mill finish?

[someday]

i am working with some aluminum and there seems to be a difference with finishes. when i bought some aluminum from home depot it says "milled." so does that mean it has a mill finish? it is not fully polished, but it looks shiny compared to the stuff i already have. can i mill the stuff i have to match the stuff from home depot?

[stlmo2]

Mill finish is just what it says. It is the finish the mill, which is where the material was produced put on the material. It could be ground or rolled. Most of the aluminum you see in plate, round, or flat is rolled. Some tooling plate is ground, so you get a brighter finish. I haven't heard of many mills actually selling commercial material that has been actually milled, unless it is specifically ordered that way. But most shops will do their own milling on the material.

[berkad]

A mill finish is the finish left after production. This can very depending upon the material. Steel is not just steel, aluminum is not just aluminum. There are garades and different alloys. Polishing will produce a uniform look, but be careful with what you polish with. Do some research for polishing compounds and polishing wheels.