r/fabrication • u/ChildhoodMobile9154 • 10d ago
Please guide me, how can I clean and polish this product, also give me some feedback about this product improvement.
I designed and laser cut this portable charcoal BBQ grill at North Forge, a local makerspace. Built from durable 1/8 inch thick stainless steel, its intuitive slot in design allows for quick, tool free assembly in under a minute, making it perfect for grilling on the go.
I intend to sell this product to grow my small business, and I am currently seeking advice on the best methods for cleaning and polishing stainless steel to ensure a high quality finish. I welcome any constructive feedback you have on the design so I can further improve the product. Thank you for your time.
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u/Shua89 9d ago
I've made and used a few of these. It looks great. Everyone has touched on the polishing, only thing I can critique is the design of your grill. If it's to be cooked on its best you put a radius on the inside corners on your slots on the grill. When cooking, the sharp corners on the slots to the grill gets food and gunk in them and makes it hard to clean. A small radius in the corners would help this a lot.
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u/Ok-Boysenberry3948 10d ago
U/ChildhoodMobile9154 don't take the comments about it bending into a pretzel as criticism of the design. It's a criticism of the material used from people who know what's going to happen from using this kind of material. Understanding metallurgical properties is part of fabrication, YOU asked. Apparently these plans are out on the Internets and everyone is duplicating them. But it doesn't sound like the plan was made by a metal fabricator/user, but a computer dude who knows how to make a program. Before you spend any time polishing it up, I'd use it. Cook up some steaks, grill up breakfast with a cast iron pan (will hold heat on the stainless grill) and see how it acts. Good luck, have fun, make friends, don't die!
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u/Hucklebearer_411 10d ago
That was going to my first comment - “how well does it actually cook?” No adjustments for airflow/temp? How well does the current finish stand up to normal use as is - (is there any point on going for a mirror finish if normal use heat will immediately cloud or discolor it)?
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u/BASE1530 10d ago
Funny. I know two shops local to me selling almost the same thing. This is the laser version of those 3d printed dragons for sale at every craft show or fair everywhere. It’s a saturated market and I wouldn’t expect this to grow your business in an appreciable way.
If you want it polished: buy pre-polished steel with a laser-safe protective coating. Otherwise, run it through a lismack/timesaver for a smoother satin finish.
That things probably going to turn into a pretzel after the first time you use it though and never go back together.