I am trying to learn more about bead-blasting, polishing, and/or chemicall etching 6061 aluminum, and what I can expect from each in terms of the work involved and the final result.
Example -- I have several pieces of 0.25" thick 6061 that were plasma cut. The largest is smaller than a square foot in total area and measures less than 12" on it's longest side. They were cut from plate and have scratches and mars that will be visible after anodizing if nothing is done to prep the surface. I will be anodizing several at a time in my small line.
My #1 priority is minimizing the work involved in hiding the scratches. Having a matte vs gloss finish is not critical for my application, I just need a workflow that will produce a uniform finish AND that hides preexisting scratches.
I have read that chemical etching using NaOH solution provides a matte finish, but I don't know if it goes deep enough to etch away the scratches.
I've already paid for some bead-blasting services in the past and it did a great job of meeting both goals, BUT I understand it can be more difficult to make it uniform and is also difficult to get a deep black anodize with a bead-blasted part.
I have never polished aluminum but I'm not opposed to it if a uniform finish can be achieved more quickly than either bead blasting or chemical etching. My assumption was that polishing would be the most time consuming so I've focused on the other two, but correct me if I'm wrong.
Again, matte vs gloss isn't important, but the time required to hide the surface imperfections is.
Thanks for your help.