INTRODUCTION
There are various levels of performance in metal finishing, ranging from the commercial shop down to the amateur. This set of instructions is aimed specifically at the home automobile restorer- the fellow who does the bulk of his own restoration work- either because he enjoys doing things himself, or he doesn't want to pay the prices to have it done commercially.

First off, we ought to define some terms used in the trade, to minimize ambiguity and make these comments more meaningful:

1. Cutting (or Polishing) In metal finishing, this term refers to the removal of metal, or smoothing of the surface, in preparation for a glossy finish. If you have a rough sand cast surface to start with, grind down the casting marks with grinding equipment, then "polish" or "cut" the ground-down surface to a smoother finish with low-order grit compositions as necessary. If your surface is already quite smoothly-finished, this step may not be necessary.

2. Coloring (or Buffing) This process is the one that most of you are primarily interested in- that of obtaining a reflective surface that may range from a satin to a mirror finish.

3. Buffing Compositions Here we are defining the media you use to achieve the desired results. we sell convenient-sized bars of various compositions exclusively; however, there are other forms that buffing compositions come in: liquids for spraying abrasives, as in heavy production word, or dry abrasives which are adhered to buffing wheels with a glue medium. However these forms are usually impractical for the average home restorer

4. Grits This refers to the actual material that does the work. It may be aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, iron oxide, lime or chromium oxide, among others. In our composition bars, the proper grit is suspended in the proper bikers to provide the correct desired results. Quality control in the manufacture of these composition bars is important. Our products have this quality control and can be relied upon.

EQUIPMENT NEEDS

Power Source

So much for terms of the trade. Now let's talk about the equipment you need. Ideally, it would be nice to have a commercial-grade motor of 1 to 2 HP to do your work. However, most home restorers don't have access to one, and don't want to invest the money to buy one. So, what do you need, minimal? A bench-type grinder motor that draws 4 amperes on 120 volts at 3450 RPM will do the job, but one that draws 8 amperes would be better. Remember, some grinder motors on the market today are very optimistically rated in HP, so watch the amperes drawn to be sure the motor is powerful enough.

Conversely, for the amateur, too much motor torque can be down-right dangerous. It's better for you, if you are inexperienced, to be a little low on torque, slow the motor, back off and try again, then to pick a piece of metal out of the ceiling or be severely cut by it. It can happen if you aren't careful!

A satisfactory speed range for this word is 4000 to 7000 feet per minute surface speed, A motor speed of 3600 RPM is good; 1725 will take longer to do the job. Don't exceed 5000 RPM- it isn't necessary. Remember, we are working with buffs ranging from 4 to 10 inches in diameter.

Surface feet per minute=
Buffing wheel dia. (in) X Spindle
4 RPM

One nice feature to look for in your motor setup is extra long armature shafts. This enables you to do your buffing farther away from the motor housing, which reduces the possibility of damage to your work piece if you inadvertently knock it into the housing.

Other types of power sources include the belt-driven idler shaft, the flexible-shafted portable finder-polisher, the small hand grinder and the combination belt grinder-polisher. Choice of these depends largely upon your preference and the type of work you are planning to do, Essentially, the bench motor setup is the most favorable for 95% of the Polishing and coloring work that a home restorer is liable to do. A pedestal stand firmly anchored to the floor greatly enhances the usefulness of your motor setup also.

Buffing Wheels

Next, let's talk about buffs. There are many types and designs: pleated, puckered, flap, pieced, and sewed and unsewed conventional buffs. All of these designs have individual advantages ( and disadvantages), depending on the specific application you have in mind; these are carefully considered by the commercial polisher for optimal performance in doing his job.

However, the average home restorer doesn't have the luxury of picking off of his shelf the optimum buff for each work piece he has to restore. Nor does he have to be that exacting, It is important, however, that the correct type of buff be used in the various steps of the process to obtain the desired results. Here are three common types of buffs and how they should be used.

Spiral-Sewed
Usually close-sewed, say 1/4", which results in a firm uniform density, especially good for rough cutting to remove deep scratches, file repair marks and casting marks

Concentric-sewed
These have several rows of sewing across the face of the buff to provide a variety of cushioned buffing as desired. Ideal for final cutting as well as initial coloring.

