Briarfox wrote:It's an 8" wheel and it's only stitched at the bottom. However, it seems to be more course then my WD and trip wheels. It also has a lot of loose strings on the end...
If it only has a row of stitching around the hole to keep the layers together, then it's a loose wheel, but the chances are it's a cotton wheel. You can just trim the loose threads off with a pair of scissors.
A flannel wheel should feel soft, almost fluffy. I suggest getting one if you think your present loose wheel is cotton or, heaven forbid, canvas denim.
Regards,
Frank.
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Grouch Happens!
People usually get the gods they deserve - Terry Pratchett
Briarfox wrote:I believe it's a canvas denim... Would that make buffing more difficult?
That material is a bad choice for pipemaking. Very stiff and aggressive. A lot of what's sold by "buffer & finishing" companies is designed for working with metal.
I'm sure there are people who can gets decent results on pipes with a canvas wheel---I've seen a guy drive a golfball 240 yards with a putter, and putt with a driver, to score a 77 in an exhibition---but why make things deliberately hard for yourself?
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Briarfox wrote:I believe it's a canvas denim... Would that make buffing more difficult?
Canvas denim is primarily useful on hard metals like steel. It's even too agressive for final polishing brass & copper.
For buffing pipes, use a stitched cotton wheel and your choice of compound.
For final waxing, get a loose flannel wheel. They're a bit more expensive, but should last a long time, since you can't really get much pressure onto them, even leaning into the wheel.
An update to the "raking" issue. Don't rake a loose wheel. You'll shred it to pieces. Raking is only useful on stitched wheels. I usually trim loose wheels with a pair of sharp scissors.
Regards,
Frank.
------------------
Grouch Happens!
People usually get the gods they deserve - Terry Pratchett
It's actually not. Abralon is a different product altogether. The abrasive is similar (silcon carbide) but the grit specs are much different. Abralon uses the US CAMI grit spec, while Micro-Mesh is way out in left field with it's own grit spec that I haven't quite figured out.
Oops...
It looks like a micromesh sort of thingy though.
My Abralon pads are kinda smallish and in trying to get the full pipe shape profile to conform with the pad I end up near the center of the pad and it leaves whirly scratchy patterns, even on the 1500 grit. I also find that it's impossible to reach areas on certain shapes, so I end up having to hand sand there anyway. I do like them, but unless I get larger pads, their use is somewhat limited.
kbadkar wrote:My Abralon pads are kinda smallish and in trying to get the full pipe shape profile to conform with the pad I end up near the center of the pad and it leaves whirly scratchy patterns, even on the 1500 grit. I also find that it's impossible to reach areas on certain shapes, so I end up having to hand sand there anyway. I do like them, but unless I get larger pads, their use is somewhat limited.
kbadkar wrote:My Abralon pads are kinda smallish and in trying to get the full pipe shape profile to conform with the pad I end up near the center of the pad and it leaves whirly scratchy patterns, even on the 1500 grit. I also find that it's impossible to reach areas on certain shapes, so I end up having to hand sand there anyway. I do like them, but unless I get larger pads, their use is somewhat limited.
