Bus Getting Polished

[Dreamscape]

I never buffed Stainless before, but I have spent many an hour buffing Aluminum and paint...

Our buffers were in the 400-600 rpm range.

BTW... I have no interest in buffing anything anymore, if anyone would like to do our silver sides, I will be happy to supply the beer and the potato chips while I watch you.

You're too kind Dallas! 

What an offer for SOMEONE ELSE!

Paul

[bubbaqgal]

Dallas forgot to mentino that we will take pictures and also applaud (very loudly) at the appropriate times.

[HighTechRedneck]

Is the recommendation for the buffer to be faster than a certain speed or SLOWER?

The buffer I can't find from long ago was slower than a grinder, IIRC?

Gotta get this right or there will be burned siding...

happy coaching!
buswarrior

According to Fred Hobe's site, 2500rpm buffer for Stainless Steel.

http://users.cwnet.com/~thall/fredhobe.htm  (about 1/3 of the way down the page, read both above and below the photos)

[bobofthenorth]

I dunno from nuttin about this and I don't intend to do any buffing in the near future (or distant future for that matter) but I think it would be surface speed that would matter and that would vary with RPM and wheel diameter.

[Dreamscape]

I dunno from nuttin about this and I don't intend to do any buffing in the near future (or distant future for that matter) but I think it would be surface speed that would matter and that would vary with RPM and wheel diameter.

And how much pressure you put on the buffing wheel.

Paul

[Hi yo silver]

Wow, what a difference!   Er, what kind of beer??...No, wait! Forget I asked that! 

Dennis

[regener8]

Pictures look great....wondering what materials you are using in the polishing to get the job done?

[van]

Paul,use moderate pressure but the key here is to keep moving as to not over heat the surface and distress the SS

        Van

[Le Mirage]

Ouah Guys...I bought a Simoniz buffer. The job is better with this tool. The next week, I will put some pics. Actually, my coach is in my garage and the light is no good for pic. This week-end, I go to Quebec city and I will take a few pics...in the sun ( I hope, actually it's raining)

So, after buffing, how do you clean the job (stainless)? With dry pad or with soap and water?

I'm very happy, and excited, the result of my "new brightly coach"!

In waiting...(in outside, that will be better...)

[PP]

Thanks for the pics. I'm still working on mine between showers. I finished the painted surfaces earlier this summer, but am having a hard time finding the time to work on the stainless . After 2 fried polishers, a bodyman suggested I work it by hand with 1000 grit first and then stick compound and then metal polish. I almost have the nose finished and WOW, what a difference. It almost (not quite) looks like chrome. From a distance of 10 feet or more it really shines. Whoops, rain stopped, gotta get back to it. Will

[Le Mirage]

...After 2 fried polishers, a bodyman suggested I work it by hand with 1000 grit first and then stick compound and then metal polish. I almost have the nose finished and WOW, what a difference. It almost (not quite) looks like chrome. From a distance of 10 feet or more it really shines.

If I understand, you polish with a sand paper grade 1000? After that, you polish with the polisher and "wax"?
The coach's bumper are scratched and I have much difficulty to give a good finish (perfectly). The scratch are still visible...

[PP]

Le, I'm really a novice at this, just too dumb to hire someone else (wife thinks I need the exercise ) but it really depends on the depth of the scratches. If they're minor, you can get away with a rubbing compound and then a good metal polish. If they're deeper than that, you might want to wet sand with a 1000 or finer grade of paper, and then work up to a stick compound. (a wax with different grades of emery in it). Nothing worthwhile comes easy, just ask the wife  Or, wait a while longer and someone with more knowledge will pipe up here, 

[JohnEd]

Le M,

The pros do it dofferent than us cause they have all the various materials and tools.  So be it!  The process is that you "cut" the work down with the most course abrasive that is needed.  You incrementally work all the scratches out with progresively finer abrasives.  I do this on my headlight clear plastic and it comes out like new.  I use 5 different grits and start at 400 wet and dry, stop paper at 1000 and then do polishing compound and finally wax.  Adding a wet with 3000 would improve the process and give me a better outcome but I am happy.  The same is true with SS as the "kit" for smooth SS consists of 3 different grit "bars".  That doesn address scratches...that needs different process.

My Makita runs at 2000 for paint but I have a really good feel.  It is so very easy to "scorch" the paint and ruin it.  I don't think you can discolor SS so the faster the better.  Your pic is of a Mak. GRINDER.  That is probably best for bringing SS back up to luster.

There is a comment about Rain-X being a super way to finish.

I would think that my Mak buffer/grinder with the variable speed would be the ideal tool for mauintenace of both the SS and the paint.  Use a wool pad as I talked about earlier.  Nothing better or faster for maint.

HTH,

John

[Hobie]

Don't use too much compound.  If your pad is wet, you are using too much.  And keep it clean using a 'church key' or something sharp on the pad.  Careful so you you don't get your shirt or pant leg entangled in the wheel!

[Ednj]

Some times I think you guys are watching me.
I just repolished my coach a few weeks ago for the Diesel Truck Nationals at Englishtown NJ.
This is the third time for my bus.
First time I did this myself, I used the brown, green and white Jewelers Rouge with yellow and white Buffing Wheels that I bought from Berubes on a black&decker 2400-rpm automotive polisher.
This is not the hobby shop rouges these are the big bars.
I finished the passenger side with all three cuts when the polisher burned up.

I bought a Bosch 7" angle Grinder to finish the job, which did not work out, too fast and to hard to control.
I brought the bus to a polisher behind a truck stop and paid to have the whole bus polished.

This time I bought a Chicago 7" variable speed polisher/sander 200-3377 rpm at HF to do the job.
I only used the Green and white Rouge with a white wheel, flour and rain-x.

This is a dirty nasty job that takes along time to do and there are no short cuts.
Do not smoke, use open flame burners or any other source of ignition in a fume or dust laden atmosphere. People often forget about dust explosions.
There are different oils and greases in the rouges so if you use rags and throw them in the same garbage it will ignite.

Never use wax. It makes it look hazy.
Remove buff lines with flour, talc or sodium bicarbonate.
Remove surplus polishes from seams, pit marks or awkward to get at places with flour.
Mist your final buffing with a light misting of water and buff it again. This seals both metals and polishes and helps reduce water stains from rain and condensation

I hear this also works on Glass so I'm going to try on my windshields.







White Jeweler's Rouge
An extremely dry grade of compound made with ultra-fine, soft abrasive powders. Produces a clear, brilliant, mirror-like finish on chromium, stainless, carbon steel, brass and aluminum.
Green Jeweler's Rouge
A very dry compound made with green chromium oxide powder. Used in the jewelry trade for extremely fine color buffing jobs on all classes of metals. To a mirror bright finish and to remove light "metal fuzz" or lap lines without disturbing the essential dimensions of the work.