In order to understand what happens when we polish a piece of work, it is necessary to understand why the work piece is so dull to begin with.
When we look at the unpolished item the light that reflects has been scattered all over the place by various scratches and pits on the surface.
The smaller the scratches and pits are the less light they scatter, reflecting more light, generating a glossier finish.
So in order to achieve a high gloss finish we must reduce the size of scratches and abrasions on the surface of the work.
To achieve this we use a process similar to sandpaper ie We start of by “sanding” the work with a highly abrasive process and work or way through a less and less abrasive processes until we reach the finish we require.
A Word About Safety
A Dust mask safety Goggles and gloves should be worn when using the kit.
Always apply the item to be polished to an area of the mop that is rotating away from you.
Preparation.
Clean and degrease the item to be polished There are several cleaning solutions available that are suitable, Please contact us should you need more information.
If the surface of the work is heavily scratched, marked or scored then suitable abrasives should be used before polishing.
If the surface of the work is lacquered this Must be removed before polishing, Use an automotive paint remover, remember to use the appropriate safety gear.
Stages of polishing
In General polishing comprises of a number of different stages or processes, each using a less abrasive mop and compound combination. The appropriate mop/compounds for this kit are.
Process 1 Rough Sisal mop and grey compound
Process 2 Stitched cotton mop and green compound
Process 3 G quality loose mop and Blue compound.
When polishing softer metals such as copper and brass the first process is not required.
Tips
Use a different mop with each compound.
When polishing small articles we recommend fixing your drill to a vice. Specialist Fixing kits are also available in our shop.
Protect your polished articles with a good wax finish we recommend Belgom Alu.
If you wish to Electroplate or varnish your items, clean using a good degreaser and do not wax polish.
Using your polishing Kit
If you are polishing a soft metal such as Brass or copper please start at step7
However it is recommended you read through all the instructions.
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Attach arbour to the drill securely
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Screw sisal mop onto the arbour
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Run the drill and apply the grey compound to the mop for approx 2 seconds. As the compound is wax based the heat generated by the friction melts the compound onto the mop.
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With the drill running apply the mop to the item to be polished using a medium to hard pressure. For best results it is recommended that you constantly vary the directions in which you polish. Try to polish across scratches and marks rather than along them. it is important at this stage to remove all the scratches and marks leaving a dull finish.
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If required apply more compound to the mop BUT don’t apply too much. If black grease marks appear on your work then you have used too much compound on the mop, these marks can be removed with a little Vienna lime powder on a clean cloth. The key here is little and often.
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When all scratches and marks have been removed and the work piece has a uniform dull finish Stop the drill and remove the sisal mop.
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Screw the white stitched mop to the arbour, run the drill and apply the green compound to the mop for approx 2 seconds.
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With the drill running apply the mop to the work piece again remembering to vary the direction of the polishing, Continue to polish using a medium pressure until the work piece has a uniform semi bright finish, Add more green compound if required.
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Once you have a uniform semi bright finish remove the stitched mop from the drill and screw the G quality loose mop onto the arbour, apply the blue compound for approx 2 seconds.
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With the drill running apply the mop to the work piece using a light pressure, again varying the direction of polishing; continue polishing in this manner until a uniform bright finish is achieved. Add more blue compound if required.
Please email me with any questions.
Visit my shop for other polishing items click here.
Thank you for looking.
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