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The finish on my first is finally to the stage where I have started to wet sand and polish. So far I have wet sanded the back to 2000, and applied two compounds by hand. One a cutting compound, the other a lighter grit. It is coming along nicely, but is tedious.

Are there any small, hand held buffers that don't cost a fortune but work well enough for guitar work? I'd love to have the Stew Mac buffer, but the budget won't allow it right now. I do have a system from Woodcraft, but the wheels are too fast, and generate too much heat.

Any suggestions? Or do I just keep going by hand?

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Phil

http://www.oleninstruments.com

"Those who tilt at windmills are only considered insane by those who can't see the dragon."

http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Su ... _Pads.html

Check out the video..

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"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

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

There are hook and loop polishing pads (wool, felt, terry cloth and foam) available for random orbit sanders -- I have not used them but I see no reason why they would not work well. You'd need one for each of the different compounds used in your process.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I found the foam pads on a drill will make removing the swirl marks difficult for the inexperienced . I found random orbital buffers a better choice. Lambs wool makes for a great buffer. It is all about touch. Use the foam to start and wool when you get down to the final buffing. 3M Products are very good and available at most big A or local auto parts stores that sell touch up paints

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I use a random buffer I got at the auto parts store.

Would someone please indicate a useful model/brand of RO buffer?

I don't have a ton of experience with this, but I use the 6" compact palm polisher from Harbor Freight. Their tools are low end, so I imagine there are better buffers out there. But it does seem to get the job done. I can buff out Enduro-Var with it to a high gloss without swirl marks. For compounds, I've been using Novus #2 followed by Meguiar's Swirl Remover 2.0. I think the buffing pad you use is important. I use Surbuf pads.

The tough part about using a hand held buffer is getting into tight curves like a cutaway. I wonder if the foam pads on a drill would help in these areas -- but from what John says, swirl marks could then be an issue.

I have used a PC 7424 and 3M Perfect-it & Finesse -it products with good results. It's a little more work because it's slow and you really need to find a way to hold down your guitar or another pair of hands or it will go flying across your bench.
I am now using a stewmac inspired buffer and Menzerna compounds with much better results but the hand held auto polisher will work.


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another vote on the PC random orbital buffer

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

For those that use larger buffers, that take two hands to use, how do you do sides and necks, and hold the guitar so it won't get launched off the bench?

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Phil

http://www.oleninstruments.com

"Those who tilt at windmills are only considered insane by those who can't see the dragon."

I boxed it in with padded 1X3 angles screwed to the bench top or held it in my stewmac vise.


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