Moulded Keytops, problems buffing

[William R. Monroe]

Terry,

On the subject of gunk:  It is basically just a mix of residue from whatever
I'm buffing, combined with the compound.  As I think about it, it seems it's
more of a problem when buffing brass or metal.  All the heavy tarnish comes
off and mixes with the rouge on the wheel and leaves this dark, pasty gunk.
Maybe it's not a big deal, and I'm expecting my wheels to stay too pretty???

As far as getting red rouge off the keysticks - I cannot comprehend just
wiping it off.  When it gets on there, it seems more like I've just taken
the compound and burnished it into the wood.  No way will it just wipe off -
it's in there!!  I wonder what I'm doing differently than you all.

I run my wheels on a VS drill press right now at slow speeds (500rpm or
thereabouts), with sewn wheels.

Any ideas?

William R. Monroe

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Terry" <terry@farrellpiano.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 6:47 AM
Subject: Re: Moulded Keytops, problems buffing


> William R. Monroe wrote:
> > 1. When you use red rouge, do you have problems getting the red off the
> key
> > sticks?  I do.  Wondering what the trick is.
>
> If I need to, I hand buff with a clean rag just to remove that.
>
> > 2. Do you have problems with build up of gunk on the wheels?  I do.  I
> rake
> > them frequently, but it seems like the gunk never comes off well.
Again,
> > tricks?
>
> Just rake. That seems to meet any needs I have. What gunk do you mean?
> You'll never get the dark color out - but that's okay.
>
> > I have the same problem with buffing capstans, etc.  I use
> > dedicated wheels for each different compound, and rake frequently, but
it
> > just always seems to be covered in goop.  Maybe too much compound?  How
> much
> > do people put on?
>
> I use the compound liberally. Remember, it is the compound that cuts and
> polishes, not the wheel. If, when I apply more compound, I find that it
work
> significantly better, that means I should have applied more compound a bit
> earlier - that's simply how I guide myself on how much/often to apply. If
I
> apply more compound and cutting/polishing doesn't improve, then I likely
> didn't need to apply it that soon - and so on.
>
> > 3.  I have been using sewn wheels up to this point.  might this
> contribute?
>
> I use sewn wheels for the more aggressive work. Because I have a machine
> that can slow down to very low RPMs, I can get away with using them for
> final polishing if I wish. However, the loose wheels work well also - and
> are likely a must for any fixed-RPM buffing machine.
>
> If you have this "gunk build-up", what are the symptoms? What problem does
> this seem to cause? Is it just that there is some compound left on the
> object being buffed? If so, that happens to me also and I just wipe it
off!
> Sometimes with the more sticky stuff, I do a little final buffing
gymnastics
> and simply buff it off by holding the object at various angles - enough of
> it usually comes off so that a quick wipe with a clean cloth cleans things
> up nice. This just hasn't been a problem for me. I wonder if the higher
RPMs
> (higher heat coefficient) might make the compound stick more and/or be
> harder to remove?
>
> Terry Farrell
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
>