Here's some of what I've learned w/pics to help explain. I laid some of the tools/supplies that are needed. But, the individusl job will dictate what to use once you get started. Example, some things may not require the use of die grinders or flap wheels etc. This pic shows two air die grinders, one long & one med. There are some that are more short. There's a couple of sanding cartridges which screw on to 1/4" drive mandrels for the die grinders, some flap wheels (made of sandpaper pieces of a certain grit)and cotton buffs which can be sewn at different stitch spacing or loose. There are also sisal buffs which are made of hemp but, I never try to smoke them. They are really great for aggressive cutting on steel and stainless in combination w/various rouges.

This is a small alum. roasting pan a lot of small cotton buffs & flap wheels, most of which have a 1/4" mandrel made into them, you use them with the die grinders.

These are some of the more large mandrels, all 1/4" drive for use w/the die grinders. You can also see one that I made out of a long 1/4 x 20 bolt. I sawed a slit down the middle so I could tear pieces of sandpaper to slip into the slit, it acts like a flap wheel & works real well down in tight places. I try to save all the old belts from my belt sander for this cause they have a durable backing.

You can use 7" & 9" grinders but, they get up to 5,000 to 7,000 RPM's and the larger flap wheels are not supposed to be run over about 4,500 RPM's. Cotton buffs are ok at the high rates of speed. The two machines you see are actually polishers, both Black & Decker. One is a 2800 RPM, the other is variable from 1,500-3,000 w/variable speed trigger. They both have extensions that come in handy. You don't necessarily have to have them, but, if I'm doin' a deep dish wheel, they have to be on the polisher. They have 5/8" coarse NC thread at the end. The flap wheels are 8" in diameter, I think. Flap wheels come in grits from 80 gr. to 320 gr.

Here's some of the basic things you need. On the L. there are 6", 8" & 10" sewn cotton buffs w/1/2" center holes for mounting. I thind they are sewn at 1/8" spacing which produces a real firm buff. Close to them are some smaller cotton buffs of 2" & 4". Up front are a few of the rouges that are used mostly w/cotton buffs although, somethimes I coat the flap wheels with different rouges as I go along. From L. to R. 1. White-for polishing chrome are alum. 2. Black w/SS base, very good for using on steel & stainless w/the sisal (rope) buff as mentioned above. At closer look, this looks like it is green which would be for SS. The Black SS is very important to mention 3. Black Magic (sold by Sandpaper of Texas), for finish polish on alum. Can be used on just about any metal except brass. 4. Pink or Red is for brass & gold. Standing on the R. is a 10" cotton bias (some call them airway) buff. These come in 4" up to 18" or better. The centers are removable w/different diameters for your particular need. The bias are supposed to be used for the final polish but, I don't always do that.

This is the buffing lathe I welded up back in 1978 & I've done a lot, if not most of my work on it. It's made with 5/8" shafting that you can get at metal companies. It's supported w/3 5/8" pillow blocks with 1/2" slip over threaded ends for holding the buffs. On the left side is 3 to 4 10" close (1/8") sewn buffs for a final polish wheel. I like it best most of the time. On the R. is a 10" airway for final polish also, depending on what you want for the final finish. I went to American Iron/Steel in Dallas and got scrap pipe. This was my first welding project after taking my welding class. It's powered by a 1 1/2 HP Dayton elect. motor, belt driven w/step pulleys. I have it set at 1,900 RPM's which is a popular speed w/a lot of the guys I've talked to in the past.

I had to scan these last 2 pics together, I hope they come out clear enough to see what's happenin'. This is one of the Jag lower control arms. The top, of course, is where I started. This was just short of tacklin' an engine block. I had to use the angle grinders/polishers w/flap wheels to start with cause I couldn't get up to the lathe with many of the surfaces, not to mention that each arm is pretty heavy. I started w/80 grit flap wheels, using die grinders w/80 grit cartridges for the tight places that the flap wheels couldn't touch. Once that was done, I repeated the same process going to the next finer grit which is usually 120 grit, although there is 100 grit available sometimes. Once it was covered in 120 grit, I went to the next finer grit, 180. Once that was done I switched to 220 grit & after that to 320 grit. Normally, you can't get away w/skipping over a grit in the process cause you're in the process of removing the coarse scratches from the previous grit when you move up to the next finer grit. Once you finish w/the 320 grit work, you can now go to the close stitch (1/8") cotton buffs and try the Black Magic rouge. If you don't get some good color from that, you can try the Black SS based rouge. That usually works pretty well. You'll be looking to see if any scratches are visible. If you can't get them out w/the Black SS on the cotton buff you'll have to change to a sisal buff w/the Black SS. I guarantee you that it will get things going. I will leave it's own little scratches after it removes the bigger scratches that are present. Watch the surface closely for the best that you can get out of the sisal. When that is reached, switch back to the sewn cotton buff and go with the Black Magic rouge, things should start to get shiney & bright. There is usually a dark gray rouge that can be used in between the Black SS & Black magic if needed. You can use flour to rub off excess rouge from the final polished surface. The bottom pick below is the finished product & as you can see (if the pic comes out clear enough), it took 20 hours. I had to make special wood cradles for the control arms & axles. This part is not plated although it looks like it already is plated. There are probably many folks out there that could do this a lot faster than I did, but, I've never figured out how to do detailed work real fast. I haven't cover very much here, just scratched the surface but, if I can do it so can you. The best way to learn is to get out there and get your hands dirty. You should use a mask and eye protection. And if your using a die grinder a lot, you'll have to wear leather gloves because of the cold temp. I almost froze my hands this morning while die grinding the finishing reliefs on my 383 block. John "T-Pilot w/Pups" Eplen

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