How to Prepare a Buffing Wheel

A buffing wheel is used to polish a piece of metal until it reaches a high luster. It is used in conjunction with a buffing composition to buff the metal. The buffing composition will remove the top layer of the metal to reveal the shiny underlayer. Buffing wheel preparation is important to achieve a high luster quickly. Skipping the preparation step results in a dull finish or increased time buffing to achieve the desired luster. Additionally, an unprepared wheel can damage the object being buffed.

Things You'll Need

• Buffing composition
• Small piece of metal

Instructions

1. Turn the wheel on so it is spinning toward you. Let the wheel reach high speed.

2. Apply the end of a stick of buffing composition to the spinning wheel. Press the end gently against the wheel face. Remove the stick of composition when the wheel is lightly coated with the composition. There are many types of buffing composition such as emery, tripoli, stainless, jeweler's rouge, plastic rouge and white rouge. Which composition you use depends on the material you are buffing.

3. Hold a small piece of metal to the wheel face for several seconds. This will spread the coating over the wheel face. Do this a few times until the coating is uniformly spread on the wheel face. With the wheel face uniformly coated, you are ready to start buffing.

References

• Dico: Metal Finishing Products
• PF Online: Quick Tips on Buffing