Buffing compound questions

G

grindemup

Joined
Nov 9, 2013
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69
Hello.

at the supplier that was recommend to me i see a list of different buffing compounds.

11B88 Black: fast cut
11B81 Green: medium cut and nice finish
525 White: light cut and nice finish
HF1 White: mirror finish

I am a bit confused, do i use different compounds on different grit papers? or just different compounds based on what finish i want to get to?
 
Usually people use buffing compound on a buffing wheel, for hand polishing, or in conjunction with a leather strop for final sharpening. Im not positive but I think using buffing compound with abrasive paper wild be counter productive.
 
i'm tired..... that was a silly question. i was looking at polishing papers also. think im gonna try to take a nap.

my question is, with a polishing wheel, what are the different compounds for. do they achieve different levels of finish each, or do you use them in sequence the same way you would polishing papers, low to high grit.
 
These buffing compounds are for use on a buffing wheels. Wheels is the right word since each grit should be used on it's own wheel. The finish on the part needs to be very fine before going to the buffer. Handles, blades, guards, and spacers can all be done. Often the results are decided by how well the finish was before buffing and the person using the buff. You would be right at home with hundreds of others to just stay with the hand sanding to extremely fine grits. Frank
 
Yes. They are similar to the various grits of abrasive papers, just less aggressive. Be careful of using a buffing wheel though. They are very dangerous, and can very easily hurt you. Plus they love to wash out your lovely, hard won, crisp grind lines.
 
Thanks

what grit should i go up to before buffing? looking for a mirror shine, ya know, that way i can see every wave and uneven surface i have put into this knife :P
 
The compound you use is determined by what your final desired finish is, as well as the amount of prep work you did prior to buffing.

Optimally you do as much hand prep work as possible, so that the actual buffing is very light and quick.

It is possible to go from a rough ground finish (like 80-120X) straight to buffing wheels w/ coarse compounds (all compounds are different, but a black or dark gray- fast cut compound is usually really abrasive ~120-240 grit) and work up to a mirror polish.

However, that is not going to give a pristine finish with crisp transitions. It's going to wash out any crisp/sharp transitions, and give you a smeared, wavy surface. Maybe not on a big round object made of soft material--- like a teapot or something, but definitely on a knife blade.

If you want an absolutely pristine mirror finish on a knife blade, and want to retain crisp transitions--- One method that I know for a fact works well, is to hand sand (each progression in grit should be at an opposing angle to the prior grit) up to a very clean 2000X finish. Then lightly buff with a spiral sewn wheel loaded with Green Chrome compound. Then clean all the residue off your blade (don't want cross contamination of compounds). WD-40 works extremely well for this. Then go to a spiral sewn or loose wheel, loaded with Pink No-Scratch compound.

The green will give you a mirror, but typically leaves a bit of a haze. The pink no scratch compound follows up removing the haze or smoke look and gives you a full mirror.

I only do this on certain elements of my knives for contrast in color and overall effect, but I did it on blades for quite some time early on.

Hope that helps. :)
 
Thanks. At the moment i have...

belt sander:
80
120
360

Hand sanding:
course
medium
fine
400
800 (i think)
2000 (do not seem to have much selection of paper around here).
4000 Polishing papers (still gotta buy online)
8000 polishing papers (still gotta buy online)

I didn't realize it but the buffing wheel kit I bought comes with 3 different size buffing wheels and 3 compound sticks..
White Rouge (white)
Tripoli (brown)
emery (black).

Does this look like a good setup or should i get more?

also a side question, can i use one of these compounds on my cheap leather strop? it had some green stuff when i bought it.
 
Ok, this may be a dumb question, but how do you apply the compound to the wheel? directions say "apply desired compound sparingly to edge of buffing wheel"

When i put the stick on the spinning wheel, does not seem any goes:confused: onto it.

thanks for the help. i'm off to youtube to see if i can watch someone doing it.
 
Tripoli is really greasy and best for buffing metals like brass and copper.

You could use the white in place of the green on the strop. I wouldn't use the black on a strop unless you were out in the wild and lost your sharpening stone; depends on what you like, if you like a toothy edge it may be just right for you.

I would definitely get some green compound, if I had to choose one compound to use forever, it would be green.
 
Nick can answer the rest, but for the strop, I'd use more green ChromOx compound. None of those will work well, save the black, but you won't get a refined edge with it. It's probably coarse silicone carbide.

Was there a reason that you wanted to use the other compounds on your strop, or did you just run out of what came with it?

Again, the black will probably work, but I'd only use it for slight edge repair, or on a knife that I wanted a "toothy" finish on, which is none.
 
am i thinking about this wrong, each compound is not a different "grit" but they are made for different purposes?

yea. running low on the green stuff.

am i supposed to prepare the compound in any way to get it to go from the stick to the wheel?
 
Buffing compounds typically do fall within a grit range, but it seems to be different depending on the manufacturer. I have one bar of green chrome that was listed as approximately 700X, but the other one I have was listed at 800X. Of course those numbers seem to have zero correlation to paper and belt grit numbers. But most suppliers will give you an idea of when to use each compound.

Brownell's and Midway's greaseless compounds do not contain waxes, oils, etc.... just abrasive, water, and glue- and they seem to hold true to the grit that they are each advertised.

Most compounds are applied by simply pushing them into a running wheel. What are you buffing with?

You sand paper progression has some holes in it. You started the list with c/m/f---- That typically means something like 50X, 80X, and 120X, and usually it implies an abrasive geared toward woodwork/general sanding (like garnet) which is not going to hold up very well to sanding steel. Jumping up to 400 is a big jump... probably too big. IF you have quality paper, going from 400-800 is probably ok. But jumping from 800 to 2000 isn't going to work.

I use Rhynowet paper from SuperGrit. I prefer a nice hand sanded finish, but if I'm going to mirror polish something, I progress from 320, 500, 800, 1200, 1500, 2000.
 
The colors are difference abrasives. Black- silicon carbide, green - Chromium oxide , white - aluminum oxide. If you've never operated a buffing wheel , do it by hand .
Buffers like to grab the blade and cut you badly !!! Think safety when using a buffer !
 
I called the supplier above, he said my white might do it. if it doesnt then i need to use green, then pink
 
I guess my problem getting the compound on the wheel is the low speed of my drill. going to have to try my drill press, if that doesnt work might have to try to mod my grinder
 
woo hoo. my pres goes quick enough. as far as how much to use at a time, just a small corner of the block?
 
Please, do not try and buff a blade with a buff clamped in a hand drill or even a drill press. That is a bad cut just waiting to happen.
Buffers are stationary, stand alone tools that require solid mounting and horizontal use. They also require an unobstructed use area. There should be nothing within 3-6 feet of a buffer if possible....... especially walls, or workbench tops.
 
drill motor? Now to drill press? Boy was I off to the wrong track when reading this thread. Perhaps you mentioned it, but what RPM is your drill press? What diameter are the buffing wheels? Yes, as the man said, one wheel for each buffing compound. Use just a corner or end of the block, just enough to put a light coat on the wheel as it's turning.

Good luck and have fun..... AND BE CAREFUL!!!

Ken H>
 
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