Buffing Compounds-Bein' Picky

David, that's what makes paste so much more convenient.:thumbup::)

That's what prompted me to go looking for the powder. I was getting inconsistent results with my 'stick' compounds (green, Ryobi white & emery), and I think much of that was related to the difficulty in getting a more even application on a strop. Even when using those with some mineral oil to loosen them up, the mineral oil still wouldn't dissolve it uniformly (waxy binders getting in the way).


David
 
Allow me to express my appreciation for your sharing of information and experiences. I do intend to experiment with a variety of strops and treatments, time and health permitting, and look forward to implementing many of the things I have become acquainted with on this forum. My insistence on the "crayons" for the first round is based on preparation of some Christmas presents I'm looking to assemble: lightweight, space-saving, adaptable sharpening kits for backpacking, tent camping, and condos where thin pieces of bar stock are provided in the kitchen. Specifically, a HeavyHanded Washboard, 3 to 6 sheets of various grits of sandpaper rolled around 2 or 3 sticks of buffing compound not subject to spills or leakage. Inexpensive, adaptable for knives, machetes, hatchets. Did I mention inexpensive? In my long years of single and family experience, nowhere are your treasured personal possessions more vulnerable than ON VACATION. Thus, the need for compound that would last a long time in storage. Some of my giftees would only pull this stuff out when it's time to pack and leave. A couple might make more use of these items once they find out how practical they are. Yes, I know that, over a lifetime of sharpening, sandpaper is frightfully expensive. Most people won't do a lifetime of sharpening. Most will do it occasionally or just when necessary. Other, more frequent, sharpeners who find themselves financially constrained, might find it easier to pick up a few sheets of sandpaper now and then than to invest in a series of stones, diamonds, ceramics and leathers that can quickly outvalue the cutlery they were designed to service. Most of the people I know are not fascinated with the subject of sharpened steel to the point of endangering the house payment.:o This solution seemed, to me, to bridge the gap between those who do too little sharpening and those who, possibly, do a bit much.:)
Thank you again for the thoughtful input and the leads to sources.
 
Steve, lots of luck with your experimentation along this line, the possible results explode almost exponentially if you don't restrict the variables.
For a nice refined edge the Flexcut Gold is very good stuff, the block is very hard and will last a long time. It also does not get soft easily should it be stored somewhere it might be exposed to temp variations. The stuff I supply with the Washboard is approx 85% abrasive and likewise very tough, the binder is mostly beeswax - also has a pretty high melting point compared to other waxes and stearin. It takes a long time in the double boiler before it will run, is hard enough it doesn't need to be kept in a test tube to prevent meaningful contamination, I keep mine wrapped in a torn off piece of paper and it stays working fine.

HH
 
Update to the thread with pics This is from the Ryobi black that came with the "hard metals" kit - had black, yellow, and white.

First with just the scale upper left = 14.7u, second pic is marked up using a distance utility that came with the microscope software.
Both pics 100x, I took the measurements from the shortest dimension. Clearly there are many very small particles in there, the larger ones are in the 20-30u range - some of the lunkers off camera were twice that size.

Ryobi_Black_100x_zpsbcd6076a.jpg


Ryobi_Black_100x_Markedup_zps6e84c8d4.jpg
 
I'm similarly frustrated by the almost complete lack of specifications of buffing compounds. I use carefully specified compounds in slurries, suspensions, and emulsion formulations. This is an area of current interest to me and something I hope to be able to give more information about this topic in the near future :)

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Ken
 
Thanks HH. :thumbup:

Wouldn't be surprised if it's clumping, if mine is the same as what you looked at. That's my biggest gripe with it, as it's pretty stubborn stuff to use 'dry' as a crayon, except if applied at very light pressure. Leaves some big chunks if scrubbed too hard on the stropping surface.


David
It's largely because most of these "crayon" compounds are meant to be used with buffing wheels, which can soak up a lot of it and the high speed will melt it easily. I noticed this when applying Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish on a 1"x42" felt belt for my belt sander just 5 minutes ago, and noticed how much it took to load the belt, then realized that the belt with the rough texture, just like the cotton wheels, NEED a buttload of compound in order to fully "load" it. Even a small wax bar will last a lifetime on plain strops, whereas I ate up a quarter of a large bar with a week of heavy buffing on my 6" wheels.
 
HH, which mic are you using?

I've been looking at a usb mic called Veho.

Strig, my personal opinion after using this one a while is to find a Veho you can try out before buying and make sure it does what you want it to do. IIRC they operate at max 200x, 400x with a digital display blow-up. That's not enough to really see anything important, believe it or not. I'm amazed at how much more detail I can see at 400x from 100x, and there's a similar jump from 400 - 1000x which is the highest I can go with good resolution, 1600x with a loss of detail and an increase in magnification. For studying cosmetics and superficial grinding patterns etc, the Veho will work very well. Despite their popularity,for getting a look at the actual cutting edge I suspect it won't give you a lot of info (might even be misleading). Would be a good choice if you're planning on using it for other purposes as they seem quite versatile.

The microscope I use was bought by my boss for studying toner deposition. It was one of the least expensive ones I could find that had all the important features. Still cost over $800.

http://www.amscope.com/me300tz-5m.html
 
It's largely because most of these "crayon" compounds are meant to be used with buffing wheels, which can soak up a lot of it and the high speed will melt it easily. I noticed this when applying Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish on a 1"x42" felt belt for my belt sander just 5 minutes ago, and noticed how much it took to load the belt, then realized that the belt with the rough texture, just like the cotton wheels, NEED a buttload of compound in order to fully "load" it. Even a small wax bar will last a lifetime on plain strops, whereas I ate up a quarter of a large bar with a week of heavy buffing on my 6" wheels.

I've noticed this too, even on small 1" buffing wheels for a Dremel. Takes a lot to load the wheel in the first place, and then sheds an awful lot of compound in use.


David
 
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