Hi, Dean: Thanks for the info. How do you avoid flinging the compounds around? I often have to buff in the customer's home. Can't have compound spraying the furniture. It's also good for making polka dots on your plain shirt. I do occaionally use a swirl buffer, but only in the shop. I'll have to try this wetting technique next time I get a chance. By the way, I have found some buffing sticks (edge buffing type) that are excellent for buffing out deeper scratches without having to sand first. The Menzerna sticks are good, but these are better for coarse work, and don't burn. I usually buff out as much as I can first with these, and the really bad scratches are then sanded out. I'd rather not sand the whole lid if I don't have to. I get the sticks from Bayland Products. Cotton buffs and swirl removing products from them are also very good. Look them up on the Net. I think they're in Michigan. I usually get my liquid polishes from a plastics store. They carry the Novus brand. I also like the Meguiar's products, but they are now scarce in the auto stores. I have found Plastx (sp?), which works well, but I liked the #10 and #17 cream polishes which I can't seem to find easily. Polybuf products, from Mohawk were really good, but expensive. I still have some of their stuff, but very old and they have coagulated. Of all the plastic buffing liquids I've used, the Polybuf seemed to be the best. The "shoe polish" cans of compounds from Konig are also excellent, but a little more messy. Good discussion on this thread. High gloss finishes are here to stay, and we have to deal with them. They can provide a good source of income if you're prepared to deal with the problems they present. Not rocket science, but requires a good eye, the right equipment and techniques, and patience. Thanks for sharing that tip, Dean. Paul McCloud San Diego > [Original Message] > From: Dean May <deanmay at pianorebuilders.com> > To: <pianotech at ptg.org> > Date: 08/24/2009 7:48:25 AM > Subject: Re: [pianotech] scratched lid > > I've used both swirl and edge. Mostly I use swirl now, about a 12 inch pad > on a big honkin' Milwaukee 11 amp angle grinder. For compounds, I've used > the 3M compounds available at auto refinishing suppliers. I usually use the > Maguire compounds lately. They work well, come in several different grades > and are readily available at most AutoZone, O'Reily's, etc. > > Experiment to see which compounds will take out which sanding marks, then > mark your bottles, i.e., takes out 600 grit marks, takes out 1000 grit > marks, etc. Then you can make better choices when picking a compound, > depending on which grade of sandpaper you finished up with. > > Remember when sanding, go all one direction with one grade. Then when moving > to finer, go in a perpendicular direction. This will really help you see > when you've sanded out all the marks from the coarser grade. The better you > do with sanding the easier it is to polish with the buffer. > > I really don't like messing with poly and don't do a lot any more, but I had > to back in the day I had a piano store. > > Using the helper with a water spray bottle allows you to put on a mirror > shine without going to the ultra fine polishes. > > As Ruth says, let the machine do the work. Don't use a lot of pressure and > keep it moving and wet. > > With machine on, drag the point of a screwdriver across your pad from the > center going out several times when switching to a finer grade of polish. > This will clean your pad pretty well of the coarser compound. If you are > anal retentive, as most of us are, then you might want to switch pads, > keeping one pad for each grade of compound. I personally use only one pad > for all compounds and get results acceptable to me. > > > > Dean > > Dean May cell 812.239.3359 > > PianoRebuilders.com 812.235.5272 > > Terre Haute IN 47802 > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf > Of pmc033 at earthlink.net > Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 10:24 AM > To: pianotech at ptg.org > Subject: Re: [pianotech] scratched lid > > Dean: > What kind of machinery and compounds are you using? Are you using a > swirl > type or edge-buffing wheel? Just curious.. > Paul McCloud > San Diego > > > > [Original Message] > > From: Dean May <deanmay at pianorebuilders.com> > > To: <pianotech at ptg.org> > > Date: 08/24/2009 7:17:41 AM > > Subject: Re: [pianotech] scratched lid > > > > I have found when using a buffer that results are improved dramatically by > > having a helper with a spray bottle of water keeping the area good and wet > > while I'm buffing. It makes more of a mess, but the results are better > with > > less compound and no burns. > > > > Dean > > > > Dean May cell 812.239.3359 > > > > PianoRebuilders.com 812.235.5272 > > > > Terre Haute IN 47802 > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On > Behalf > > Of Ruth Phillips > > Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 10:07 AM > > To: pianotech at ptg.org; rob at mccallpiano.com > > Subject: [pianotech] scratched lid > > > > > > Rob, > > You can probably borrow a good buffer from someone, and the compounds > > you need are very inexpensive. You've gotten a lot of good advice. The > > elbow > > grease needed for such extensive scratches will kill you! Let the machine > > do the work. You can even get an inexpensive buffer that will be high > > speed, and slow it down with an adapter, to the speed you should be > > using. You will be amazed at how beautiful it will look, and be really > > impressed with yourself. It looks doable. > > Good luck, > > Ruth Phillips > > ruth at alliedpiano.com > > > > > > > > >From: Rob McCall <rob at mccallpiano.com> > > Okay, here's the results from my using of Meguiar's ScratchX Swirl > > remover on the scratched up piano lid. > > > > > >
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