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Wondering if anyone could tell me your process for hand buffing Target em6000.

Thanks
Neil

I use Novus plastic polish. I use their #2 fine scratch remover applied in circles with old T-shirt followed by the #1 clean and shine buffed out by hand with an old and clean T-shirt. Works real nice.

Before the polish I wet sand the surface with mineral spirits from 600 to 2000. Gotta be especially careful on the edges as its easy to sand through.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I believe Rod True does that...

But, get yourself a micromesh kit and wet sand up to 4000 grit (mineral spirits) and then uses meguires swirl remover. That should get u close

Mike,

That's funny. I've got both micromesh kits. I use the pads on bridges and some other stuff but haven't broken open the sandpaper kit Perhaps I'll use that on the next one.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Wet sanding (mineral spirits) with those fine "grits" can provide amazing results, but since I power buff, I only use the paper for touch up work.

Ya, Mike's right, I do and..... I hate it. I really want a power buffer. Just can't get the deep gloss look by hand, close, but not quite.

I dry sand up to 800 grit, wet sand with MS up to 1500 then I use a fine and untra fine polishing compound (mohawk brand) with clean tee shirt rags.

This is done, just that way.

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I used to hand polish EM6000...it took forever and never really got to where I wanted it. I have a buffer from Caswell Plating (a little over $200) and would never go back. Minutes on the power buffer = hours by hand....

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I am in the process of my first 6000 as well. It has been almost a week and I have been looking around for a polishing procedure. I purchased the micromesh kit form rockler and was going to use that dry. I see here thay you guys use it with mineral spirits.

I was wondering .....can you use it with MS all the way through the grits of the kit? What would be the expected results........would it be better than using it dry all the way through the grits....do you stop wet sanding with MS at a certain grit then switch to dry for the rest?

Kind of a run on question but I think you get what I am asking. I do not have a buffer and was not planning on using polishing compounds.

Thanks for any info
Matthew

I think the finer u go, the more you rely on MS. Just DONT use water!! Water bad!

Rod, I scoped out a new 1/3 hp motor at sawmillcreek gor $40, bought the Grizz buff arbor and some wheels (14") from Casewell. Maybe $200 total? Oh yeah, Mezerna stuff. Point is, u could pick up parts over time and spread out the cost impact that way!

Good idea Mike. I already got a 1/3hp motor I could use. I have a small arbour too (I think it's 5/8 dia) which is too small though. I'll look into getting a 1" arbour made at a local machine shop (I know a few guys who could help me out) and get the buffs from Caswell and some Menzerna from Shane..... I'll get there.... one day.

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"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Absolutely! Whenever I can spread cost out over time, I do. Pick this up this week, then the next part later. U will need a 1" pulley for the motor. That is if u get the grizz arbor. It really is cheap, but cheap can't beat free! (not cheap built!).

All right.....wet all the way through the micro mesh grits. And I understand ...water bad ....mineral spirits good. Just to clarify your method of wet sanding though. I was going to just get the micro mesh paper wet by dunking it in the MS real good and using the foam block as the backer. Sanding perpandicular to the prior grit to make sure I get the scratches out. Then going in random circles on the last 3 grits. Does this sound like a sane approach? I have already leveled with 600 gold dry by the way.

Thanks for the info

Matthew

If you have the 800 gold dry go through that too before starting the MM.

If the MM pad is big enough, use it with an ROS.

The MS will help cutting but not sure if it will help polish at all. You might want to pick up some polishing compound to really help with a deep gloss.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

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"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Thanks Rod. Will it be going backwards in grit if I go to 800 then start with the first grit on the MM?

Last year I rigged up an 8" buffer mostly small metal parts but I also use it on bridges, nuts and saddles. It works so good I really want to get a larger unit to buff the guitars but I have to figure out where to put it. My shop is pretty crowded.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I don't know as I don't use MM but my guess is that you'll be fine. Give it a try on a test piece (you did spray a test piece to set your gun settings, yes?) to see if you'll be going backwards, but looking at the "grits" of MM they start at #1500. Feel it with your fingertips, you should be able to tell which is more abrasive. Try it on a piece of acrylic, that will tell you which is more abrasive too.

Oh, and you don't need a lot of MS, just enough to slightly wet the surface, don't soak the paper, but you can just dip it in the MS (I use a pie plate, don't tell my wife) and pull it out, that will be sufficient. Just keep trying on scraps or acrylic plastic and you'll get the hand of it.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

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I do use water when wet sanding EM6000. I typically wait at least a few days for the finish to cure out adequately before doing this. If you do it before then, the finish will cloud up temporarily. I use water sparingly...and occasionally wipe the guitar dry, but it is possible to use water.

I do this because I don't want to mess with all the other chemicals if I don't have to.

Trev

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