I need to polish a metal axle to reduce friction. Whats the best way to do this?
I assume you are mounting it in a drill or dremel to spin it while polishing. Some steels will polish better than others. Typically, high-carbon hardened steels or steels with nickle (400 series stainless) will polish best. You can obtain polishing componds from tool & die supply companies. For very fine or ‘mirror’ polish, you will need compounds containing diamond dust. These compounds come in a variety of grit (like sandpaper). Start with a course grit and work your way up to very fine grit. It may take 8 – 10 steps of successive polishing, but you will end up with a super smooth surface.
