We often get asked what airway buffing wheels get paired with which compound bars, so in this post we will answer that question!
The first thing to understand with buffing wheels and buffing compound is that while we do have a structure of which to use certain bars with certain wheels, there is much grey area when you get to your finishing process, so while it is not cut and dry - we will lay out the options for you and you can make your decision from there.
The second thing to understand about polishing is the type of metal you are polishing. If you are polishing a softer metal such as aluminum, copper or bronze, we have one process with specific types of products. If you are polishing a harder metal such as stainless steel or steel, we have a completely different set of polishing products that are tailor made for aggressiveness, heat generation & finish that will be absolutely crucial for your polish.
The last thing i will mention is that skill and practice are a huge factor in how your finish turns out. Many people often think that just because Renegade Products has the best buffing wheels and buffing compounds, that this automatically will make their work look like a professional. We always recommend plenty of practice and patience when metal polishing because it is an acquired skill! For a video tutorial on how to polish aluminum you can follow this link to youtube where we break it down.
Now below we will break down what colored compounds go with which buffing wheel...
WHAT COMPOUND AND BUFFING WHEELS DO YOU NEED TO POLISH ALUMINUM?
So when it comes to polishing aluminum we have an easy 2-step or 3-step process depending on what type of finish you are looking for. The 3-step process we recommend when you are looking for the absolute best finish possible, without time or money being an issue. Typically we recommend our 2-step process for most cases as this is the most efficient AND quite frankly, 9 out of 10 people cant tell the difference between the 2 step and 3 step process. Keep in mind this process we are talking about is strictly as it relates to polishing, sanding would be needed if you are trying to get out scratches or pitting in your aluminum!
STEP 1: (CUT PHASE) Pair your orange airway buffing wheel with your brown tripoli compound bar.
This is the most important step BY FAR when metal polishing, if you screw up this step or miss a pass or a spot, it will show up when you are doing your finishing step. When you see why haze marks in your second step, this is typically called "tiger striping" which is missed spots in the cut phase of your polish.
STEP 2: (COLOR PHASE) Pair your yellow airway buffing wheel with your green rouge compound bar.
While the cut phase will leave a nice shine, this will really bring out your polish and shine and give you that crisp, mirror finish you are looking for. Technique is key here as well as you want to make sure you have tight polishing lines that do not miss any parts of the metal.
STEP 3: (SHOW SHINE) Pair your domet flannel airway buffing wheel with your competition purple compound bar.
This step is largely optional as i discussed above and can be done using many different products that we offer. What i mean by this is that you can switch out the compound bar with 3 other bars. You can use either the blue compound bar, white compound bar or even the green rouge again! On top of that you can even switch out this ultra soft domet flannel buffing wheel for one of our 9" UBM wheels which stand for unbiased muslin, which is slightly stiffer than the flannel and leaves a great finish, often chosen by the professionals!
Now i said you could switch out the blue compound, white compound & green compound...but what is the difference between them you ask?
This is a hard question to answer because after all, how shiny is shiny? The way I like to break these down is that first its important to understand that all of us manufacturers on these three color compounds are pretty much industry standard as far as the abrasive polishing grain, binders etc are used...so what i tend to mention is to use what you are comfortable with and have perhaps worked with before because chances are its most likely similar. IF you are asking me, our competition purple compound bar is by far the finest and best finishing compound bar EVER, and the proof will be in the pudding. Back to the question at hand, what is the difference between the green, blue and white?
Green rouge - Because of the green chromium oxide in the green rouge, this leaves a darker, richer luster that is preferred by many. Combining this as your last step with a softer wheel will continue to add to the shine and remove any light buffing marks left behind by the yellow buffing wheel.
White Compound / Blue compound - This is extremely hard to describe but frankly the difference in finish is minute. They both leave a brighter, more chrome style luster than the green rouge because there isn't the green chromium oxide. If you are used to using one of these colors you can stick with it, otherwise we recommend the competition purple! Can pair these bars with both the domet flannel wheel OR the UBM wheel.
WHAT COMPOUND AND BUFFING WHEELS DO YOU NEED TO POLISH STAINLESS STEEL OR STEEL?
When it comes to polishing hard, dense metals the secret is all about heat generation, especially since these metals are almost non porous. I should first mention that polishing stainless steel or steel is MUCH harder and requires more skill than polishing aluminum so please be patient and beware! Now that being said, while you CAN do a 3-step process on stainless, we find that a 2-step is really all that is needed.
Since polishing stainless steel and steel requires more heat, our stainless steel polishing airway buffing wheels and compound bars are designed to be heavier duty and more aggressive for the polishing application.
STEP 1: (CUT PHASE) You will use the red airwaybuffing wheel paired with our black magicpolishing compound.
Our red airway buffing wheel is an absolute favorite for even polishing aluminum because it is stiffer and has a heavier cut for polishing. This wheel combined with our black magic polishing compound will leave a great first cut on your stainless. Similar to the aluminum step, make sure that you do NOT miss any spots as you will see any missed spots in your second step! Make sure you have good pressure and tight polishing lines!
STEP 2: (COLOR PHASE) You will use the pink airwaybuffing wheel paired with our yellow deluxe polishing compound.
Our pink airway buffing pad is softer than the red and in combination with the yellow deluxe will leave a fantastic finish on your stainless steel. Make sure to go slower and follow your compound lines nice and tightly
KITS FOR ALUMINUM OR STAINLESS POLISHING:
Renegade Stainless polishing kit
SUPPLIES YOU MIGHT NEED:
MAKITA GA7021 - The best 6,000 RPM polishing machine
MAKITA 9237C- The best 3,500 RPM polishing machine
Full Face Respirator Mask- 100% need this! Safety First!