Electropolishing as a Metalworking Technique

Answer 1

Electropolishing is a crucial metalworking technique for every craftsman who is interested in perfecting the practice of bringing a piece of metal craftsmanship to perfection. The basic principle of electropolishing lies in the use of electrochemical processes that polish and deburr metal to the point that it becomes incredibly smooth and resilient. Generally speaking, it is nearly impossible to bring the true luster out of most metals without utilizing some form of electropolishing, so nearly all of today’s leading jewelers and metalworking craftsmen are required to be well versed in the techniques necessary to apply this process to precious metals. Here is some basic information that will introduce you to what electropolishing is all about.

The way that electropolishing works is by the metal to be used in a project being immersed in solution of water and electrolytes that is kept at a very specific temperature. The solution is then connected to an electrode that applies a modest DC current of electricity to the solution. This current of electricity reacts with the electrolytes in the solution to cause the metal to become oxidized. The result of this oxidation results in the removal of the very fine surface of the metal, which has the same result as the finest polishing of a piece of metal through high tech abrasive techniques.

Metalworkers use electropolishing for a wide range of applications. This is primarily due to the fact that electropolishing can be used to refine metals in a number of very complex shapes which would be otherwise very difficult to polish. For example, electropolishing is the number one process used to refine the tumbling mechanisms in washing machines and the tools that are used in surgical procedures. In more high tech industrial applications, electropolishing is used to refine extremely thin metal samples that would be irreparably damaged by traditional abrasive techniques.

In some cases, fairly sophisticated forms of electropolishing must be put into practice in order to establish a smooth surface on very rough metals. This is because regular electropolishing would simply cause deeper grooves in the scratches that occur on damaged metal. Thankfully, this problem can easily be solved by using two different conditions of solution that are specially designed to polish rough metals efficiently