Secret to buffing near the button?

[flix]

I'm struggling to get the area of the stem, just beyond the button, smooth and shiny. It seems to be my biggest struggle to get that area consistent, without waviness, smooth and buffed perfectly.

Is there a secret to getting this done perfectly, and efficiently?

Thanks in advance!

[GbpBulgaria]

Hi
For best results for the time being, i am doing this as follows:
1. Chunk the work piece on the lathe using 4 jaw chuck without 2 of the jaws or the special chunk (mine is not very easy centering.
2. Cut the face of the mortise and square using first a forester bit, next drill the mortise and square the face with lathe tool bit for facing (sharp edge).
3. Then I am sanding and polishing the face while the work piece is on the lathe chunked. Polishing by hand with a small cloth – brown, white and carnauba.
4. After that shaping the pipe by hand and drill by hand the bowl and the smoke channel.
Few months ago, having a complicated situation with a pipe shape I’ve started to drill the smoke channel by hand, holding the pipe and the drill bit, chunked in small chunk by hand. It is not fast method but it is very accurate for me.

All above applicable if you shape before drilling as far as if you chunk the work piece and make the mortise / face prior the bowl on the lathe, it is almost sure there will be misalignment. Based on my experience.

[Sasquatch]

Flix, the "secret" in all of this is proper preparatory work. I know what you mean about trying to get that last couple of mm to shine up. I think a lot of people spend too much time at the buffing wheel which begins to make ridges and lumps and stuff. So you have to pay special attention to the button area with your sanding. I sand at 220, 320, 400, 5 or 600, 800, and then go to an unstitched wheel with brown tripoli. I've you've sanded well, it takes about 5 seconds for it to shine up.

There seems to be a fine line between not sanding properly and not having a surface that will buff smooth quickly enough to not ridge up and get funny, and wasting time sanding and sanding when you could be at the polisher.....

[RadDavis]

I agree with Mr. Sasquatch.

The main cause of that unshiny portion at the button is an almost imperceptible "dip" in the stem right at the button. The buffing wheel just can't reach it.

If you make sure that your taper to the button is totally smooth with no dip, the problem goes away.

Rad

[KurtHuhn]

I agree with all that's been posted so far. I would also add that, if you're having trouble sanding, you use nail files to sand the flatter portions of the stem. I personally like the Tropical Shine brand:
http://www.tropicalshine.com/file.html

And hold your head high with manly confidence when you visit the beauty supply store to purchase them!

I'm sure there's a manly equiv at Woodcraft or Rockler as well.

[stummel bum]

I don't have a very good source for the higher grit nail files, but I get fairly good results making my own sanding sticks. I took some popsicle sticks and taped strips of sandpaper to them that were the same width as the stick. I cut a long strip of the paper and doubled it over the stick, taping the end to hold it on. It leaves a flat edge, allowing it to get right up to the edge of the button. I just make one for each grit and go to town. I only have a few pipes under my belt, but it yields consistent shine right up to the button.

Hope this helps.

[flix]

Gleaning here:

1. use a sandpaper stick, one way or another, to get a hard/flat sanding surface butted up against the button.
2. make sure that the buffing wheel is as square as possible on the edges

One thing I've noticed is that the buffing wheel(s) tend to fall apart at the edges, strings whipping around and all. I've been using scissors to trim most of this off, trying to get the edge square.

One more question: How close should the working part of the buffs be cut? So that the strings are all gone and it's perfectly flattened? That seems like a LOT of work, but, if needed, I'll do it.

Thanks all,

--a

[T3pipes]

use a carpet knife (razor blades in a handle type) and use that to trim the buffing wheel as it spins. This dulls the blade really fast however, so don't use the same part of the blade more than 2 or 3 times.

[RadDavis]

use a carpet knife (razor blades in a handle type) and use that to trim the buffing wheel as it spins. This dulls the blade really fast however, so don't use the same part of the blade more than 2 or 3 times.

That gives me the creepy crawlies just thinking about it.

Rad

[T3pipes]

it's only for the strings that thread off, not for digging into the actual pad. Learned from show on HGTV a while back.

[flix]

it's only for the strings that thread off, not for digging into the actual pad

Ok, good to know. How is the pad squared up afterward?

Thanks,

--a

[Sasquatch]

Are u using a stitched wheel?

I use an unstitched for this, and it flops into all the little cracks just right.

[kbadkar]

use a carpet knife (razor blades in a handle type) and use that to trim the buffing wheel as it spins. This dulls the blade really fast however, so don't use the same part of the blade more than 2 or 3 times.

That gives me the creepy crawlies just thinking about it.

Rad

Been there, done that, but never again.

[flix]

Are u using a stitched wheel?

I use an unstitched for this, and it flops into all the little cracks just right.

Unstitched, not flopping into the cracks on my pipes. Sounds like more practice is the 3rd element to success...

[Sasquatch]

Oh come on... there's gotta be a way around practice... practice is for dorks.

[ToddJohnson]

The "secret" is to sand really well, and use a stitched wheel with a very sharp edge and a lot of compound. I do the initial buffing of my stems at 3450 RPM's, but you have to have a motor so weak you can stop it with the pressure you're putting against it with the stem. Otherwise it will eat the button off and make waves in the stem. Damn, I guess it's not a secret anymore

TJ

[flix]

The "secret" is to sand really well, and use a stitched wheel with a very sharp edge and a lot of compound. I do the initial buffing of my stems at 3450 RPM's, but you have to have a motor so weak you can stop it with the pressure you're putting against it with the stem. Otherwise it will eat the button off and make waves in the stem. Damn, I guess it's not a secret anymore

TJ

Thanks, Todd. This tip is very helpful.

--anixi

[m.c.]

The "secret" is to sand really well, and use a stitched wheel with a very sharp edge and a lot of compound. I do the initial buffing of my stems at 3450 RPM's, but you have to have a motor so weak you can stop it with the pressure you're putting against it with the stem. Otherwise it will eat the button off and make waves in the stem. Damn, I guess it's not a secret anymore

TJ

I thought my touch-and-decelerate mini buffing/grinding motor was a good-for-nothing. I need to speak gently to her now

[fastredx]

While I don't make any stems(yet-I finally bought a lathe) I do a lot of stem work on stems of pipes that I am restoring/refinishing. Recently came across these at Micro-Mark.
http://www.micromark.com/MICRO-SANDING- ... ,7760.html

They work fine for me when working in close to the button although I use a small sanding block and 600 & 800 to finish off and then buff.The finest grit bands they sell for the wands is 400.

[smokepiper]

i guess there is as many ways of doing this as members at the forum hehehe, often we make things more difficult then it really is. I got some awakening calls when i visited Eltang, anyone else got that feeling of being totaly free from IQ. I got it bigtime there hahaha. Most of the work is done by shaping disk, by first shape a 45 dgree angle towads the slit just so you have about 3mm on each side of slit. It´s just a guide for not overdo the grinding it´s easy to remove to much at the disc. Then the hard labor set in and using file to rough shape the bite, i use a flat file with one rounded and one flat side. The flat to dig down and the rounded for final shaping getting a better suface avoiding the waves. then it´s time for folded 120-260-320-400 grit and the area to the bite i press the paper with my thumb towards the bite, hope you understand if not i can post pictures of it every step of the way. When i first saw this being made by Eltang i didnt think it would work, but it does and very good too.