Metal polishing, also termed Buffing, is the process of smoothing metals and alloys and polishing to a bright, smooth mirror-like finish. Metal polishing is often used to enhance cars, motorbikes, antiques, etc. Many medical instruments are also polished to prevent contamination in marks in the metals. Hot metal work from a blacksmith In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily forms positive ions (cations) and has metallic bonds. ... An alloy is a combination, either in solution or compound, of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, and where the resulting material has metallic properties. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A motorcycle (or motorbike) is a two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. ... Antiques (Latin antiquus, old) are objects which have reached an age which makes them a witness of a previous era in human society. ...

It is a metal-finishing operation where articles are polished using abrasives or mops.

Applications

Buffing is commonly used in metal polishing of pressure cookers, cookware, kitchenware. Pipes which are used in pharmaceutical, dairy and water industries are buffed to maintain hygenic conditions and prevent rust.

Process

Generally buffing is a multistage process. First, abrasives -- which may be coated, non woven or woven -- are applied at high speed to remove surface defects like pits, nicks, lines and scratches from the articles to be buffed. Then mops of various materials are used to smooth the surface to be buffed. Lastly, cotton mops are used to give a mirror-like finish to the articles. As a general rule, coarse grit abrasives are used first and fine grit abrasives later. This gives a smooth finish by forming very thin lines that are not visible to the naked eye. Lubricants like wax, diesel fuel and kerosene are used as lubricating and cooling media during these operations. Sophisticated computer-controlled machines are available which do buffing of intricately shaped articles. Before the advent of such machines, buffing was done by hand.

See Also

• Metalworking
• Abrasive Flow Machining

This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Developed by Extrude Hone Corporation in 1966, AFM is a very precise and economical method of smoothing and polishing internal surfaces and producing controlled radii. ...

External links

• Metal Polisher - GLM Metal Polishers
• Motor Cycle Polishing
• Car Polishers
• Types of Buffing Wheels for Metal Polishing
• Buffing Compounds for Metal Finishing & Polishing
• Buffing Wheel Speed Chart for Metal Polishing
• Extrude Hone surface finishing