Open
These buffs usually have only one row of sewing around the center, and are used exclusively for coloring.

Buffing wheels may be manufactured with center holes so they may be slipped onto a motor or arbor shaft and held in place with flanges and a shaft nut, of they may be of the pinhole design which utilizes a taper spindle on the shaft, upon which the buff is threaded. Advantages of the pinhole buff are: less chance of damaging the work piece on the motor housing if the piece gets jerked from your grasp, and, ease of changing buffs as you progress through the coloring process. Pinhole buffs are not recommended where heavier pressure may be applied against them such as in a cutting or polishing operation. Here the arbor buff reigns supreme. Also, if you wish to widen your buff working face beyond the width of a single buff, you may stack two or three arbor hole buffs on the motor shaft; you cannot do this with pinhole buffs. To help compensate for this, we have our pinhole buffs manufactured thicker (90 ply). This thicker width also enables them to stay in place better on the taper spindle as you work. Both style buffs have their proper place in your plans.

A word of explanation on the taper spindle. as shown here, it is a shaft extension that has set screws to hold it firmly to the shaft, and a tapered end that is threaded, tight or left-handed. The pinhole buff is initially threaded onto the tip of the spindle. Once seated, it is not necessary to thread the buff further onto the spindle, because the pressure of buffing will cause it to thread on as far as necessary to stay in place- but no farther.

The use of double-shafted motor necessitates tight and left threads on the spindles. Since the motor shaft should rotate toward you, as shown in this diagram, you need a right-hand threaded spindle on the right side of the motor to keep the buff from spinning off the spindle as you work. Conversely, you need a left-hand threaded spindle on the left side of the motor. we carry these spindles for 1/2", 5/8", and 3/4" shafts. we also carry a 1/4" drill chuck-type male taper spindle for portable buffing; also motor arbors, right and left, in 1/2" and 5/8" shaft sizes, for use with unthreaded motor shafts or where you desire to portion your buff farther away from the motor housing.

GETTING STARTED

O.K., now you have the power source, the right buffs selected, and the work waiting to be done. How do you get started?

First off, safety should be covered here. No ties or loose clothing, safety glasses are a must, and well-fitting cotton gloves are helpful with hot metal. some folks like to wear a respirator, and a shop apron may come in handy.

The angle with which you approach the buffing wheel with the work piece is most important from a safety viewpoint. This diagram shows the acceptable work zone. Any position outside of this zone--and you may have the piece yanked out of your hands.

The next stop is to "load" or "charge" the buff with the buffing composition. ( A plain buff won't do much good by itself; it's the grit in the compound that performs the desired results.)

The ideal way to load buffs is the way professionals do it, naturally. They use hide glue or other adhesives to fasten the grit to the wheel. Unfortunately, unless the home restorer is planning to do a great deal of this work, he would find the use of loose grits and pots of glue to be quite messy and bothersome. For intermittent work, he needs a cleaner and more convenient way to do this job of loading his buffs.

Some compositions will adhere quite well to a dry buff because they are made with a grease-type binder. This is particularly true of the non-ferrous metal grit compositions such as Tripoli and Grocus. Other compositions are of the greaseless binder variety and do not adhere well, especially if the buff is new. You will have to try out each combination you intend to work with to see what works best.

One variation is to thoroughly wet the outer 1/2" of the buff in a shallow pan of water, then immerse the end of the composition bar in boiling water to soften it a bit. Then press the softened end of the bar into the face of the buff and get a good smear of composition all around the entire face. At this point, leave the buff dry out thoroughly. It will become hard and crusty. Not only will it then perform much more efficiently, but it will last much longer. If you try to use the buff right after loading it, the composition will fly off as fast as you put it on. It needs the drying time to adhere well.

As you use the charged buff on your work piece, its performance will diminish as the composition on it depletes. Stop and recharge it, rather than increase the pressure of the work piece into the buff. Heat buildup results from too much pressure, and the buff won't do the job by itself anyway! Remember, let the composition do it's job for you. It's better to have a couple of extra buffs on hand, charged and ready to go, than to use too much pressure. Your buffs will enjoy a much longer life, also.

