pipemakersforum.com

Hey, so I have a question for ya'll pros out there. When it comes to final buffing, how much Carnuba are you applying to the wheel? I'm trying to figure out how to get the most shine I can on my pipes, and lets be honest. Shiny is tough.

Any buffing tips you guys have would be very helpful to me.

Any.

Serious.

Yeti.

tap, tap
That is it.

I could be wrong, and probably am more often than not, but I see it the same as buffing a car. You can put more than one layer on, and the more you put on, the shinier it will look.

Here's how I see it: If you get the wax warm it will go on well and fill all those micro crevices. When it cools, it should harnen like the block it's coming from. As in autobody painting, the more clear coats you have (to some extent) the deeper that shine will look.

So this is my process:

Apply the wax on my buffer until it heats up and I can smell in the air. Then I buff the pipe, a bit more than a tap tap, but not too much. You're trying to put something on, not trying to take it off.

Then I let the wax on the pipe cool...only 30 seconds or so, and then I apply the same process over by applying more wax to the buffer till warm and so on.

I actually apply 3 coats to my pipes.

You can all tell me I'm crazy and it doesn't make a difference and I certainly wouldn't argue with you. But this is how I do it.

IF your pipe isn't shiny before carnauba, you aren't buffing well enough. It's that simple. So the answer to how much carnauba is almost literally "none". It's miniscule. If you can see wax on the wheel, you have too much by 400%. How many posts do you see around here where someone is saying "Hey gang, where can I get big cheap blocks of carnauba because I go through so goddam much?"

Every maker here could cut their carnauba block in half, cut those in half again, and give away all the pieces but one, and still have enough wax to polish 5,647.5 pipes.

The wax process is a final layer, microscopic and it adds a rich glow to the pipe's finish. But the thing has to be shiny a long time before you wax. (There's wax in the diamond compound I'm sure, but you know what I mean). This is a finishing touch, not a "finish" layer. And certainly not like French polish where you build up 87 layers to develop the surface.

I agree with Sas completely... + 2 extra coats, just to satisfy my OCD. 2 extra coats makes me feel good.

after the white diamond my pipes tend to be really shiny...

then the carnuba,

I only do it once because I am like a honey badger

rev

Also, feather light touch on the wheel. The lighter the touch, the shinier the pipe.

So stain, then white diamond, then caranuba? Does anyone use a clean wheel for the final buff? Or would that be taking it off?

I use red before white diamond, and I think Todd Johnson said you need to use a cleaning wheel if your speed is too high.

rev

BigCasino wrote:So stain, then white diamond, then caranuba? Does anyone use a clean wheel for the final buff? Or would that be taking it off?

Recently, I've been dry buffing my stems because the shine intensifies and the depth and richness of color becomes profound afterwards. I've found that dry buffing the stummel after carnuba diminishes the shine, so I avoid dry buffing the stummel if I can.

I haven't noticed any great improvement buffing with a final "naked" polish. Sometimes I do it. But like I said before - if the pipe ain't looking super slick by the time you are waxing.... go back and sand at 320 and 400, cuz you didn't do it right the first time!

..pimo sells a set called- Yellow, White and Carnauba.

is that the order they are supposed to be used in after the last (finest) sandpaper application?

and where and when is the tripoli wax used?

Tripoli is the first step in the buffing process then the white diamond then the wax. Use a separate wheel for each step. Take care of the wheels and don't ever buff any metals with them. Use a light touch with everything. Let the wheels and the compounds do the work.
I agree with Sas that you need to have the pipe shining like a diamond in a goat's ass BEFORE the wax. The wax is a finishing touch and not a magic bullet to make a poorly sanded pipe suddenly gleam. BE PATIENT. Work your way up thru the sanding grits with a thorough job at each level. Inspect with a strong light and a good magnifier. Each level of sanding should remove the scratches left by the previous grit. I use every level of grit in the Abranet line-up. Don't get impatient and leap-frog. I personally stop at 600 tho there are others that go much higher. The tripoli is coarser than some of the higher grit sand papers so why take a step back? Then start the buffing process. Continue to inspect in case you get something stuck in one of the wheels that can scratch the finish.
Chas.

Growley wrote:I could be wrong, and probably am more often than not, but I see it the same as buffing a car. You can put more than one layer on, and the more you put on, the shinier it will look.

Here's how I see it: If you get the wax warm it will go on well and fill all those micro crevices. When it cools, it should harnen like the block it's coming from. As in autobody painting, the more clear coats you have (to some extent) the deeper that shine will look.

So this is my process:

Apply the wax on my buffer until it heats up and I can smell in the air. Then I buff the pipe, a bit more than a tap tap, but not too much. You're trying to put something on, not trying to take it off.

Then I let the wax on the pipe cool...only 30 seconds or so, and then I apply the same process over by applying more wax to the buffer till warm and so on.

I actually apply 3 coats to my pipes.

You can all tell me I'm crazy and it doesn't make a difference and I certainly wouldn't argue with you. But this is how I do it.

Oddly enough, this is almost exactly what I do. If you're crazy, so am I.

mop & glow should be the only thing you use so says Johnson Wax(a family company) There the secrets out

is there anything in this set that is usable for pipe making?
I was looking for an arbor and it seems like I can only find it in this set in town


http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R ... RWqVWdKbj5

Better than nothing, but a bit smaller than ideal, would be my guess.

oh yea, the wheels are tiny. I was more curious about the tripoli and the other bars

These guys sell buffs and bars, both smallish and cheapish - right at the bottom of the page.

http://www.pimopipecraft.com/tools.html

that will do then. thanks!