I read through the buffing...kicked up a notch thread, and there is good and bad information associated with that thread.
Buffing is the same as sanding, but it utilizes a cloth wheel to carry the compound. The compound comes in several grits, but it is used just like sand paper, in that it's a progressive process. Use the coarse grits and work to the fine grits.
A finishing compound is often referred to as greaseless or dry. These have very little carrier material (often a greasy wax base) and very fine powder that is used mostly to remove the build-up.
The wheels also come in many variations, as in style and softness. They all have a purpose, i.e. being aggressive to developing a high shine, and some keep the material cool, some are designed to get into tight details without removing the detail.
The combination between the wheels and compounds will determine the final finish.
Two common issues that arise with buffing is, getting catches and heat build-up.
A catch is when the wheel grabs the top edge of the item being buffed and it is violently ripped from your hands. This is a dangerous situation, especially if the item comes back around and hits the person buffing, although, most times it hits the floor or wall behind the buffer with enough force to destroy or severely damage the item.
Never try to buff to the top edge. Buff from the center down and then, rotate the item 90 degrees to get the other half.
Heat build-up is from using too much pressure against the wheel or holding in one spot. It only takes a light touch against the wheel to achieve results. It's the compound doing the work, not the wheel.
Always keep the item moving, never stop in on spot and only hold against the wheel during the stroke. Lift off of the wheel between strokes.
Stroke... there is a cut stroke, and a color stroke.
A cut stroke is the motion against the rotation of the wheel. This is a more aggressive motion. This motion is used first.
A color stroke is the motion following the rotation of the wheel. This is a finer motion. This motion is used after the cut stroke, and is similar to using a finer grit in preparation for the next compound.
Always use one compound per wheel. Never cross contaminate the wheels. The finish will suffer when using different compounds on the same wheel.
Always rake the wheel often. This cleans the build-up out of the wheel and keeps a fresh edge to help eliminate damage to the finish.
When applying compound to the wheel, more is not better. Just a quick, light touch against the wheel is plenty of compound, before the next rake.
For pen plastics and CA finishes (essentially a plastic) three wheels and three compounds should be more than enough to get a very smooth and reflective finish.
A spiral wheel, used with Tripoli compound.
A loose wheel, used with a white rouge compound.
A canton or string wheel, used with a dry rouge/finish compound
Using the cut and color strokes in sequence, with the above combinations, should garner great results provided the sanding procedure before buffing is followed correctly.
Sanding...sand through the progressive grits, and sand the length of the barrels until all radial scratches are removed from the previous grit. Follow this procedure through the finest grit you are comfortable stopping at before buffing. Going past 1500 grit paper won't necessarily be beneficial, since most Tripoli compounds start around that grit. Going past 1500 grit before buffing would be a step back.
I generally sand to 220 grit and then to the buffer and with a little practice, this will become easily achievable for anyone.
I apologize for the lengthy post. There is a lot of information for buffing and I attempted to convey what would benefit a pen maker. If I missed something, I apologize.
Buffing is the same as sanding, but it utilizes a cloth wheel to carry the compound. The compound comes in several grits, but it is used just like sand paper, in that it's a progressive process. Use the coarse grits and work to the fine grits.
A finishing compound is often referred to as greaseless or dry. These have very little carrier material (often a greasy wax base) and very fine powder that is used mostly to remove the build-up.
The wheels also come in many variations, as in style and softness. They all have a purpose, i.e. being aggressive to developing a high shine, and some keep the material cool, some are designed to get into tight details without removing the detail.
The combination between the wheels and compounds will determine the final finish.
Two common issues that arise with buffing is, getting catches and heat build-up.
A catch is when the wheel grabs the top edge of the item being buffed and it is violently ripped from your hands. This is a dangerous situation, especially if the item comes back around and hits the person buffing, although, most times it hits the floor or wall behind the buffer with enough force to destroy or severely damage the item.
Never try to buff to the top edge. Buff from the center down and then, rotate the item 90 degrees to get the other half.
Heat build-up is from using too much pressure against the wheel or holding in one spot. It only takes a light touch against the wheel to achieve results. It's the compound doing the work, not the wheel.
Always keep the item moving, never stop in on spot and only hold against the wheel during the stroke. Lift off of the wheel between strokes.
Stroke... there is a cut stroke, and a color stroke.
A cut stroke is the motion against the rotation of the wheel. This is a more aggressive motion. This motion is used first.
A color stroke is the motion following the rotation of the wheel. This is a finer motion. This motion is used after the cut stroke, and is similar to using a finer grit in preparation for the next compound.
Always use one compound per wheel. Never cross contaminate the wheels. The finish will suffer when using different compounds on the same wheel.
Always rake the wheel often. This cleans the build-up out of the wheel and keeps a fresh edge to help eliminate damage to the finish.
When applying compound to the wheel, more is not better. Just a quick, light touch against the wheel is plenty of compound, before the next rake.
For pen plastics and CA finishes (essentially a plastic) three wheels and three compounds should be more than enough to get a very smooth and reflective finish.
A spiral wheel, used with Tripoli compound.
A loose wheel, used with a white rouge compound.
A canton or string wheel, used with a dry rouge/finish compound
Using the cut and color strokes in sequence, with the above combinations, should garner great results provided the sanding procedure before buffing is followed correctly.
Sanding...sand through the progressive grits, and sand the length of the barrels until all radial scratches are removed from the previous grit. Follow this procedure through the finest grit you are comfortable stopping at before buffing. Going past 1500 grit paper won't necessarily be beneficial, since most Tripoli compounds start around that grit. Going past 1500 grit before buffing would be a step back.
I generally sand to 220 grit and then to the buffer and with a little practice, this will become easily achievable for anyone.
I apologize for the lengthy post. There is a lot of information for buffing and I attempted to convey what would benefit a pen maker. If I missed something, I apologize.
