I finally used nylon brushes successfully

Hi,

i finally used nylon brushed successfully…these white nylon brushes from AtTheBench.com are really good!

i frequently touched the brush in a little bit of Tap Magic oil (i like the smell🤣) and then hit it on some graystar pre-polish…

it took awhile for me to avoid getting that hard caked on polish…then it started to work well!

(can someone remind me…is the hard caked on polish a sign of too much? or too little? polishing compound on the brush/ buff…?…i forget…or too fast or slow (heat/ friction-wise…?)

when it happens with my polishing lathe motor (a constant speed 3500rpm?) in my large polishing cabinet/ dust collector unit, i just rake my buff, re-charge with compound, and can remove the hard caked on polish…it is a constant speed in this instance, so i dont know if my flex shaft speed is more the culprit…or amount of compound…

when it started to work, my speed had remained pretty constant to when it caked on…so i dont know if speed is primary…?

julie

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That’s interesting. I hadn’t heard of using a lubricant or solvent with any buffing compound. (tap magic is both I think, kind of like WD-40 is both).

I think that all buffing compound bars are a water or oil based binder mixed with an abrasive powder. When the buffing wheel spins around it melts the binder and makes the wheel be filled with that abrasive powder. When caking happens, it’s usually because the metal surface cools down and the compound hardens. Or at least that’s what I think is happening.

The nylon wheels you’re describing (like bristle brushes) don’t get as hot and don’t hold as much abrasive, so there’s generally more caking. My favorite compound to use with brushes is bobbing compound because it’s greasier and more abrasive. That combination leads to less caking for me. That might be the same as what you’re finding with gray star, which I think is a more abrasive compound.

My experience with brushes is there isn’t a perfect speed, but if I had to make a choice I’d choose faster and with more pressure. Personally, I stop and start a lot with brushes, then rub off the excess compound with my fingers on a regular basis. I get dirty, but then I wash and get clean again after I’m done.

I’d consider reading the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) sheet on tap magic. It may not be a good chemical to be use on a spinning power tool. It looks like there’s a bunch of tap magic products. I’m not sure which one that you are using. Here’s their SDS page.

Those kind of flexible brushes definitely get into places that other buffs can’t. I use them all the time.

Thanks for sharing Julie!!

Jeff

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I just finished reading Polishing and Finishing for Jewellers and Silversmith by Stephen Goldsmith. There is a lot of good practical information in his book including what Jeff is describing…Rob

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Hi Jeff,

i will stop using Tap Magic!
solvent…is that why i like the smell?…haha!

i will find a good oil…

julie

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Hi,

regarding caked-on, hard compound…my mentor explained why it happens…but i forgot what he told me!…i rarely bench polish…as i have not figured out how to do it well…i usually use my polishing lathe…but i have an instance where i just need to break down and figure it out!

…i “think” the reason was “not enough” compound…and continuing to try to buff it off without raking and re- charging can cause undercutting where the caked-on areas are…

julie

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I learned just a couple years ago about using bur life on my brushes. It acts like an oil, and helps keep compound on the brush, as well as melting on to the piece, which leaves a nice layer of compound on the piece as your polishing.
I get far better results with this technique compared to just using compound alone.

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Hi Jeff,

thank you for the Tap Magic link…i was using the Tap Magic Aluminum cutting fluid, but i see that they also have eco-friendly options…Tap Magic Pro Tap, and Tap Magic Eco-Oil

I shall have to try those…

Julie