Begginer Needs Help

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mibpf

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Apr 2, 2010
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My 14 year old has just put together a kit knife. I bought him a Baldor buffer and when he put the white rouge on the wheel and started polishing the wood, the white wheel turned black and the black rubbed onto the brass handle and wood on his knife. What causes this and how should he prevent this form happening again?
 
I'm not sure why it would turn black from the wood but brass will turn a wheel black in a hurry and will make a mess on wood. The black left behind might be blackened rouge from the brass that has melted off the wheel. I have more success using several wheels for different materials or grits used. Mark them with a sharpie so they don't get mixed up. Hope this helps.
 
Just a cationary reminder that buffers are pretty dangerous when combined with sharp objects.
It sounds like the wheel is over-loaded with compound. Sometimes a surface that is ground/sanded/etc. at a coarse grit will load up with compound when you first start buffing it also, this usually stops once the surface takes a decent polish.
 
Speed is probably too fast ,also.
When the buff rubs the polish it abrades the surface and creates a black color. Pressure, speed, and touching any easily oxidized metal ( like silver,nickel, brass,copper) will turn the buff black instantly.Open grained or porous woods are the biggest problem ( using stabilized wood and/or sealing the grain before buffing helps ). Using light passes, taping off the brass guard with blue or green tape ( used by painters and machinists), and avoiding overloading the wheel will help, but some degree of staining is normal.
Use matchless white polish or no-scratch pink. Avoid touching any metal with the buff used for wood handles. Store the handle buff in a zip-lok bag when not in use. After the buffing ,clean the wood off with a citrus based cleaner to remove the excess polish and the stains. Finish that with hand buffing using a soft cotton or flannel cloth.



I want to step in here and make my standard statement.

If you had to ask this question about a buffing problem, you should not be using a buffer, and frankly should not be getting one for a child.
A 14 year old untrained person at a buffer can miss his 15th birthday if things go wrong ( and they go wrong easily).
Buffing is a skill just like driving a car, shooting a gun, or operating a lathe. You don't learn it by "figuring it out as you go". If someone who knows about buffers hasn't taught you...or you haven't read a good deal about it and started slowly and carefully, you can loose a knife at best, a finger easily, and your life possibly.
The buffer is a dangerous tool that looks simple and safe. After all, it is just a motor with a soft wheel or two attached....what possible harm could it do?????
I am sure there will be several posters who can personally attest to the damage possible.
 
A buffer nearly killed me last summer, caused an internal bleed that left me in intensive care for a week. It was a blunt force trauma injury, never broke the skin, I lost half of my blood supply before I got to the hospital the next morning.

PS I have been buffing metal for over 25 years so experience was not the problem.

I would suggest finding a local knifemaker who can teach him proper buffing technique hands on. His age is not the problem, the inexperience is.

George
 
I don't own a buffer and to be honest I'm a bit apprehensive about getting one. I've read about more injuries on here that have come from a buffer more than any other tool a knife maker uses. More important than anything, whatever you do.... DO NOT LET HIM BUFF A SHARPENED KNIFE.

But like others have said already it's incredibly easy to get injured by buffing a knife. All the stories start out the same way, "I was buffing a knife and the next thing I know it got ripped our of my hands".... What it winds up doing from there varies on how and where the knife gets thrown to from the machine.
 
I don't own a buffer and to be honest I'm a bit apprehensive about getting one.
Click to expand...

Same here. Since my final goal is to become an established maker, I know that I'm going have to learn to use one sooner or later though and since I have nobody to teach me how to use one..not sure how I'm going to go about doing that. Might go as far as wearing chainmail.
 
I'm sorry if the post sounded a bit harsh, but buffers are serious business.

Please get someone to teach you how to buff before you continue buffing knives. Just like George, I buff every day for several hours, and once in a while something gets away from me,too.

Filling out your profile will quite likely get a response from a local maker who will not only help with buffing info, but may invite you over for some hands on knifemaking time at his smithy.
 
Buffer is the one piece of equipment I don't own, for reasons already mentioned.
 
Thanks for all of the advice and the warnings about the buffer. My son has really enjoyed reading the post here on this website. We will take extra precaution when buffing.
 
I own one but i treat it like its a loaded gun. Not one time but twice i have almost cut a finger completly off.I do not use it very often know.
 
You might want to try using sandpaper to get a good finish. I bought some of that Micro Mesh paper from woodcrafters and have gotten very nice looking finish on wood by sanding to 2000 grit and then treating the wood with a 50/50 mix of tung oil and citrus solvent. This is a non-toxic finish that looks good and it smells like oranges!
 
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