Buffing Question.

[admin]

I've got a small buffing cylinder that came pre-mounted on a mandrel. It's about 1-3/4" long and 1-1/2" in diameter. I find it works nicely to put a final shine on Micro-Mesh finishes.

But the kicker is, for the most part I've been using the buffer in the lathe chuck and with nothing but the wheel, no polishing compound or the like. Just dry. It works OK for me.

What am I missing out on? I'm thinking about experimenting with using some sort of compound or oil. I've heard of using Min. Oil with a buffing wheel to bring out a shine, and that idea does seem to make a fair bit of sense as well.

So, am I missing out on anything not using a compound on the buffer cylinder? And, if you had to, could you recommend a compound to try? I mostly want to make Red Cedar shine as much as I possibly can.

TJ.

[dicklaxt]

TJ,by running dry you are just polishing whats there not improving it,the use of different componds is to remove fine scratches and the last step is normally a very hard wax that will polish to a luster,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,care should be taken in all phases of compounding not to get to much of the compound on the wheels or the surface of the wood as it will gum up on the wood before you can spread it evenly and it will contaminate the linen in the wheel.It can sometimes be washed out with soapy water,,,,,, more componds and polishes can always be added but its hard to remove to much.Ridges of compound on the surface of wood is hard to deal with once it gets there so there are techniques and experience to deal with.

Its one of those you need experience things knowing just how hot,fast and when.

My BIL has an aluminum welding shop and he can weld a knife cut in a beer can,that a pretty good touch and eye but easy to screw up.

[sachbvn]

TJ - right now I am working with the Beall buffing system - Tripoli, White Diamond paste, and finally Carnauba wax...

It's taking some practice on when enough is enough.... I'm not sure if I've got too much tripoli on the wheel or not - I've not been adding any more, just working with whats there - same with the white diamond, though that is a little easier to see whats left on the pen as it's white or hazy looking. The W.D. step is going better now, I quit adding to it and just worked with whats there.... the Carnauba wax is kinda tough too - it's clear and makes the pens shiny, but it's tough to tell how much wax is being applied to the wheel....it's such a hard wax that it kinda melts off the bar slowly in my experience.


Zac

[dicklaxt]

Zac use them all sparingly especially the wax.

dick

[Doug B]

TJ, you can get the Tripoli, White Diamond, and wax at Habor Freight pretty inexpensively. I think they might have different names for them, but they are the same things as you get with the Beall Buffer. They have a whole line of polishes which are (I think) mainly intended for metal polishing and they are color coded.

I think the next one after White Diamond is Red Rouge and I used it on a brass cartridge one time. I got it as part of a set and just wanted to try it out. There is a chart somewhere that I have seen that provides all the details about the different polishing compounds.

You can try some of those out for not much cost and see how they work. Just try to do then in the proper sequense Carnuba wax is always the last thing you use.

I found this with a quick search. Never heard of them, but the chart looks similar to what I have seen before. Take it for what its worth
www.hobbytool.com/jewelers-rouge.htm

[Ruffnek]

If you are buffing dry, then you are either relying on the natural oils in the wood to buff to a shine or you are simply burnishing the wood.

There's nothing wrong with that but for a bit more shine and protection, using compounds and carnauba wax will surely work better.

Like Dick said, the Tripoli will remove fine scratches, the White Diamond basically removes the excess tripoli and the carnauba wax gives it a satin luster with some protection from humidity changes.