PC 7424- Accessories for buffing/polishing poly on wood?

[keager]

HI everybody,



New to this forum and to detailing. I don`t plan on detailing any cars till this coming spring and will just be for personal vehicles-not preffesional. One hobby of mine is building home theater speakers. I built some that are covered in real wood veneer. I then applid oil based polyurethane and they are curing now. Can I use my PC 7424Xp for buffing and polishing to a mirror finish? I know there are countless threads and videos etc. on this, but they are all automotive. I need some advice on what pads, compunds, waxes etc to get for this if it is practical. If the same techniques and products apply as with automotive buffing etc. then I will not waste anymore of your time and research there. Thanks so much in advance.

[the other pc]

Conceptually, the process of buffing a finish is the same regardless of the substrate. The differences between buffing a car or a table are less about the object and more about the characteristics of specific finish used.



I’ve seen more than one woodworker admit his “secret� to a great finish was to skip the traditional wood polishing techniques, steel wool, rottenstone, etc and use an automotive system.



While it’s a lot easier to pick up a guitar and hold it against a bench mounted buffing wheel than say, a Corvette, by and large what works for one it will work for the other. So yes, you can use your 7424XP.



So all the techniques you read about and see in videos here are appropriate. And just as there is no guaranteed, one size fits all combination of products that work for every auto finish in every case, you’ll need to tailor your process to your finish. The particulars of which pads and chemicals to use will take some experimentation.



I would start with a pretty well known set of products, try it and modify the mix as needed. Something like Meg’s 105 and 205 with cutting and polishing pads would be a good start.



For sanding sheets, definitely stick with abrasives specifically designed for finish sanding, like Meg’s Unigrit, 3M Trizact or Mirka Abralon. The scratch pattern from regular sandpaper is a pain to buff out, especially with a PC.



One thing to look out for: especially when wetsanding, but also when using water based compounds, be careful not get any non-sealed wood wet. MDF and other wood composites used in loudspeakers are particularly sensitive to water.







pc

[keager]

Awesome. thanks for the advice!

[wascallyrabbit]

check out sawmillcreek.org



yes you can use the pc for polishing out poly. menzerna markets some polishes for this, but pretty much any of the auto polishes will work.

[Grimm]

You probably want to start with something very light on abrasives. I did pinewood derby cars for my kids (too young to do their own yet) and used a clear coat after the color. It was pretty soft, even after a couple days of drying time. I`d imagine poly would be pretty soft as well compared to automotive paint. All I did was use some Menzerna Micro Polish by hand, and it came out beautifully.

[keager]

what did you use to apply the polish by hand?