seem to get it smooth enough.



You can see I did not polish out again after last using the slapper, that will come later.





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Old 10-24-2018, 11:24 PM
steve.murphy steve.murphy is offline
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Could you block sand it with say 600 grit to ID the highs and lows?
If its wheeling tracks, could you block sand them out and polish?
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Old 10-25-2018, 01:25 AM
Jaroslav Jaroslav is offline
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Nice. You can use plastic or polyurethane wheels for shaping. For belt grinding , belt with loose band.

Caution !! When the girl sits down, she will make her print ....... on the mirror.
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Old 10-26-2018, 07:25 AM
sandmanred sandmanred is offline
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I should mention I only use a flat file when looking for high/lows. I have a home made bending radius file that's a little better but it won't bend enough to find all the high/lows on this piece.



I found using a clear plastic ruler and bending it to fit the crown helps to find areas that need work but it's hard to bend and read along the edges.


I can still feel mild undulations when I run my hand over the surface but I have a hard time pinning down exactly what's high and low.



I have tried laying the workpiece on a flat surface and using the reflection of over head florescent lights or the wall/ceiling line but not 100% confident on how to read what needs to go up or down.
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Old 10-26-2018, 08:05 AM
cliffrod cliffrod is offline
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When I trying to resolve a surface, I prefer using a single light source to better clarify the imperfection. Using it in a raking manner helps even more, vs simple overhead static placement.

I don't like flourescent, LED or similar light that creates a chaos of light rays and shadows. Long flourescent fixtures are ok because you can see the imperfection in a reflection but I still dislike them. Many rays of light create many shadows while the many rays simultaneously illuminate most of the shadows. Not cool. Too much light is as bad as, if not worse than, too little light.

By using a single light bulb, adjusted for raking lights cross the surface (roughly in plane to the surface, not located perpendicular to it) I can address the problem more effectively.
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Old 10-26-2018, 10:04 AM
Ken Hosford Ken Hosford is offline
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you have not said material steel? thickness ?
you might try rubbing a dolly on the inside , I have made vast quantities of differing radii doming dies I would find one only slightly tighter radius than the part and rub it ,you do not have that luxury though. I find holding part and pushing down with rubbing you can feel the inside highs that are out side lows by using only slightly tighter radii you can not very easily go far .
I am not sure where or what in the photos you are referring to ,I have found it impossible with my camera skills to get a picture of so imperfection in a shiny part try as I might
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Old 10-26-2018, 11:33 AM
sandmanred sandmanred is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Hosford View Post
you have not said material steel? thickness ?
you might try rubbing a dolly on the inside , I have made vast quantities of differing radii doming dies I would find one only slightly tighter radius than the part and rub it ,you do not have that luxury though. I find holding part and pushing down with rubbing you can feel the inside highs that are out side lows by using only slightly tighter radii you can not very easily go far .
I am not sure where or what in the photos you are referring to ,I have found it impossible with my camera skills to get a picture of so imperfection in a shiny part try as I might

Thanks. I don't have a huge assortment of dollies but I can give your suggestion a try with what I have.



It's 5052 0.060 inch thick. Yes, I agree in static photos it looks pretty good. But when you leave it laying on table and walk around it you can see the movement in the reflections is uneven.


Here is a video link that attempts to show what I'm talking about. Look at the reflection of the beams in the ceiling. The polish is a bit beat up so I hope that's not too distracting. I'd like to make it so the movement in the reflections is smoother.


https://youtu.be/nQRwYH01D0s
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Old 10-26-2018, 12:29 PM
tom wibaut tom wibaut is offline
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Default reflections

! dont know if this would work but what about trying 1 of the striped lights they use for for paintless dent repair
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Old 10-26-2018, 12:58 PM
Ken Hosford Ken Hosford is offline
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Jeff
I think I see wheel tracks in places
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  #10  
Old 10-26-2018, 01:07 PM
sandmanred sandmanred is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tom wibaut View Post
! dont know if this would work but what about trying 1 of the striped lights they use for for paintless dent repair

I think that idea will help. Here's a cheap bas****s attempt at a light with a little tape spaced out on the shop window. The multiple line help a lot in locating the offending areas. I've never seen those lights before, thanks for the suggestion!


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