Here is where we will use the Beall Buffing System. Other wheels by other manufacturers will be similar.
What is the Beall Buffing System ?
The Beall buffing system consists of three 8" diameter buffing wheels, two (2) sticks of abrasive compound, (1) stick of pure Carnauba Wax, and an adapter to hold the buffing wheels in the lathe. I recommend using the lathe for spinning the wheels because it has the variable speed.
The cloth discs are held together with a through bolt and 2 large washer-flanges.
There is no stitching holding the cloth discs together.
The bolt screws into the arbor.
Other buffing systems require sliding the wheel and 2 washers over a stub-arbor and holding them in place with a nut.
There are 3 sticks. The brown stick is a Tripoli (Jewelers Rouge) that is about 900 grit. r.
The white stick is White Diamond that is about 1500 grit.
The 3rd stick is a pure Carnauba Wax.
There are also 3 different wheels that are best suited for the 3 different buffing sticks.
The Tripoli wheel is all Linen.
The White Diamond is a softer wheel that is alternating discs of linnen and cotton.
The Wax wheel is all cotton.
Clean the wheel
Run the lathe at between 900 and 1200 RPM.
Hold the edge of a stick of wood against the wheel.
PUSH HARD.
This removes all of the old abrasive and carrier.
Load the wheel
Hold the Tripoli stick against the wheel for no more than
2-seconds.
This is sufficient abrasive to buff most of the things we turn.
Buff the wood
Hold the piece against the rotating wheel at or below the horizontal center-line of the wheel. This will prevent the wheel from grabbing the piece out of your hand.
Keep buffing until the piece is a uniform soft gloss.
Clean the surface
Use a soft cloth to remove any residue left over from the just completed buffing.
This prevents contamination of the next wheel.
Use a scrubbrush or toothbrush if necessary to remove the Tripoli and White Daimond from the wood grain and voids.
Change the wheels and do the same 4 steps with the White Diamond.
Use a scrubbrush or toothbrush if necessary to remove the Tripoli and White Daimond from the wood grain and voids. Give close attention to dark woods species.
Change the wheels and do the same 4 steps with the Carnauba Wax.
Do not load too much wax on the wheel. Hold the wax to the wheel no more than 2-seconds, and 1-second would be even better.
You ARE NOT done yet!!!
Step-4
Buffing Problems and a Final Touch for a better finish
A TEXT summary follows
Residual Tripoli in the grain and voids of a light wood can be a problem, as can White Diamond in the grain and voids of a dark wood. Residual wax can be an unsightly problem in wood of all colors.
The easiest way to solve these problems is to remove the residual after eash buffing with a scrub brush or toothbrush.
A stiff brushing will also remove excess wax from the wood surface if you got carried away when loading the wheel, or thick deposits of wax in cracks or voids in the wood. These deposits can become unsightly with time because thick wax will turn a whitish color with age.
Buffing is four (4) steps that are repeated for each of the abrasive compounds, and again for the Carnauba wax.
Buffing is done in 4 Steps
Step - 1, Buff with Tripoli Compound
Don't be alarmed if the wheel tries to grab the piece out of your hands. It happens to the best of us. The best way to prevent this is to hold the piece at 45-degrees to the wheel and below the horizontal center-line of the wheel.
A TEXT summary follows
Go to next video - skip text summary
NOTE
I have made my own wheels from white cotton denim and they worked fine.
A TEXT summary follows
Go to next video for Step-4
Buff vigorously with a stiff natural bristle brush.
This compacts the wax on the surface, and gives it a higher gloss.
Inspect the surface for imbedded wax in the grain, and buff with the brush to remove them.
Use an old tooth brush, or a dental pick, if you have to get down into open fissures in the wood surface to remove the imbedded wax.
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