Thread: How to use Dico compound on felt Dremel wheel?

I had a razor hand-sanded up to 1200. I'm new at this and am just trying things out for the first time. I tried polishing with Dico compounds, using a Dremel and felt buffer attachment. I used the sequence recommended on the Dico tube (E5, SCR, CR1). I set the Dremel at the lowest allowable speed (5,000 rpm). The buffer left scuff marks all over the blade. I finally had to sand them out.

Clearly, I'm doing something wrong with the buffer, but I'm not sure what. Any advice?

Joe

I can't speak to using a Dremel tool for polishing because I do mine by hand. You might try Flitz metal polish, it gives me great mirror finishes. If your blade has been sanded/polished to 1200 grit, Flitz will remove the satin (scratches) finish to a mirror shine.

Originally Posted by Ozarkedger

I can't speak to using a Dremel tool for polishing because I do mine by hand. You might try Flitz metal polish, it gives me great mirror finishes. If your blade has been sanded/polished to 1200 grit, Flitz will remove the satin (scratches) finish to a mirror shine.

For one blade, I followed the advice on a Brad Maggard tutorial: finishing sanding up to 1500 grit, then thirty minutes with metal polish (I used Maas). But he sticks in some buffer time (white jeweler's rouge, if I remember correctly) between the 1500 grit and the metal polish.

Joe
Joe

That sounds like a good plan. If you don't achieve what you're looking for when you get to your final polish you can always back up and try a different product or approach. I'll sometimes use 3K grit paper with a light machine oil before final polish.

I use wet dry with WD-40 to 2K and then steel wool with mothers and then mothers. Wet dry is best with a backing, I use wine corks.

Originally Posted by RezDog

I use wet dry with WD-40 to 2K and then steel wool with mothers and then mothers. Wet dry is best with a backing, I use wine corks.

I was just looking at a couple of tutorials giving advice on different things you can use for backing--wine corks, rubber tubes, erasers, leather strips, wood blocks. Lots to choose from! One tutorial said use something hard (wood, for example) for the lower grits, then softer backings further up the line.

Joe

You just have to find what works with what you got. If you go to 1200 then some compound and a felt wheel with the Dremmel should take you home to chrome. If I sand by hand to 600 grit I can go with black compound , green, white , blue done, except a quick clean up with a polish. (now that's a felt wheel with Dremmel)

What you need to learn is at what grit do you stop and go to what polish. If I went to 2500 paper then I would start at white compound. Sounds like you just backed up a few grit levels from your finish paper.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

You just have to find what works with what you got. If you go to 1200 then some compound and a felt wheel with the Dremmel should take you home to chrome. If I sand by hand to 600 grit I can go with black compound , green, white , blue done, except a quick clean up with a polish. (now that's a felt wheel with Dremmel)

What you need to learn is at what grit do you stop and go to what polish. If I went to 2500 paper then I would start at white compound. Sounds like you just backed up a few grit levels from your finish paper.

I found a table for grits and compounds that puts emery at about 600 grit.

You're right that in starting back with emery I dropped down some grit levels. But then, after the emery, I worked back up through the Dico compounds to CR 1, then used chromium oxide powder with the cloth Dremel buffing wheel. At that point, I still had the buffing marks from the felt buffers. They looked sort of like wind waves in desert sand, or like driving along railroad ties. That's when I started back with 800 grit and worked up to 3000 grit, then chromium oxide on a cloth buffing wheel with the Dremel, and finally Maas.

So I haven't yet figured out how to use the Dico compounds and felt buffing wheel without leaving buffing marks. I had the Dremel set at the lowest setting (5,000 rpms).



Joe

Originally Posted by RezDog

I use wet dry with WD-40 to 2K and then steel wool with mothers and then mothers. Wet dry is best with a backing, I use wine corks.

I've also been using WD 40 with wet/dry. I'm not sure exactly why it seems to work better. Moves more easily, faster, and it makes a sort of paste, almost like slurry. Seems better than scraping dry grit across the blade.

This time around, not having a wine cork handy, I used a big rubber eraser as backing for the sandpaper. That worked well.

Joe

Sorry all hand sanding here
I go to 5000 grit wet & dry then autosol
I have also used the dremel felt buff a couple of times but only with the autosol usually for pits etc
But not keen real yet with it