Bowl Buffs - Make your own!

[Allen Neighbors]

When I made my Buffing System, I promised to try to make some bowl buffs. Finally, after a few years, I did. I will put this into .pdf form, so if anyone wants it, email me.
Pic One - What you need:
Item 1 - A 4" long carriage bolt with a nut (size depends on your drill press, mine is 1/2" dia).
Item 2 - A 1.5" stack of cloth, cut to 9" diameter circles. (The little piece on top was added because I had it.)
Item 3 - Piece of 2" dia pipe 2" long (mine is rigid copper from my scrap pile).
Item 4 - Large fender washer, larger than the pipe (I used a 3/8 floor flange because I had it on hand).
Pic Two - Screw the bolt through the stack of cloth.
Pic Three - Set the piece of pipe, centered over the bolt.
Pic Four - Place the large washer over the bolt, centered over the pipe.

[Allen Neighbors]

Pic Five - Screw the nut on, against the washer.
Pic Six - Tighten the nut, until the bolt pulls the center of the Cloth stack into the pipe. The material will gather into a nice wad.
Pic Seven - Makes a nice buff.
Pic Eight - Make three. One for Tripoli, One for White Diamond, and One for Ren wax, or leave the third one clean, as I have.
Material Used: For Tripoli, I used Denim/Cotton mix. For White Diamond, I used 65/35 Cotton/Polyester, and for the third buff, I used 100% Cotton Flannel.
Hope this helps somebody.

[Duff Bement]

Great idea. Now I just have to wait for my wife to turn her back so I can go thru her quilting scraps.

[Roger Chandler]

Allen,

That is really neat! One question/comment........do you think that the buffing wheel would hold its shape better if the whole stack were stitched together with a couple of rings, maybe 1 inch from the hole, and then another ring of stitches about halfway or so up towards the edge?

I thought this would serve as reinforcement and help it to hold its shape when rotating against a wooden bowl, etc. The stitching would have to use a rugged type of thread or cord.

[Jim Underwood]

Thanks Allen!

Just what us *frugal types need.


*Read, "Cheap".

[Allen Neighbors]

Allen,

That is really neat! One question/comment........do you think that the buffing wheel would hold its shape better if the whole stack were stitched together with a couple of rings, maybe 1 inch from the hole, and then another ring of stitches about halfway or so up towards the edge?

I thought this would serve as reinforcement and help it to hold its shape when rotating against a wooden bowl, etc. The stitching would have to use a rugged type of thread or cord.

Roger, I didn't stitch mine at all. I have my drill press speed set on about 500-600 rpm, and rarely change it. I think if you stitch a couple of rows, you'll be making the buff a lot stiffer than it needs to be. It'll also make it harder to pull it into shape as a buff.
My Buffing Wheels are used on a 1725 rpm motor, and the stitching really made them hard at that speed. So, I took the stitching out, and now they are softer and do a better job, I think.
You might give it a try, if you want. You can always take the buff apart to remove the rows of stitching later, if you think you need to.