Buffing wheel and compound

[PoorOwner]

I have some yellow zinc plated bolt heads I wanted to polish up a little

I am getting this wheels and compound not sure what to use if only picking one wheel and one compound to use:

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-6-in-Buffing-Wheel-Set-3-Piece-A04BW11/205626520


http://m.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-Hard-Metal-Cleaning-Compound-Set-3-Piece-A04HM11/205642393

Also any idea how to buff just a washer?

 

[gungatim]

caswell plating has an excellent primer on buffing and polishing you can download from their website. http://www.caswellplating.com/buffing-polishing.html where it says on the left "get our free booklet". all your questions will be answered!

 

[DBendr]

Caswell . Look around here.
http://www.swmetal.com/category-s/1857.htm

 

[jakemac]

Also any idea how to buff just a washer?

Not a safe practice, but I keep a few trashed Phillips screwdrivers around for jobs like this (works on the wire wheel as well). Stick the washer on the shaft of the screwdriver and let it sit down at the handle. Use the handle as a backing plate and use your thumb to keep the washer from spinning. The screwdriver helps to keep the washer from flying away.

Be careful not to buff your fingers. Keep a quench tray nearby, the heat will burn your fingers.

 

[PoorOwner]

I got the wheel and compoud and started buffing these yellow zinc chromate bolts that sort of have a green tint. I am using the sewn wheel with white rouge because the other are too aggressive

Seems to turn it into a more silver color. I was wondering if this is taking off the plating. It was not warm and I didn't push it hard at all. Does anyone know if the gold is supposed to come off this easily like a clear coat? The label says yellow zinc chromate bake.

I read a bit on caswell for the basics but not found anything on the yellow chromate

 

[Junkman]

Yellow chromate plating is usually very thin, so you have probably buffed it off. I think that the only way that you can polish them is to use something like silver polish that isn't very aggressive.

 

[PoorOwner]

So is it still zinc underneath or the silver is steel?
I was looking for a finished look with a bit of luster

 

[softailgarage]

Red jewelers rouge is probably the safest to use. I use a pair of vise grips to hold the bolt/screw. You can do it lightly, just pay attention and use both hands to hold it.

 

[jakemac]

I am using the sewn wheel with white rouge because the other are too aggressive

An un-sewn wheel would be softer.

 

[Roberts210]

Once I started buffing I learned to buy a lot of buffs. When they get dirty I throw them into the washing machine.

 

[PoorOwner]

So I looked on caswell and see what they sell

Yellow chromate is a dip after the Zinc to give a yellow green tint color

to get the metal polished it should be buffed down to zinc first.


I should not do too much as the yellow coating gives it much better corrosion resistance. Kind of strange because I saw a video on YouTube he got a brass color out of it and he buffed it full on