alloy wheels

[bettyswollox]

Be gentle now.....i'm new to buffing and although I have read countless threads (honestly) i do have a couple of questions,
So.....is it feesible to polish alloy wheels on an industrial type buffing machine or is it only a job that can be done by hand held tools?
Also please someone tell me exactly what "greaseless" is?
Thanks in advance for any response

[mpierich]

Be gentle now.....i'm new to buffing and although I have read countless threads (honestly) i do have a couple of questions,
So.....is it feesible to polish alloy wheels on an industrial type buffing machine or is it only a job that can be done by hand held tools?
Also please someone tell me exactly what "greaseless" is?
Thanks in advance for any response

If you have the muscle to hold a wheel up to a machine, and the wheel is very simple, you could possibly do much of it on a buffing machine.

I don't think you really did much of a search...here's greaseless compound and it's only a click or two away... Caswell Inc. - Standard Buffing Compounds Go to the bottom of the page. Also, Google is your friend for more info. Instead of grease as the matrix holding the abrasive, greaseless has coarse abrasives embedded in a rubbery water-based material that has to dry on the buffing wheel before you use it.

[bettyswollox]

Thanks for that.....but true.....i didn't look good enough did I,
However this site is so big and informative you've probably saved me hours of trawling around,
Anyway if not on a buffing machine then, would one use a hand drill and with what size wheel?

[mpierich]

Thanks for that.....but true.....i didn't look good enough did I,
However this site is so big and informative you've probably saved me hours of trawling around,
Anyway if not on a buffing machine then, would one use a hand drill and with what size wheel?

You could use a hand drill, but an electric one may burn out since they're not made for constant duty - maybe get a cheap one to start with. An air drill is better if you have a good compressor. I don't go over 4" wheels for handheld tools, anything bigger is hard to control.

Some use an angle grinder but I feel they're too high-speed for the purpose. Personally I use a big flex shaft on a 1/3 hp/1750 rpm motor but they're too expensive if all you're doing is one set of wheels.

[bettyswollox]

You're advice is much appreciated,
Actually i've sort of been thrust into polishing/buffing in an attempt to make a living at it, i've bought two ex-college buffing machines with built in extractors also i have an air drill- air orbital sander and an air palm sander.
I have polished the majority of the bits on my Harley myself with a small stand buffer quite well over the years, but as a commercial venture i'll just give it my best shot and work as many hours as i possibly can learning as i go i suppose, fortunatley there is no metal polishers within a 40 mile radius from my location and i've already been offered work from a guy who has a bike shop and is more than disgruntled with the service he gets from other polishers, i know there's no substitute for experience- that's true enough but with a little help from guys such as yourself and some determination i hope to succeed.
Thanks anyway for your reply......see i'm already wiser than i was this time yesterday!!!

[mpierich]

Good luck - it's not the easiest profession but can be done. Maybe baz (a full time pro) and the other guys will chime in . I don't do enough volume to make a living, but since I lost my day job last month the extra money comes in handy.

Getting hooked up with shops is the way to go, they'll sell the service for you. Unfortunately things are bad for the shops around here, too. Polishing for a lot of people is a luxury.

BTW, I'm self-taught so I don't know a lot about the machinery. What's an "extractor"? Is that what you call a dust pickup?

[jrow]

bettyswollox,

Try this link for your greaseless.
Eastwood Company: Search Results for greaseless
I like Eastwood's greaseless better than Caswells you load it the same way you do buffing compound.
You can use your orbital and palm sander to sand areas that are mostly flat. Use your air drill, at a reduced pressure, to buff with. Try to match your grinding/sanding media with the metal surface that you are trying to take the scratches out of. That way you don't end up using a lot of labor to take out scratches that the courser media made.
Look at your project and have a plan before you start.

John

[bettyswollox]

Sorry mpierich...yes dust pick up system,
I'll take all the advice i can John thanks,
Caswells sell so many products you can imagine the problems a novice has evaluating everything in their catalogue!!! i must admit i'm clutching at straws a little bit (running before i can walk so to speak) as i said though i have no choice, you've gotta take what you can eh!!!
Ordering consumables could be a nightmare as i live in southeast Spain.
I also thought about boating fraternity (they must have plenty of SS to go at) and there's a lot of marinas around the coast here.
Regards

[mpierich]

If you're going to try to make a living at it, you might want to go into tractor trailer work as well. I don't know how it is over there, but in this country most truck stops have shops and there's usually a guy hanging around who will polish their wheels and even entire tankers - they usually use rotary sanders and grinders with cotton and sisal wheels, I believe. Not pleasant work but once you got the hang of it you could probably make more money faster than fussy custom parts polishing, and if the climate's what I think it is you could do it all year.

There's probably someone on here who's done it.

[bettyswollox]

I don't know what the commercial vehicle status is here........but yes damn good idea!!!!!! another avenue,
Does anybody do any polishing/buffing of boat bits by chance?