Speaking of extra buffs, please remember this precaution. Once you put a grit composition into a buffing wheel, it is practically impossible to remove all of that grit, regardless of the cleaning process. If you then recharge that buff with a different grit composition, you will get performance reflecting both the new and the previous grit- sometimes to your sorrow. The moral of the story is to have different buffs for each grit composition. Mark the side of the buff with the grit number and use it only with that one grit composition. If you are trying to keep your buff costs down, you will fair out better going through fewer buffing steps, but doing them correctly, than to contaminate your buffs with different grit compositions! Obviously, though, if you wish to charge a used buff with a coarser grit composition than it had previously been used with, you may do so- just don't go back to the finer grit composition later on- or ever.

Another rule to follow- you can't put the grit composition on the work piece and then hold it into the buffing wheel. It may sound like a great idea, but it won't work. The composition will just zip off.

NOW- THE ACT!

Well, finally we're going to get to the actual point of doing some polishing and buffing. Let's review the terms again: Polishing is the smoothing of the metal surface in preparation for a glossy finish. You should use hard, spiral-sewn cloth wheels, or sisal, together with low-numbered coarser grit compositions to accomplish this. Buffing is the glossing-up or coloring of the metal surface to whatever reflective level you desire, using fine grit compositions.

As you may have guessed, the distinction between polishing and buffing produces a fairly wide fray area between the two that even the professionals argue about. Polishing seems to be well understood- but buffing offers numerous variations to consider.

For example, the term CUT BUFFING defines the act of pulling the work piece up from below as you buff, or against the rotation of the buffing wheel. The result is a uniform low-luster finish. Greater pressure is required for cut-buffing too. COLOR BUFFING defined when you apply light pressure to the work piece while permitting it to move down with the rotation of the wheel. This is how you get the high gloss finish.

Follow these procedures in starting your work:

1. Rotation of the buffing wheel is down toward you.
2. Grasp work piece firmly, but watch out for sharp edges.
3. Concentrate on what you are doing! Remember, safety first.
4. Be sure to stay within the safe work zone.
5. Don't use any more pressure than necessary.

Naturally, you will make a few mistakes getting the hang of things. Practice on some nonessential pieces, rather than that rare hard-to-replace one. In a short while, you will surprise yourself as you become the "expert of the block" in buffing out the trim pieces on your auto restoration project as well as that old brass lamp for the missus.

STAINLESS STEEL TRIM

That leads us into the area in which we have the greatest number of requests for guidance- stainless steel trim on old cars. What is the best way to do it? there are probably many "best ways", but here's one way worth considering.

First of all, let's define the problem area a bit. We are talking about metal pieces that were originally stamped out of sheets of thin stainless steel of reasonably good quality. The thinness means you must be extra careful in the repair of dents and in removing deep scratches- that you don't get the metal to hot because it will turn blue on you, and then you can start looking for a replacement piece. In other words, you have to exercise reasonable care.

We suggest that you first clean up the piece with 500 grit composition to highlight the areas in need of repair: scratches, both light and deep, and dents. (Torn metal is practically beyond the amateur's scope.) Then start with the dents - work them out. what you want to accomplish is to return the metal back to its original shape without stretching it any more than it may have already been in getting damaged. Patience and common sense are virtues here.

One way is to shape a piece of hardwood to the desired contour of the trim cross-section at the damage point, and bend and work the metal back toward its original shape. Avoid using a hammer right away- and most certainly- deep files out of your reach! Be patient and keep working the dent out with the hardwood.

When you think you have done all that you can in this manner, take a small body or peen hammer and lightly tap the wood form onto place (with suitable back side support for the trim piece.)

Next, try making special shapes using body tools, hardwood, pieces of metal, bolts or anything else with the proper shape that comes to your mind that will help smooth out that damaged area. Remember to tap lightly and to support the backside of the trim in the proper contour. This support is most important. You will probably have to tap the piece on both sides as you go in order to get the metal back into shape. If you are getting tired of all of this, put the piece away for a day or so. There are no shortcuts!

