Removing Buffing Compound Residue - Luthier Tips du Jour Mailbag
In this episode, Robbie O’Brien shows how to remove polishing compound residue from the guitar during the buffing process.
Video Transcription
[on-screen text reads: Luthier Tips du Jour Mailbag]
Mailbag question: Is it necessary to remove the polishing compound from the guitar before going to the next grit when using a buffing wheel?
Robert O'Brien: Today's Tips du Jour mailbag question comes to us from Tennessee. "Robert, in your videos, I see you use a dedicated buffing wheel for each grit of the polishing compound. Is it necessary to remove the polishing compound from the guitar before going to the next grit? Thanks for the videos, Andy in Tennessee."
How to remove buffing compound residue
Andy, yes, it is important to remove the polishing compound from the previous grit before advancing to the next grit, and there's an easy way to do that. Let's step over to the bench. I have a guitar that I'm polishing now, and I can show you how to remove the previous polishing compound before going to the next one. Andy, here's the guitar I'm working on. I just got done with the 800 grit polishing compound on a dedicated wheel for that grit. Now, there's residue all over the guitar. I'd rather not contaminate my next buffing wheel with this grit. There's an easy way to remove that.
What I'm going to use is charcoal lighter fluid. From what I understand, this is the same product as naphtha, but it's a little cheaper, and you can buy it just about anywhere. I just take a little bit of this, apply it to a rag, and just wipe the guitar down. What this does is very quickly and easily remove the polishing compound from that previous grit. Now, you can go back to your buffing wheel and not contaminate that buffing wheel with this grit.
[Robert buffs the guitar at the buffing wheel]
There you go, Andy, a very quick way to remove polishing compound for the instrument so you don't contaminate your buffing wheels. Now, I go through three or four polishing compounds as I'm progressing to a super-high gloss while buffing my guitars. I do this process, I clean off the previous grit after each one. I think it's important.
[on-screen text reads: More Luthier Tips and online courses available at www.obrienguitars.com. Private and small group guitar building and finishing instruction available.]
