Buffing wheels

[JollyJim]

Morning all.....

Usually, when I'm making pens, I end up finishing on the
lathe with abrasive paper through the grits, then either
CA or sanding sealer followed by wax, or for acrylics,
HUT plastic polish.

I've just been given a set of three buffing wheels
together with a green and a red compound bar.

I have no idea how this would fit in, assuming it
does, with my normal routine or does it replace ?
I haven't got a clue, so, if one of you kind turners
give me some advice, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance and have a nice weekend

regards - Jim

[Les Symonds]

Hello Jim...typically, a three-wheel buffing set uses three different polishes, firstly, on the coarsest wheel, a reddish brown abrasive wax called Tripoli Wax (sometimes referred to as EEE, or triple E), secondly, a softer wheel with a white wax known as Diamond White, and finally, the softest of the three wheels to apply whatever wax finish you choose.

Is you red wax stick a reddish brown, in which case it might well be Tripoli, but I've no idea about the green,

[Les Symonds]

....I should also add that a lot of people skip the first wheel in the process when polishing white timber, like holly, box or sycamore, because the Tripoli wax can leave reddish brown deposits in the grain; in which case they go straight to the Diamond White wax.
Les

[JollyJim]

Hi Les,

thanks for the reply.

So.... do I not do any polishing 'on the mandrel', but
take the blank off and then use the three wheels ?

Cheers - Jim

[JollyJim]

....forgot,

Your suspicion that the 'red one is brown' is correct.

So, I shall try to sell the green one to the Mem'sab telling
her that it is a magic face wash.

I'll let you know how it goes, (if I'm still around....)

Thanks again Les

Best wishes - Jim

[Derek]

The only green compounds that I know of are one the green which is used for carving chisels and this hones the edge and the other is for polishing the following metals Aluminium, Brass, Copper, Zinc, Titanium, Steel, Iron, Stainless steel, Bronze.

If you are not sure about the compound or even what is on the mops I would think again about using them on wood as if they have been used on metal you can get cross contamination.

I have both wood and metal buffing systems and keep them well separated so as not to get them mixed up

[JollyJim]

Hi Derek,

Thanks for replying.

They are new, not been touched at all.

Maybe I should continue with polishing pens etc
the way I have been (I have to say that, for the most part,
I am perfectly happy with the finish I get on my pens )
and keep these wheels specifically for honing tool edges....
.....what do you think ?

I was just curious to see where buffing wheels 'fitted in'
with the process of pen finishing.


Thanks again and best wishes - Jim

[Lazurus]

I have a three wheel buffing system that I use when tuning cast resin / burl hybrids, it works very well if used in the correct order removing the very fine sanding marks from the resin and wood. As mentioned do not cross contaminate with metals. I also find Yorkshire grit produces a very good finish on the resin so is similar, just not as fine as using the wheels. Also new wheels are fairly cheap so you could have another set if required for tools. For advise and consumables I found the below excellent.

http://www.thepolishingshop.co.uk/

[Derek]

They are new, not been touched at all.

If the mops are unused then buy some more compound for wood and use them.

For wooden pens I now use Melamine Lacquer as a finish applied properly will give a good finish and last.

Wax is OK but does not last so well on pens as it wears off very quick.

[Redtails4]

Hi
If you have a problem with the colour of polishing compounds try the polishing shop website it should have a whole range of them and a discription of what they do and what they are used for.
Plus the different mops again there uses.

[Sandy]

Hi Jim,

I checked out this website when I wanted some info:
http://www.bealltool.com

There's an information/instruction tab and also some YouTube videos, starting here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oulHXWmIrI&feature=channel_page

Hope this is of use / helps.

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Jim try calling in to your local motorbike shop for polishing items.Motor bikers tend to love polishing the chrome and stuff on their bikes and that is where I get most of my polish bars and mops.

[APH]

Maybe I should continue with polishing pens etc
the way I have been (I have to say that, for the most part,
I am perfectly happy with the finish I get on my pens )
and keep these wheels specifically for honing tool edges....

If you're happy with your existing workflow and finish it seems futile to change.
From all I've read, pen turners very rarely use buffing wheels to finish with. The standard finishes on the mandrel are fine.

I certainly haven't bothered putting pens I've made to my buffing wheels. I use them on larger items; bowls, boxes etc.

Not sure I'd bother with trying to hone turning tools with buffing wheels either, a bit of a waste of time mostly. Carving tools would be more likely to benefit from that quality of edge.

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

APH it all depends on what you are turning.

[JollyJim]

Wow....great response from everyone - thanks a lot....

Lazarus
Thanks for the tips. I hear what you are saying re cross-contamination
and the Yorkshire Grit. Also, I went on the polishing shop site, learnt
quite a lot and printed out some of the documentation for future reference.

Derek.
Thanks for your time. I've been toying with the idea of Melamine for a long
time but you've made my mind up by saying that wax won't last too long
on pens.
So, I've ordered some and it should be here in a couple of days. I've
checked out some Youtubes on Melamine, but if you've got any particular
advice, I'm all ears.

Redtails.
Thanks again for your advice....it's a good website.

Sandy
Thanks for the link to Youtube. I watched all three of the videos
and really started to understand it all. Well-made videos that
were easy to follow - thanks

BowlerHat
Thanks for that - I'll take a look. I'm sure there's tons
of products out there that would prove usable that have
never been considered....

APH
Thanks for your help. I understand what you're saying about larger
items as well as honing tools, thanks for your time.

Basically, I've decided to put it on
the back-burner for a while as, I'm fairly happy with the way
I work and I'm not convinced from the info in this post,
that buffing would give me any great advantage. But,....
I will try it when I've got more time (hahaha) cos I really do
enjoy trying new things, so, your time has'nt been wasted !!!

Thanks everyone who responded for your time, It's very much appreciated...

Best wishes to all - Jim