Polishing/Buffing compounds

K

kvolle

Joined
Jan 24, 2008
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I had my nephew over last night finishing his first knife. I was polishing the blade and he asked me how do I know what compound to use first to last. He asked me what grit each of the colors represent.
I had never thought about it before. I always started with the black then to the white and finished with the brown jewellers rouge.
Does anyone here know the grits? I looked on the tubes and it is not mentioned. It only tells you what material they are used to polish. I would like to tell him the right answer but truely don't know. I would also like for him to keep thinking that his uncle is the all knowing knife making god he thinks I am. ;)
 
It is not as simple as going by grit sizes, other variables that come into the equation are hardness of grit, amount of lubrication in the bar and intended use for the bar.

There are specific compounds for polishing plastic, non ferrous metals, precious metals, ferrous metals and wood.

For each intended use there are several grits and lubrication combinations available from each individual compound supplier and naturally different suppliers use different designations and colour coding for the same intended use.

The only way to stay on top of it is to talk with your supplier on a regular basis and follow his recommendations.

George
 
I know the Jackson Lea black, Green and white are what we use to buff just about everything. Black is coarse and makes quick work of just about any buffing task, Green is for stainless and very fine, white is for buffing out chrome plating that gets 'burned' in the process, so obviously it must be very fine and we use it to put the last finish buff on anything like aluminum, brass, SS, etc.
 
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Color can be misleading too - even with the same manufacturer. For instance, JacksonLea white can be the CR version (about 600 grit) or the 51 version, which is about 1200 grit.

Unless you have dealt with a known supplier, for some time, it can be a crap shoot.

Rob!
 
Back in the day there used to be a dozen or so recipes. With the colors of compounds out today microfilm belts, and loading up worn belts from 400 up, as has been said every supplier should have their own recipes for the colors they sell.
Ken
 
I prefer the best of the best and that is Jacksonlea compound. In the past I've used other brands that did not cut the mustard, and was actually a bar of crayons. So, when I figured that out I had to strip the wheel and reload it with the good stuff. I been using it sence. Back in 2004 I purchased about 40 bars of the Jacksonlea and sold about 20 to friends. I do not buff as much as I did back then and preferred the satin finish appearance. But lightly buff the spine to highlight the filework and handle area.

1. White - Carbon Steels, Plastics, Brass, Nickel, Micarta, Horn.
2. Brown - Polishing Stainless, Steel, Brass, Silver. ( Cutting or removal of metal. )
3. Grey - Cutting compound as in removing rust, Steel, ( Cutting or removal of metal. )
4. Red - Light cutting for Brass, copper, Steel, ( Cutting or removal of metal. )
5. Green-Chrome - Best for polishing stainless-steel, Carbon Steel, Brass, Silver and other metals. ( Polishing/ high luster mere finish in the appearance of chrome. )

Compound.jpg


Terry
 
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If you go into Jackson Lee's back room, where the customer service people hang out you will find many different stacks of the same colour compound on the shelf for evaluation.

When I was there last there were about 25 Brown compounds, a dozen Green compounds and about 6 White compounds, each with different properties and intended uses. This is why talking with the sales reps is important.

George
 
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