Buffing and Polishing Key Terms

Help your products shine by understanding buffing and polishing key terms

By Tara McClendon, Freelance Writer/Editor Tara McClendon

The process of buffing and polishing an item allows you to take something in a tarnished condition and restore it to a like-new or original quality. When you want to use this to improve your silver display or to restore an item, you need to understand buffing and polishing key terms in order to prevent costly errors. For example, if you use an abrasive on a sensitive surface, you could ruin the finish instead of restoring it.

Surface finishing

Surface finishing is the process through which an object, usually metal or wood, returns to a like-new condition. In some cases, surface finishing takes an object and smooths the surface to achieve the final product.
Try: For more information on surface finishing, visit Extrude Hone, which offers a description of its services and provides links to the two types of finishing processes used in the company.

Buffing machine

A buffing machine uses a wheel and a compound to replace the elbow grease required in buffing something by hand. There are a variety of wheels and compounds that you can use, and the best wheel and compound for your task depend on certain factors like the type of material you plan to buff and polish.
Try: Caswell offers a variety of buffing machines and offers a "Pick-A-Buff Helper" so you can determine the best buffing machine for your needs.

Compounds

Manufacturers design compounds to rough up the surface in the buffing portion of the buffing and polishing process. Compounds vary in their abrasive quality, much like sandpaper grades.
Try: Ted Pella provides a description for several different polishing compounds and describes the types of surfaces for which you can use each compound.

Abrasives

While manufactures use an abrasive quality to grade compounds, in buffing and polishing, abrasives have a separate definition. The term abrasive refers to a compound with chemical reactivity. If you use an abrasive on the wrong type of surface, it can scratch or damage the surface.
Try: PACE Technologies provides a scientific definition of the most commonly used polishing abrasives.

Blasting equipment

When damage occurs from substances like mold, smoke, rust or another intrusive property, you may need to use sandblasting equipment, also called blasting equipment, to remove all traces of the damage. Most sandblasters use fine sand to blast away any damage, but in some cases blasting equipment may use another agent such as baking soda.
Try: Norton Sandblasting Equipment sells a complete blasting kit with safety equipment included, and it also offers sandblasting solutions for prospective customers.

Belly pad

When you work with buffing and polishing equipment, you need to take preventative safety measures. One common safety item is the belly pad, which is a padded, protective covering designed to protect your belly from heat and any pieces of material that come off during the buffing and polishing process.
Try: View an example of a belly pad at the website for Southwest Metal Finishing Supply.