When the piece is returned to shape as best as you think you can do, clean it up with the 500 grit composition again and sight across the damaged area. If you can see much variation in the metal contour, you had better go back at it again.

Next, take a sharp, very fine flat metal file and, using long even strokes and medium pressure, file across the damages area. Remember how thin that stainless is and that what you are doing is removing the highlights of your repair work. Since the metal thickness is only so much, you can't afford to remove any more of it than absolutely necessary. If it gets too thin, the possibility of burning it in the buffing process is enhanced. You may go back to tapping and shaping part of the area to minimize the filing process. You will eventually get a uniformly-finished surface.

The next step is to block sand the file marks out. Use fine emery cloth, or 400 to 600 wet-dry sandpaper for this step. This takes more time than sense, but you will begin to see the fruits of your efforts.

Next, go across the area again with the 500 grit composition. Sight across the repaired area. You should like what you see. The surface may be duller but very smooth. Then take a reasonably firm buff and some 325 grit composition and carefully (not too much pressure) work out any remaining file or sanding marks. This is also a good time to remove any scratches elsewhere in the trim piece that have shown up.

Then go back to the 500 grit buff and buff up the dulled areas. When you finish with that, the trim should look like new- completely smooth and colored.

Then, to knock their socks off, take a loose buff of some 800 grit composition (and even some 1500 grit after that) to that trim piece. You will get a great mirror finish, far better than it had when new. If you notice kind of a greasy finish on the surface when you finish coloring it, take a soft cloth, sprinkle some baby powder on it, and lightly rub the surface with the powdered cloth. It will remove the residue.

With patience and common sense, you are capable of doing work of which you can be justly proud. Besides that, you will have saved a great deal of money over having it done commercially.

BUFFING COMPOUNDS

BSK 114. Black. 180 grit*. Extra fast cut for heavy metal removal. Use on aluminum, brass, copper, steel.
BTC 616. Brown. 325 grit*. Fast cut. Some coloring, medium polish. Use on aluminum, brass, copper, steel, precious metals.
4X Diamond. Tan. 500 grit*. Medium cut, Medium color and polish. Use on aluminum, brass, copper, precious metals; also plastic.
BC-54. Red. 1000 grit*. Light cut. High polish. Use on aluminum, brass, copper, precious metals. also removes scratches and abrasions from glass. (4 lb. bar.)
BSK 248. Grey. 325 grit*. Cut and color. Use to remove scratches in stainless steel.
BC 40. White. 500 grit*. Cut and color. Good for cleanup and restoring original luster. Use on stainless steel.
BC 68 S. Yellow. 800 grit*. Cut and high color. Use on stainless steel.
BC 55. Green. 1400 grit*. Mirror finish coloring. Use on chrome, stainless steel.

BUFFING PADS

B-2. 2" Dia. 16 ply, 80/80 Cloth, Midget Buff, 4 rows of sewing. Mandrel or small taper spindle mount.
D Series. 1/4" Spiral sewn, 18 ply, denim 1/2" arbor hole. 4", 6" and 8" diameters available. A geed cutting buff. Use with coarse grits.
G Series. 3/4 " Concentric sewn, 50 ply, 60/60 cloth, 1/2" arbor hole, 6" and 8" diameters available. a top quality general purpose for medium cutting and coloring. Use with medium grits.
J Series. 3/4" Concentric sewn, 90 ply, 60/60 cloth, pinhole shellacked and leather center. Taper spindle mount. 4", 6" and 8" diameters available. A semi-open coloring buff.
L Series. Open, 90 ply, full disc, 60/60 cloth, pinhole shellacked and leather center. Taper spindle mount. 4", 6" and 8" diameters available. A fully open buff for high coloring.
M Series. Open, 20 ply, full disc, flannel, 1/2" arbor hole. 8" diameter available. For mirror-finish coloring.
N Series. Open, 50 ply, full disc, 60/60 cloth, 1/2" arbor hole. 6" and 8" diameters available. Optimum flexibility gives excellent coloring. Use with fine grits.
S-10. 1/4" spiral sewn, 3/8" thick, sisal, 1/2" arbor hole, cloth covered for extended life. Use with coarse grits for heavy cutting.

