How to give an unsightly, dull and rough surface a mirror-shiny presentation? Polish it. The finest layers of worn and deformed material are removed using special processing, which can be mechanical, chemical or physical (ion irradiation). Outside laboratories and workshops, the most affordable mechanical polishing is usually used with polishing discs.
Polishing grinder
The grinder is a universal grinding tool. It allows using various nozzles not only to grind (to clean irregularities from the surface), but also to cut and polish (to ensure smoothness and gloss) of the most diverse materials in density:
- wood
- metal,
- a rock,
- concrete,
- glass,
- plastic.
For cutting use abrasive discs. For grinding, in addition to abrasive disks, use diamond disks or cups, blade discs and round Velcro nozzles. You can attach sandpaper circles to the latter on an adhesive surface. If the emery wheel is replaced with felt, the tool will be polished.
Using a polishing disc on a grinder is possible, but undesirable, since the rotation speed is too high here - at least three thousand revolutions per minute. Work of polishing machines is much more effective . They act on the same principle as the Bulgarian, and may look the same, but the number of revolutions per minute is much less - a maximum of eight hundred.
Polishing machines and their analogues
Special polishing machines cost at least three thousand rubles. Many craftsmen who do not want to bear the extra costs do without them. For half an hour, the grinder is converted into a polishing machine, if the master can understand electrical circuits and solder.
There are simpler options - it is perfectly acceptable to use a drill or screwdriver.
They put on special nozzles - polishing discs. The outer surface of the discs is working, the inner is used to attach to the tool.
Two types of mounts
There are two options for attaching nozzles to polishing machines - using thread (the disk is screwed to the machine) and using Velcro (more universal). The reliability of fastening of both varieties of nozzles is comparable, but provided that the manufacturer of the disks is known.
Judging by the reviews, it happens that grinding and polishing discs quickly fly off, literally after one or two minutes of work, and do not stick again. Moreover, this is characteristic not only for cheap, but also for expensive products. Apparently, we are talking about products that mimic well-known brands.
Most often, the need to use polishing discs arises in connection with putting in order the appearance of the car. Small roughnesses and chips are removed (abrasive treatment), gloss and mirroring of parts made of stainless steel, body coating, headlights (protective treatment) are ensured.
At the same time, pastes are applied to the workpieces, which must correspond to the hardness of the disk. The materials used to make the discs ideally distribute the pastes on the machined surfaces. A set of polishing discs usually includes three items, sometimes suitable pastes, clamping frames and wrenches are sold with nozzles.
How to avoid overheating
The frictional force arising during polishing heats the surface to be restored. However, an increase in temperature above forty degrees can change the structure and shade of the body:
- paintwork acquires a bubble stain;
- metal sags creating cavities;
- plastic lighting begins to “stretch”;
- the glossy plastic structure becomes dull.
The skill and high qualification of the polisher, the use of machines equipped with water cooling, the use of circles with an enlarged contact surface and perforations to remove heat help to prevent troubles of this kind. The heat resistance of the material is important - there are disks made of hard foam with a coarse-cellular structure that hardly heat up.
Another way to avoid excessive heat is to use diamond polishing discs for dry surface treatment.
Such diamond circles are called turtles, because the design of the working surface resembles the structure of the shell. The polishing properties of the turtle are ensured by diamond chips embedded in a flexible plastic base. Granularity of the crumb begins with fifty millimeters, but polishing requires a grain size of 1500-3000.
Felt and cloth
Polishing discs are flexible and low conductivity for safety. They are durable and wear resistant. Felt circles are most in demand. They are a single-component synthetic fiber or a mixture of synthetic and natural fibers. Pressed material (softer effect) or braided (aggressive effect). Usually there are three categories of products:
- coarse - for body treatment;
- fine-haired - for headlights and devices;
- intermediate version (semi-coarse) - for the body, parts and tools made of stainless steel.
Felt is used for initial, rough polishing. It is advisable to conduct it at low speeds. The advantage of the material is its cheapness, ability to heat less than foam, and suitability for most of the work. The disadvantage is the ability to quickly contaminate, so it must be stored in packaging, preferably paper. Partially clear the circle during rotation using pumice.
When the coarse polishing is finished, the line of felt tips fits. They are rarely used dry - usually with pastas or water. Also suitable for headlights and glass.
Foam rubber, volcanic and leather
One of the well-known manufacturers of circles made of wool, felt and foam rubber is 3M. She specializes in the creation and sale of supplies. 3M polishing discs are used for washing and dry polishing machines.
Foam circles more delicately affect the coating of modern cars, for which they are often preferred to felt. They come in different stiffnesses. Typically, manufacturers offer the following color range:
- white - has maximum rigidity;
- orange - universal, suitable for almost all cases;
- black is soft.
Foam discs absorb excess paste. To reduce their consumption, as well as cool the surface, frequent wetting with water is advisable.
At the final stage of polishing, the use of volcanic disks is important (this is rubber with the addition of abrasives). They provide the car with specular smoothness.
Leather is taken for polishing jewelry made of metals and stones. In car services it is rarely used, only for certain details. Polishing should be dry and very careful as the material heats up quickly.
Dental polishing materials
Construction, car maintenance and woodworking do not limit the scope of polishing wheels. Modern dentistry uses similar principles with Sof-Lex polishing discs. These are small plastic products with a diameter of nine and a half and 12.7 mm. They allow filigree micropolishing of the restored tooth surface.
For ease of use, polishing discs "Sof-Lex" are made in tinted color options. The darkest ones are taken with rough processing, the light ones have a superfine surface for fine polishing. The successive change of discs in four shades allows you to get a flawless effect. By the way, the disks are produced by 3M - it is also known as a manufacturer of breakthrough products in dentistry.
Summary
Thus, polishing wheels are a modern and sought-after product in many sectors of the service, production and medicine sectors. They make it possible to get rid of small scratches, defects and damage, even at home. It is only necessary to take into account that the nozzles are consumables, therefore, they need timely replacement in order to achieve results that are literally brilliant.