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Best method to remove buffing compound

I plate some high polished brass parts, they have caked on buffing compound because they are polished using a lot of buffing compound which reaches high temperatures during buffing.
Actually we wipe clean by hand using stodart solvent, then electroclean. But as the quantity increases the cleaning operation work turns very time-demanding and difficult to meet customers needs.
Wich is the best method to remove it in a reliable way?
Thanks
Daniel

Daniel Hernandez
- Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia
November 23, 2011

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Hi, Daniel.

Solvents tend to remove the plasticizers from buffing compounds, leaving some abrasive and concentrated binder on the parts anyway. Ultrasonic cleaning will probably prove to be a better approach and is easily automated or at least bulk-processed for reduced labor cost.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 23, 2011

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November 29, 2011

Thanks for your time!.

is not a cheaper solution but it seems to be the best.

Daniel

Daniel Hernandez
- Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia

If you have the control of buffing operation try to use a different compound. Surprisingly the best choice for buffing medium is watered down liquid soap. The soap breaks down the surface tension of water and allows much closer contact of abrasive with surface being polished. I do a lot of freehand polishing of metals, mostly knives, as a hobby. Also, liquid soap is very easy to wash off the part. Most retail manufacturers of buffing compounds use wax or some oily goo which is much harder to clean up and actually works worse than liquid soap. These very viscous waxes get heated, dehydrated and end up baked onto the part you are polishing, resulting in need of extensive cleanup.

Igor Petrusky
- Stuart, Florida
January 4, 2012