SPECIAL SHAPES AND SIZES

For buffing inside recessed or curved surfaces where regular disc buffing pads will not reach. Use for either cutting or coloring with appropriate compound. The ends of the buffs are made so that the sewing does not contact the work being polished. These buffs are designed for use with taper spindles.

CYL-2. 2" dia., 2 1/4 wide, cylinder, firm body.
GBT Series. Round dome-shaped goblet, soft body.
GBT-2. 2" dia., 1 1/2" depth
GBT-3. 3" dia., 2" depth
GBT-4. 4" dia., 2 1/2" depth

SQG-3. 3" dia., 1 1/2 wide, square end goblet, soft body.

TC Series. Tapered cone, firm body.
TC-20. 3/4" to 2" dia., 2 1/4" depth
TC-25. 1" to 2 1/2" dia.,, 2 3/4" depth
TC-30. 1" to 3" dia., 3" depth

Note: 3/4" A.H. available in D8, G8, M8, N8 and S10 buffs upon request.

FELT BOBS

100% wool, hard finish, mandrel-mounted, shaped for precision finishing using a hand tool.
MP-11. 1"dia., 1" face, 1/4" mandrel
MP-19. 2" dia., 1" face, 1/4" mandrel
MS-4. 1/2" dia., 3/4" face, 1/8" mandrel
MS-5. 3/4" dia., 1" face, 1/4" mandrel

EQUIPMENT

Handy quick-change attachments for buffing, grinding, etc. Motor ends reamed to fir standard motor shaft diameters and have two socket set screws for positive holding power. Double-shafted motors require left hand-threaded arbors and tapers on the left side.

TAPER SPINDLES

1/4 TPR. Male, 1/4" shaft. Right hand threads on 1 1/2" long taper. This taper spindle is designed to be used in a drill chuck or collet.

1/2 TPL. Female, slips over 1/2" shaft. Set screws. Left hand threads on 2 1/2" long taper.

1/2 TPR. Same as above, with right hand threads on taper.

5/8 TPL. Female slips over 5/8"shaft. Set screws. left hand threads on 2 1/2" long taper.

5/8 TPR. Same as above, with right hand threads on taper.

3/4 TPL. Female, slips over 3/4" shaft, Set screws. Left hand threads on 3" long taper.

3/4 TPR. same as above, with right hand threads on taper.

MOTOR ARBORS

Motor Arbors Useful to convert shaft/buff diameters as well as to extend the working area further away from the motor housing.

Short shaft
(1 13/16" long)
1/2 LMA. Female, slops over 1/2" shaft. Set screws. Left hand threads on 1/2" shaft. For 1/2" arbor hole buffs.
1/2RMA. Same as above, with right hand threads on 1/2" shaft.
5/8 LMA. Female, slips over 5/8" shaft. Set screws. Left hand threads on 1/2" shaft. For 1/2" arbor hole buffs.
5/8 RMA. Same as above, with right hand threads on 1/2" shaft.

Long shaft
(2 5/8" long)
1/2 LRMA. Same as 1/2 RMA, except with longer shaft.
5/8 LRMA. Same as 5/8 RMA except with longer shaft.
3/4 LRMA. Same as above but for 3/4" shaft.
1/4 DA. Male, 1/4" shaft. For 1/2" arbor hole buffs.
This arbor permits 1/2" arbor hole buffs to be used in drill chuck or collet.

MISCELLANEOUS

Rake
Reconditions and shapes buffs quickly. Opens up the buff face and eliminates glaze.

Goggles
Comply with A.N.S.I. safety standards. Workers and others in work area should always war eye protection Lexan polycarbonate lens. Fir over personal glasses.

Buffing Motors
Baldor, industrial quality, American made. Longer shafts and slim motor body provide extra-wide clearance for buffing odd-shaped items. 3600 rpm.
1/3 h.p., 1/2" dia. shaft
3/4" h.p., 3/4" dia. shaft

Polish
Simi chrome is a world-renowned metal polish that will maintain a mirror finish. Available in1.75 oz. tube and 8.82 oz. cans.