fix and fit

Buffing in Office

by Alex Yoho, ABOM

A buffing lathe setup can be anything from a salvaged motor with a rag buff bolted on to a two-spindle, multispeed, ball-bearing lathe motor ensconced in a dual-chamber, micro-filtered dust collector.

The former costs about $5 and the latter closer to $5,000. For an inoffice lab, something under $500 or $600 bought outright should do the trick. Or, if you're handy, you can build a unit for $100 or so with parts from the hardware store.

APPLICATIONS

So what can you do with a buffer? You can polish just about anything and make it look better than new. This can be a real plus when filing a temple to fit a larger head and accidentally scratching the frame front.

Or perhaps you've decided to do in-house soldering and found that the frame looks as though it survived a nuclear attack. Rest assured it can be resurrected and look new.

The smoother the surface of the piece being buffed, the better and quicker the final polish.

There's really only one thing that can't be polished: the surface of a lens. No buffing is the rule here, even with hairline scratches.

You will find, however, that you can bring a lens edge to a high luster and even roll and polish or facet a lens with some extra hand work.

TECHNIQUES

Where a file has scratched the frame, simply buffing the scratch will just make a shiny scratch.

You will need to prepare the surface with a little sandpaper. Ask your lab to send you a couple of surface pads.

These are actually sandpaper pieces that are shaped like a daisy. You can pluck off the petals, which will handily stick to your finger and allow you to blend the scratch out with the surrounding area.

If the scratch is deep, use a 360 grit sandpaper first, then change to a 600 grit to smooth it out. Don't worry that the sanded area will look downright frosty. Follow these steps for a fine finish:

■ Switch on the buffer and use a medium grade buffing compound such as Zam Rouge to charge the buff by touching it with a firm grip to the face of the moving wheel.

■ Then, lightly touch the piece to the moving buff about an inch lower than center.

■ Keeping the frame moving back and forth at random angles, check it frequently to see how the polish is coming. Holding the buff in one place or moving in the same direction too long will result in burning the frame.

Be aware that a high-speed buff can grab a frame out of your hand and wrap it around the shaft, ruining it or possibly throwing it across the room. Practice holding firmly while using a light touch to the buff.

Try various rouges for different materials. Zam Rouge works well for for plastics and lens edges, and a yellow rouge works for metal buffing. Always use a different buff for each rouge. EB