# Buffing Cast Resin and CA



## magpens (Feb 8, 2015)

I mostly do cast resin pens, or wood finished with CA.
I have to-date always sanded/buffed/polished by hand using wet 'n' dry up to 2000 grit and then, finally, Novus 3 and then Novus 2.  

I am thinking of buying a dedicated buffing machine with 6" wheels running at 3450 RPM. Just wondering what advice others can give.  

Would 8" wheels be better ?  Would the slower speed of 1725 RPM be better ?  What's the best combination ?

And also, what buffing compounds are recommended ?  I think there was a thread on this topic recently but if you don't mind reiterating, I'd appreciate it.  Thanks.


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## toddlajoie (Feb 8, 2015)

I use the popular 2 wheel pen buffing system that comes with the blue compound (sold by many of the popular vendors...), and I think it works fantastic on acrylic and CA finishes...


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## Curly (Feb 8, 2015)

Caswell Canada has a buffing pdf in their downloads & links section that should be helpful to you. 

We have the Beall buffing wheel shaft system that is mounted in the wood lathe and it gave 1800 rpm as a maximum speed for the 8" wheels. We tend to buff at around 1000 rpm for pens, both CA finished wood and cast and plastics. Slower speeds seems to have the effect of softening the wheels. I would look for a 1725 rpm rather than a 3450 rpm unless you are doing a lot of metal buffing.


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## magpens (Feb 8, 2015)

Thanks Todd and Pete.   

Pete, do you have a second lathe on which you can leave your buffing wheel system permanently mounted?  Also, do you use the Caswell products and if so, which do you recommend?  Thanks

Todd, is your two wheel buffing system lathe mounted?  If so, is it the Beall system ?  Thanks


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## Curly (Feb 8, 2015)

I don't have any of the Caswell stuff because Marla bought the Beall first and we haven't run out of the compound or worn out the wheels yet. 

MackC has the Caswell products and likes them. I think he uses what they recommend for plastics. 

The Beall shaft lives in a plastic toolbox (to keep it clean) about the size of a cooler until needed. The lathe and bench is vacuumed off and the buffing shaft slipped into the headstock's #2 Morse Taper and the tailstock live centre snugged up. Once the buffing is done that tailstock is backed off, a couple taps with a knockout bar pops the shaft from the headstock and back into the box it goes. Takes longer to read about it than it takes to do. 

Whatever system you end up using it is important to keep the wheels clean from contaminants like dirt and sanding grit from other shop stuff, so cover them when not using it. The other thing you should not do is to go back and forth between wheels unless you clean any compound off or the wheels get cross contaminated. The coarser grit mixed on the finer wheel will keep scratching the blank, preventing you from getting the finish you are striving for.


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## magpens (Feb 8, 2015)

Thanks for the tips, Pete.


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## ctubbs (Feb 8, 2015)

When choosing motor speeds on direct drive motors for AC current, the slower the natural speed, the more torque the motor will have.  This comes from the basic construction of the motor pole count that gets into some pretty good math and one can get lost therein real quick.  so a 4 pole motor (1800 rpm) will have considerable more torque under load than a 2 pole one (3600 rpm).  All this to say, the higher rpm motor will choke down much quicker under load than the slower one.

Charles


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## toddlajoie (Feb 8, 2015)

magpens said:


> Todd, is your two wheel buffing system lathe mounted?  If so, is it the Beall system ?  Thanks



Mine is not the Beall. This is the one I have:







This one uses a blue compound that comes with it and last quite a while (I bought an extra, and 2 years later still have half of the original...) and it has an MT2 taper, so you just pop out your mandrel, center or chuck, pop this in, tighten your headstock and buff away. If you use a mandrel, you can buff your pens without taking it off, I turn between centers, so I just use a long bolt inside the tube to help hold it so it doesn't fly across the room... Can't say what speed I buff at, my lathe is not variable, and it pretty much stays on the middle belts for both turning, sanding, finishing, and buffing. It goes to the slowest speed for drilling.

Someone (PSI maybe, I don't remember) sells a 3 wheel version, but I believe that is more for wood finishes, not CA or acrylics...

The 3 wheel Beall did not fit on my mini-lathe...


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## magpens (Feb 8, 2015)

Thanks for posting that pic, Todd.  Looks like just what I need.  If you can remember where you bought it, please let me know.  What size are the wheels .... 6" ?  8" ?   Hmmm .... maybe even 4" if that is the system from CSUSA.


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## KenV (Feb 8, 2015)

This is the best thread on buffing I have encountered.  Good info from one of the really good guys

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f30/buffing-kicked-up-notch-55476/


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## toddlajoie (Feb 8, 2015)

I bought mine at a wood show event that Arizona Silhouette was at as a vendor, it's branded as Barry Gross's, and it is the same as the one CSUSA, Arizona Silhouette, and probably several others sell. I believe they are 4 inch wheels, and for pens I don't see any need for anything larger...


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## sschering (Feb 9, 2015)

I have the cheap system.

a motor shaft arbor on a 1/2 shank I can chuck in the lathe.
like this






I sand 220-400-800-1000 then go through the micro mesh stages. 

Then I finish with a buff with a loose cotton wheel and a white plastic rouge.
That wheel is only used for plastics with white rouge.. nothing else.


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