Buffing, maybe I’m doing it wrong...

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mmayo

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TonyL got me thinking about getting the smoothest, scratch free shine. Shown is a shave brush just turned and buffed today. The material is acrylic acetate. It was turned and sanded to 600 grit on the lathe. When I look at the second closeup taken with a Nikon 60mm macro I cannot detect scratches especially radial scratches, but no lateral ones either. Yes, that's what we all want.

What do I do differently (perhaps wrongly) is to start Tripoli buffing with the piece 90 degrees from the wheels. I stay working here until the piece shine and I cannot see scratches. When satisfied I turn the piece parallel to the wheels and continue. Care is taken to allow the piece, especially pen blanks to cool off at times to avoid melting it. Don't ask why I know that. Lesson learned. When that view is very shiny and I cannot see and scratches with lots of light I move to white diamond. If any scare seen I start over. I finish with plastic polish.

Comments, suggestions?
 

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Curly

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Almost the same except after the first round at ninety degrees to the axis of the pen I do forty five degrees for a bit then forty five degrees from the other way, top to the left and then top to the right in other words. Then along the length. Clean off any compound before moving up a grit including the ends, so you don't contaminate the finer buffing wheel.

All three of the Beall wheels. Same with CA and various plastics.
 
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mmayo

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Almost the same except after the first round at ninety degrees to the axis of the pen I do forty five degrees for a bit then forty five degrees from the other way, top to the left and then top to the right in other words. Then along the length. Clean off any compound before moving up a grit including the ends, so you don't contaminate the finer buffing wheel.

All three of the Beall wheels. Same with CA and various plastics.


You are probably right and I may do more 45 degrees than 90, mostly because there is not a lot of room on the Beale buff. I will wipe between wheels, nice idea. I always wiped th blank between micro mesh pads so it makes sense.

Thanks
 

Terredax

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It sounds as if you are spending a lot of time on the buffer.
I think you could potentially reduce your buffing time, by using the correct strokes. There is a cut stroke, and a color stroke.
Also, if you are getting heat build-up, it could be from holding the material against the wheel for too long, and/or using too much pressure against the wheel.
The material should only touch the face of the wheels with a light touch; it's the compound that does the work and not the wheel itself.
The material should only touch the wheels for the duration of the stroke.
The combination of the two above practices, will defeat heat build-up, and using these along with the correct strokes, the shine you've accomplished should take no more than one to two minutes. Maybe less on AA, as it polishes very easily. JMO
 

mmayo

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Don't get me wrong- the melted blank was one out of very many when my mind was elsewhere and I was rushing. It will not be repeated.
 
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