Who is buffing???

[jttheclockman]

I did not want to piggyback onto Dan's post about buffing so I started this one. It has been mentioned a few times here people buffing their pens. Some even have skipped the micromesh and went to buffing.

Here is my questions

Who is buffing and if you are

**What are you using??
**How are you buffing meaning what is your tecnique???
**How do you hold the pen blank when buffing???
**Does buffing give you a better shine than micromeshing and using a plastic polish????
**Does this intense shine last or does it dull with use???
**Finally are there any do's and don'ts that should be followed that you learned from your experience???

Thanks for the replys. These may not only help me but maybe others who may be contemplating trying this.

 

[Chasper]

1. Two eight inch wheels, one inch thick, turning at 1750 rpm. Tripoli on one and White Diamond on the other.
2. Sand 220, 320, 400, 600. Stop lathe and horizontal sand after the last three. Often I follow that with MM just to make sure that there are no visible scratches. Buffing does not remove visible scratches. For wood, I apply CA after sanding.
3. Hold it with my fingers, one on each end, mostly I buff with the blank horizontal with the wheel, sometimes at 45 degree to remove extra micro scratches.
4. Buffing produces a significantly better shine in much less time.
5. On resin the shine lasts indefinitely. On wood I only buff with White Diamond and only after applying CA. You can make it shine without CA but it will not last. Be careful not to buff through the CA, you won't be able to see that you did until you find dull spots in a couple months.
6. Apply buffing compound lightly and often, if you find buffing compound on the buffed blank you are using too much. Don't buff too hard, you will remove the CA from wood and heat up the resin too much. Turn a plain black resin blank and then give it the full sanding and buffing treatment. Take it to natural light with a magnifier and you will see how many micro scratches you missed.

I did not want to piggyback onto Dan's post about buffing so I started this one. It has been mentioned a few times here people buffing their pens. Some even have skipped the micromesh and went to buffing.

Here is my questions

Who is buffing and if you are

**What are you using??
**How are you buffing meaning what is your tecnique???
**How do you hold the pen blank when buffing???
**Does buffing give you a better shine than micromeshing and using a plastic polish????
**Does this intense shine last or does it dull with use???
**Finally are there any do's and don'ts that should be followed that you learned from your experience???

Thanks for the replys. These may not only help me but maybe others who may be contemplating trying this.

 

[Lenny]

I did not want to piggyback onto Dan's post about buffing so I started this one. It has been mentioned a few times here people buffing their pens. Some even have skipped the micromesh and went to buffing.

Here is my questions

Who is buffing and if you are

**What are you using??
**How are you buffing meaning what is your tecnique???
**How do you hold the pen blank when buffing???
**Does buffing give you a better shine than micromeshing and using a plastic polish????
**Does this intense shine last or does it dull with use???
**Finally are there any do's and don'ts that should be followed that you learned from your experience???

Thanks for the replys. These may not only help me but maybe others who may be contemplating trying this.

This is how I do it and I'm posting this Not to say it's how it should be done but as much to find out if others see something I could do differently or better.

I use an old 6"grinder with Canton flannel wheels and the compounds from Caswell that George recommended in this thread http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=55476&highlight=buffing+kicked+notch

I sometimes hold the work on a dowel, sometimes just by hand. I use the lower part of the wheel (if you were looking at the end of the grinder, think of it as starting at 5 on a clock and going to 4) at an exaggerated 45 degrees to the wheel, working just the lower portion of the blank, rotating it as I go, then reversing it to do the opposite end. Then I repeat the process holding the pen straight on with the length of the pen. Repeat for both wheels. (Oddly enough the Caswell compounds recommended are first Xfine then Fine )

Usually I have applied a CA finish (wood) and then wet sanded that with mm, or in the case of PR, wet sanded with mm and followed up with plastic polish.
I "THINK" it improves the shine but I'm not sure how much longer it lasts..??

 

[bradh]

**What are you using??:
6" cotton buff mounted on an old lathe run at 2700 RPM
**How are you buffing meaning what is your tecnique???
sand to 12000MM, med-CA + accelerator, 4-5 coats CA, MM1500-12000MM, then buff with: Meguiar's Mirror Glaze; Show car glaze, #7;
**How do you hold the pen blank when buffing???
-blanks are still on the pen mandrel, pop mandrel out and use as a handle. Buff along the grain, 45 degrees to grain and across grain; while rotating the pen under the buff.
**Does buffing give you a better shine than micromeshing and using a plastic polish????
Definitely!
**Does this intense shine last or does it dull with use???
-dulls with handling, about 3 months of daily use.
**Finally are there any do's and don'ts that should be followed that you learned from your experience???
keep blank low and do not push too hard into the buff or the blank will launch. If you keep the blank low on the downward rotation side, the blank will fly down if it launches.

Hope this helps,

 

[philkessling]

I use a CA finish, no BLO. Several thin coats to seal followed by several thick coats. Let dry for at least 24 hours. Then, lightly sanded. Buffing is done using George's recommendations. Caswell buffing and polishing compounds with Canton wheels. Works great for me.

 

[DurocShark]

**What are you using??
3 flannel wheels from HF when they still had the $15 3-packs
Tripoli and white diamond from the welding shop I used to deal with 10 years ago
Hut carnauba wax
**How are you buffing meaning what is your tecnique???
With the tripoli and wd, I go lengthwise on the barrels, then alternate 45* passes
**How do you hold the pen blank when buffing???
Between thumb and forefinger. I used to use mandrels, dowels, etc, but got lazy. Haven't had a toss in a long time.
**Does buffing give you a better shine than micromeshing and using a plastic polish????
I think it *looks* a little better just because the patterns are more random. If you Plast-X (or polish of choice) by hand you could probably get the same effect.
**Does this intense shine last or does it dull with use???
IMHO, any shine will dull with use. Depends on the material.
**Finally are there any do's and don'ts that should be followed that you learned from your experience???
DON'T KEEP THE WHEELS SPINNING AT HIGH SPEED! I use the lathe for mine, and keep it at its lowest setting.

 

[Muggsy1776]

I went with the 2 wheel kit with the blue compound that is listed as the Barry Gross kit from PSI (it's also available at CSUSA)- just drop it in my lathe and set it to mid-speed (around 1700 I think). I use CA and acrylics on it- I go as far as maybe 8-10,000 on the pad then go to the buffing wheels. I used to go to 12,000 then use a plastic polish but scrapped that when I got the wheels. They make a huge difference! They got rid of my small scratch lines and any other imperfections, and makes the blank just 'pop' with color and clarity.

 

[MarkHix]

Beal system....EEE and WD

CA finish and Acrylics alike....
Sand to 400, both ways each grit then buff. Could not find my MM if I tried.

I hold the blank at about 45 degrees to the left and buff then hold it 45 degrees to the right and buff. Repeat on the WD wheel.

If I am doing one pen at a time....leave it on the mandrel. If multiples, I use a dowel to hold it...sometimes my HF punch if it is closer.

I don't think you can tell the difference between the shines and my oldest one has been a daily user for about a year now. Still shiney.

Firm grip, don't press too hard. Face shield keeps the compound out of your eyes.