What technique creates the deepest shine?

[Jimmykoko2]

I know this will probably get mixed responses. I have spent a lot of dollars on different polishes, abrasives and buffing materials.

Will buffing acrylic as the last step after polishing create the best finish? I use white diamond but recently heard there is a finer buffing compound in blue? If that's true. Who sources the blue compound?
Thanks, Jim

 

[JimB]

There isn't an answer to your question because there are too many variables. Some finishes are better for different types of wood. Your technique for applying a finish will be different than someone else. Different 'polishes' work differently with different finishes. Your technique with the different 'polishes' will be different from someone else.

The real pros at finishing take all this into account and use different finishes, polishes and techniques on different materials based on the look they want to achieve.

 

[Ted iin Michigan]

Jim - JimB did a good job addressing polishing CA. Lots of techniques there. Acrylics seem to vary all over the place, too, but there are some good ideas. There are many different formulations for acrylics and each one behaves a bit different when polishing. However, there are folk here (myself included) who sand to a pretty high grit (I go to 2000 wet) then use a polishing compound (I use Novus 3 and then Novus 2). That gets me to a pretty darn good, polished finish. I like to then go one final step and buff with my Beall wheels with the Tripoli and, finally, the white diamond. While it might seem like overkill to some, I get really good reviews. Hope this helps

No, I haven't heard of a blue compound. Gonna watch here to see responses.

 

[mark james]

Will buffing acrylic as the last step after polishing create the best finish? I use white diamond but recently heard there is a finer buffing compound in blue? If that's true. Who sources the blue compound?
Thanks, Jim

Acrylic Pen Buffing Rouge: Arizona Silhouette

I do use it, and it is fine. I don't use the others, so I can't say which is finer.

 

[avbill]

In the library there is a chart showing the sandpaper and some finishing products with their micro unit number.

Tripoli = 900 sandpaper or 10 microns
2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper = 6 microns
white diamond = 1500 grit or 5 microns

Russ Fairfield stated that white diamond [tin oxide] is equivalent to about 1500 grit or 5 microns.

Micro-mesh 6,000 = 4 microns
micro-mesh 8,000 = 3 microns
micro-mesh 12,000 = 2 microns.

Then you add all the liquid polish -- that go beyond 2 microns.

There is sandpaper that go to 65,000 grit its the sandpaper that i use to refine the nib of a fountain pen tip.

At what point do you want to take your finish too?

 

[Lenny]

You might find this OLD thread of interest...
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f30/buffing-kicked-up-notch-55476/

 

[Ted iin Michigan]

I'm going to toss in one other thing I forgot to mention above. When I'm sanding, I take care to avoid any cross-cotamination of grits. The point is that I don't want to be sanding with 1500 grit and have some loose 220 particles sneak in and gouge my almost perfect finish. I hate it when that happens! So, after each grit I wipe the blank down with a damp paper towel. When I'm wet sanding I use a separate water bath for each grit. When I am polishing with Novus I use old 100% cotton t-shirt material and I use one piece for polishing and another to wipe clean.

 

[Charlie_W]

I'm going to toss in one other thing I forgot to mention above. When I'm sanding, I take care to avoid any cross-cotamination of grits. The point is that I don't want to be sanding with 1500 grit and have some loose 220 particles sneak in and gouge my almost perfect finish. I hate it when that happens! So, after each grit I wipe the blank down with a damp paper towel. When I'm wet sanding I use a separate water bath for each grit. When I am polishing with Novus I use old 100% cotton t-shirt material and I use one piece for polishing and another to wipe clean.

And use a separate little piece of paper towel to wipe the blank off between wet sanding grits. Don't want contamination from here either.
Sand lengthwise after every grit....dry and wet.
Next, a fine grit plastic polish. They are not all the same.(lengthwise by hand....meaning with out the lathe running) hand buff it off with a soft cotton T shirt again lengthwise by hand. You are trying to to remove rotational scratches.
Yes to the blue rouge and then the clean buffing wheel. Buff lengthwise also.

Good luck!