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[ QUOTE ]
Whats micro-polishing?

[/ QUOTE ]

He won't say - I think he was on the board here for a while (Jeff Palya of Paltech)...

from his site:

"The Micro-polishing process entails a trade secret mechanical motion using custom made equipment & custom formulated media that are not available on the market. There are no chemicals used in the process."

Some sort of media and a tumbler/vibrator thingy I think.

You can get pretty similar results with white rouge and a buffing wheel and a dremel with a buffing nub for all the nooks and crannies.

That being said they all are going to turn flat again if you don't really keep up on them. Some people have suggested clear coat which may be fine for the externals but your throats and all the internal bits are going to still get gunky.

To each his own I guess. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I'm just guessing, but in my business as a sales rep, I've seen similar results when plastic media is used in place of traditional abrasive tumbling media. And where do they get the plastic media, you might ask? What do think happens to all of the holes that are made in plastic buttons?

Dunkin Donuts made a fortune selling donut holes and years ago a button manufacturer found a a use for his scrap products.

This process is very compatible in the medical device industry as no toxic chemicals are used to polish the metals that may enter the body in a surgical device. Done correctly, it will pull even baked on powder coat right off of stainless steel parts and leave the metal looking beautiful, without scratching or etch marks.
 
Jeff Palya does great work. He did my SU's and they are concourse quality. I tried white rouge and even light media blasting before turning to Jeff and couldn't come close to his results. Very pleased with his work as you can see plus he rebuilt the carbs while he was at it.
 
That's pretty cool Brosky... always someone out there figuring how to make a buck before I do... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Now Banjo will have to fire up his home-made "Tumblematic 2000" clothes dryer full of button holes, drive away all the neighborhood dogs with the racket, and let us know how it works /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I understand the tumbling action all ways takes the edge off of the objects being tumbled. If that is true, I don't see how a tumbler would be good for carb parts.
 
Plastic media is available is a variety of sizes, shapes and hardness. Button holes is an old term that was probably based on some of the earlier media. Each type has a recommended use. Although I've never seen this, some media manufacturers claim that you can strip paint one layer at a time with the correct media, equipment and operator. Plastic is much easier on the base material. Ground walnut shells are used in some blasting. Another type of blasting that is becoming more common is soda blasting. I believe it uses baking soda. This one is supposed to be environmentally safe.
Tumbling media is also customizable. Artifical stones made from ceramics are common is a machine shop where tumbling is used to de-burr parts. Ammunition reloaders use softer media to polish their casings before reloading. The key is to match the media to the material. Media that is softer than the material will not abrade the base material. Blasting, even with a soft media, can generate enough heat to warp the material.
 
i wonder if micropolishing is actually ultrasonic cleaning, which could be considered "micro-polishing" this is the REAL thing to do with those grungy carbs.
rob
 
Tom,
It would be interesting to see how a small carb part would look after going through the tumbler. The walnut shells should do a pretty good job of cleaning and polishing. Would your tumbler hold a Hotwheels car? They are diecast. If it wouldn't mess up your media it would be interesting to see the finish on a small diecast car after tumbling.
 
Bob is absolutely correct in his earlier post regarding the various types of media now available. I just made fun of the button hole, "one man's waste is another mans treasure" scenario, but that again could have been said for walnut shells.
Who's the luckyguy that gets to eat all of the walnuts?
One of my principals uses over 30 different types of media to "break the edges" or de-burr, for lack of a better descriptive, many of the parts that are stamped from the progressive dies that we build. These have extremely tight tolerances on the surface finish and edge condition, so it really can be a science in itself.
I think that the carbs have a very agressive cleaning process and then the trick is in the polishing and possibly acid bath after the initial clean cycle.
I just sent my wiper motor here to be polished before having my engine compartment repainted. I'll post pics after I get it back. https://www.tr6car11.bravehost.com/service.html
 
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