Thread: Polisher?

Hi from the Netherlands!

polishing is smoothening a surface by removing impurities like scratches, pores, cracks, micro-dents and micro-holes from a surface. You either fill those in or shave off the material around or between them.

Oil, wax, varnish and shellac are in fact fillers of the tiniest scratches and pores. The application of such agents is mechanically simple, so the tools needed are mechanically simple. I used to do French polishing of furniture with bleached or natural shellac (dissolved in alcohol) with cloths by hand in traditional 8-shaped application movements. This must be done is many thin layers and after that there is the stage of buffing with dry woolen cloths, which gets rid of the last and tiniest of scratches and impurities, leaving a mirror-smooth shine. I later discovered that this can also be done far quicker and easier with an angle-grinder type polishing machine, which usually operates at 2000 to 4000 rpm and only very slight working pressure. The first (wet) layers can be done with a cotton or felt hood around a foam based disc and the dry finishing is done with the traditional lamb fleece hood. Somewhat similar techniques are used for high lustre results on fine automobiles.

There is a range of such simple polishing machines available from many brands, like Rupes, Festo, Flex, Metabo, Fein, B&D, Porter Cable, Makita, Hitachi and various Chinese manufacturers. Most of these machines have the builds of an angle grinder with an adapted front handlebar, reduced rpm and often variable speed electronics. Nothing special about those, no hocus pocus. My favorite machines of this type are the Flex 604 and 1302 and the small Rupes BA. The amount of discs, pads, liners, sanding papers (with or without velcro), fleeces, foam paddings, polishing pastes and fluids or other agents are huge. But for application of a polishing or filling agent there is no need for a complex Rotex, though it can handle such a simple task brilliantly as well, of course.

But when you plan to render a wood workpiece to a degree of lustre all on its own, without any agent, a bit more special tool help is nice. The harder the wood, the tighter its grain structure will be and the less pores and micro-crevices its texture will have. Spruce, pine, birch, larch, and similar lighter wood types are difficult to really polish, the best you will get is a matt or satin like finish. Cherry and beech are a bit better, and oak, teak, merbau and other hardwoods are really worthwhile materials.

For coarse shapes, you can start off with a belt sander, working from 40 to 100 grit. If finer, the belt will soon clog and much friction heat will build up, because its working speed (up to some 350 metres per second) and working pressure are higher than on any other sander type. A mini-version is the finger sander, with a tiny narrow sanding belt. Than it's the turn to the random orbital sander. This may be changed for an ordinary orbital sander on flat surfaces or used until the end with 240 grit on complex shapes. After that, the final finishing of pure wood without agents is still best done by hand, since no machine can substitute the feel of the material as the touch of fingers can. But when it has to be mechanical, a ROS or OS can be used in combination with felt pads or other final finishing materials fit for such machines. Festool had a nice assortment, as do Rupes and various specialist manufactureres of abrasive accessories. The Rotex would than be a fine overall tool for many such processes.

This is what Festool itself has to say about the versatility of their Rotex:

http://www.festool.com.au/artikel/artikel_weiterleiten.cfm?id=444

and here are some reviews from various sources, including an automobile forum:

http://www.festooljunkie.com/blog/festool-sander-reviews/festool-ro-150-feq-understanding-the-rotex-dual-mode-sander/

http://www.festool.com.au/images/Australia/NewProducts/RO_125_Review_US_customer.pdf

http://www.autopia.org/forum/detailing-product-discussion/79802-festool-rotex-150-feq-quick-review.html

I have the vintage Rotex 150 (which also looks a bit like an angle grinder) and i'm very pleased with its versatility. Such a machine type might suit your specified needs. But you may want to want to hire a Rotex for a weekend first, before deciding to spend those Dollars on one, or borrow one with the holy promise of being nice to it. You may then find an acquainted owner letting you have it for a second or two, since most proud Festool users guard their babies like fountain pens.

regards

gerhard

Gee thats quite comprehensive.Thanks for that gerhard. You're fountain of knowledge.
I don't know of anyone personally whom I can twist their arm to borrow a rotex, so I may go down to the festool bloke and see if he'll show me it in action. I suppose I'm almost looking for a reason to get one! Think I've got the festool bug.
thanks

Just looking at the range of stuff for polishing, hard/soft felt pads, hard & soft foam, lambswool, etc. Can anyone shed some light on what they would all be used for in polishing up timber. I'm sure they all serve a purpose but are they all really necessary?
I usually just buff up a wax finish with a ubeaut swansdown mop

A lot of the different polishing pads are used for automobooble polishing. Like you Slavo, I sand through to 4000 (2 and 4000 pads are Platin 2), then wip out the wax and Swansdown mop and "Bob's yer Uncle!)
Really recommend the Platins for finishing, they're sensational!

LGS is right. The foam pads are primarily for automotive finishing work. But the felt pads and lambs wool pads are good for wax/oil finishes. I like the felt myself.

Although someone might be able to step in and describe how the foam pads and very fine polishing compounds could possibly be used for polishing a top or seal coat. Anyone tried this?