Buffing Brass

G

gkentsmith

Joined
Nov 21, 2006
Messages
33
Hi,

I am having a problem geting a true mirror finish on my brass bolsters. No matter what cleaner I use (Nevr-Dull, Flitz, Metal Glo, etc.) when I buff the brass, I get these tiny micro scratches. I've tried every kind of cloth there is it seems; from terry cloth to kitchen towels to micro fiber polishing cloth, and they all seem to leave me with these tiny little sratches.

Can anyone help me with a method to get a perfectly mirror like finish when buffing off my brass?

Thanks. :)
 
Well , keep in mind that brass is a pretty soft metal , I'm suprised you cant make it fly with just Flitz and a paper towel.

During my apprenticeship, my work was picked apart and I was sent back to the buffing room many times before I finally understood and got it right. Buffing brass clear as a mirror is a skill that is extremely difficult to develop
Click to expand...
http://www.oberloh.com/gallery/tubaoverhaul6.htm



Check out these links

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/brass

http://www.askthebuilder.com/333_Cleaning_Brass_the_Professional_Way.shtml


Good luck.
 
Odd, flitz shouldn't leave any visible scratches. Are you using a swirling motion when polishing or just going back and forth? Almost any polish will leave visible lines when you only buff in one direction. Also, it helps to press lightly when you're trying to achieve a mirror finish, as opposed to heavy force when removing corrosion or scratch marks.
 
:D I owe you a large debt of gratitude. Sure enough, I was using more of a straight line method. I just have used the swirling technique on one side of my "test" knife (a 6OT that has needed a lot of work) and sure enough, in a matter of a minute or two I can see the difference.

Thank you very much - you put your finger on the problem, and now I can clean the rest of my knives without damaging them! Yay! :)
 
Thanks. :)
My Dremel seems to be problematic (operator problems - lol) and I have no idea what green compound is :confused: .
 
gkentsmith said:
Thanks. :)
My Dremel seems to be problematic (operator problems - lol) and I have no idea what green compound is :confused: .
Click to expand...


he he he .... your hands cant be any shakier than mine!
re the "green polish" .
I believe it is correctly called "honing compound" and it is chromium oxide with various degrees of grit (the green being the most forgiving).You can usually find these materials wherever the dremel /sanding supplies are sold. It comes in a tube (usually about 1.5" diameter and 4 inches high) and resembles a soft candle. Push the stick up out of tube, touch your spinning buffing wheel to it and shine away.
I'll try & find a link
 
Now you're talking. My local Ace hardware store has a complete dremel section. I think I'll pay them a visit later, get a few more buffing wheels and a couple of tubes, and then practice on my poor old 6OT. :D I love the idea of saving time with my dremel - that thing has really been a great home assistant. And I'll bet it'll cut my brass polishing time significantly! :thumbup:
 
The Dremel will give you an uneven finish on all but the tiniest of items. There is too little wheel contact. Better to finish anything bigger than a ring by hand, or on a buffer.
Bill
 
Boy, am I confused :eek: . I may test the dremel on my poor abused 6OT, but my first attempt to buff using my dremel (without compound), I made things worse, so I'm going to continue hand buffing on the collection knives and try out the dremel on the 6OT. I'll just have to be careful and see for myself.

Thanks. :thumbup:
 
That's the problem with being old, and giving advise to young people. They never listen! It's better that you learn from experience, anyway.
Bill
 
I'll bet I'm older than you! :grumpy: I'm 62 and I still listen and learn. In fact, that's why I'm on this forum asking questions. Again, thanks for the help, and I'll continue hand buffing, but trying to make the dremel thing work on my poor abused 6OT will be a fun experiment. :D
 
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