Polish Up Your Knowledge on Buffers

Buffing and polishing are crucial for the strength and longevity of your project, in addition to its outward appearance. Knowing how buffing works will help you better select the right machine. Read on to learn more about what buffing is, the buffing stages, and what finishing products we offer to assist you in your next project.

What is Buffing?

The process of buffing/polishing is similar to using sandpaper but much faster. Instead of using your elbow grease, you utilize an electric motor’s power and speed. The purpose of buffing is to transition a rough surface into a smooth, clean one. Imagine the surface magnified; it will look like jagged mountains. By repeated abrasion, you are going to wear down those mountains until they are soft and flat. At this point, the smooth finish will reflect the light. It’s the reflection that makes the buffed piece appear shiny.

The wheel’s edge, or face, is the sanding block, which carries a thin layer of compound sandpaper. Varying types of wheels are available, and the different grades of compound are scaled similarly to sandpaper. The compounds are made from a wax substance with different abrasive powders added. When this hard block of wax is applied to the edge of a spinning buffing wheel, the heat from the friction melts the wax, and both the wax and the abrasive are applied in a thin slick to the face of the wheel.

The Buffing Stages

There are three stages in the buffing process, and it goes as follows:

Step 1: You make a rough cut to remove scratches.

Step 2: Next, you make a final cut & initial polish. At this step, you should use your wheel with a cutting action, then finish with a color action.

Step 3: The final polish is applied.

What We Offer

Now that you understand what buffers do, it’s time to select the machine for you. Palmgren offers a range of buffers to aid in your finishing applications.

At Palmgren, we currently offer machines with 6”, 8”, 10”, and 12” diameter buffing wheels. Each machine provides something different so you can find the best buffer for your applications. Our offerings range from low RPM buffers to variable speed buffers. The variable speed buffers can go from 900 to 2400 RPM in increments of 100 RPMs, allowing you to change from high to low speeds for fine polishing. Whatever your project needs are, we have the perfect machine for you!

Learn More

We hope this blog better informed you on what buffers can do for you. In addition to our buffers, Palmgren sells a complete line of machinery such as mills, lathes, vises, and more. To learn more about our band saws and other products, head to Palmgren.com.

Palmgren®, “Embrace the Work™”