Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Buffing Compound Question
W Kram
>Have several sticks of compound --red, white & green (ZAM). These had been used for lapidary & are ancient enough for whiskers. They are hard and not "greasy." Not too much compound seems to adhere to the buffing wheel. Is this still ok? or is there a way to "soften" the sticks to apply more material to the buff.
Bill Kram in AZ
Re: Buffing Compound Question
Lyn J. Mangiameli
>If they have hardened all the way through, there is no simple method of restoring them. Melting them down and adding a little mineral oil is possible, but almost surely not worth the effort. If you are using leather or fabric belts rather than buffs, a little mineral oil applied to the belt will often work to increase adhesion.
Keep in mind that for almost all purposes, you don't want much transfer of compound to your buffing wheel or honing belt. Often using a lower speed during application will increase transfer without slinging the compound off the wheel. Raising the speed may make application seem easier as it is more apt to melt the compound, but generally once these compounds are hardnened, they still tear away in chunks when applied to high speed wheels.
I'd just accept the poor transfer, use them up, and then keep your replacements in zip lock bags. I do the latter with all my compounds to keep them fresh and to prevent accidental transfer or contamination.