# Buffing wheels



## avbill (Dec 1, 2007)

There are several different buffing wheels; 
muslin,   linen,  and a cotton flannel.   

My question is -- Is there a difference between the different buffing materials (muslin,   linen,  and a cotton flannel.)  when you are applying tripoli, white diamond,  and wax?    Yes cotton flannel is a softer material than a muslin or a linen. BUT does it matter.  Any insight in this matter would be helpful.

Bill Daniels


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## redfishsc (Dec 1, 2007)

My answer is based only on experience (which, thus far, has been 3 months of using the buffing wheels on about 50-70 acrylic/pr pens). 

I went to Harbor Freight and bought their cheap 8" spiral-sewn buffing wheels, and I can't remember what they were (cotton or flannel), but they work fine.

I buff at a fairly low speed- 800-1200 RPM but get great results.


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## Randy_ (Dec 1, 2007)

> _Originally posted by redfishsc_
> <br />.....I went to Harbor Freight and bought their cheap 8" spiral-sewn buffing wheels, and I can't remember what they were (cotton or flannel), but they work fine.



OTOH, if you haven't used the other wheels, you really don't know if a better result can be achieved by using wheels of a different composition. []


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## ahoiberg (Dec 2, 2007)

i also went the cheapo route and got some buffing wheels from HF that you can chuck in a drill. i put one in my drill press charged with white diamond and it's worked quite well for me so far. i haven't tried tripoli or carnauba yet, but i know others really like using those. not quite sure what the wheels are made of but if it's from HF, probably not top notch material. [] i actually have tried using fabulustre (it's a fine metal polish) on a separate wheel recently after white diamond with good results.


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## TBone (Dec 2, 2007)

Speaking not from experience, I would think the cotton flannel would work better.  Now, whether you can actually see the difference is another question.  But a wheel is an abrasive, it will scratch.  The more coarse the material, the more it will scratch, so it makes sense that the softest would be best.  But I repeat, I'm not sure if you can actually SEE the difference.  I do know that we used cotton wheels when I worked at a jewelry store to polish rings.  White rouge to get scratches out and red to polish.


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## bitshird (Dec 2, 2007)

> _Originally posted by TBone_
> <br />.  But I repeat, I'm not sure if you can actually SEE the difference.  I do know that we used cotton wheels when I worked at a jewelry store to polish rings.  White rouge to get scratches out and red to polish.


Ditto, the softer cotton lead or leather center buffs are better for polishing, and the spiral sewn buffs are best for buffing, The difference being  buffing is the removal of surface scratches and polishing is the putting on the best sheen and shine.
 Fabuluster  or Zam actually work better on an open 54 ply lead or leather center buff than  white diamond which is just slightly less abrasive than Tripoli, if you are sanding all the way through with Micro Mesh, then you are actually roughing up your final MM by using either Tripoli which is pretty abrasive, or white diamond,  I use those to smooth grinding marks from raw tumbled  silver castings to get them smoothed out for polishing with Fabuluster or ZAM, Both these work well for CA finishes,


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## Freethinker (Dec 4, 2007)

> _Originally posted by bitshird_
> <br />
> Fabuluster  or Zam actually work better on an open 54 ply lead or leather center buff than  white diamond which is just slightly less abrasive than Tripoli, if you are sanding all the way through with Micro Mesh, then you are actually roughing up your final MM by using either Tripoli which is pretty abrasive, or white diamond,  I use those to smooth grinding marks from raw tumbled  silver castings...



THAT explains it.

I was sanding thru 12000 MM, then Tripoli buff, then White diamond buff, and the pen barrels looked less shiny than when I began to polish them. I thought maybe it was my imagination, or different lighting by the buffer than by the lathe.

I'll try to find some Fabulustre or ZAM. I guess a jeweler would have it, but where could I buy a can without ordering off the net and paying $7.00 shipping? Is it ever sold in any type of local stores that you know of??


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## Texatdurango (Dec 4, 2007)

In my opinion there is some innacurate advice being given here in the name of saving a few dollars at Harbor Freight on buffing wheels.  

Back in the 60â€™s when most of us worked our way through college; I worked in a music repair shop for several years where I buffed more than my share of musical instruments.  I learned that there was a huge difference in how the various buffs handled the various compounds and the stiffer wheels were required to â€œholdâ€ the compound so it could do its job.  Using loose soft buffs with courser compounds like Tripoli and white diamond will only glop up the wheel and eventually you are just beating your pens to death with dried compound suspended in the buff.

It was also mentioned above that the stiffer wheels scratchedâ€¦ well yeah, they are supposed too, thatâ€™s what buffing is, very, very fine scratching.

And while Iâ€™m on a rollâ€¦. To those who are sanding â€œthrough mm 12000â€ then buffing, you are taking several steps backwards and just wasting your time!

I donâ€™t think I have used mm beyond 3400 or 4000 but once or twice.  Usually I will stop at 3400 then buff with white diamond and be done with it.  But just within the past few weeks I havenâ€™t even used the buffer.  I started using the Novus compounds being sold by Mike (http://162.42.234.18/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30046) and after 3400 grit, using the #3 then #2 polishes, I see no need for buffing at all on my acrylic, truestone and CA finishes.

Donâ€™t mean to turn this into a buff versus polish debate but I just thought there was some well intended but innacurate advice floating around.  This is of course, just my opinion.


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