Date of review September 2010

I brought the system in June 2010 but have only started to use it in the last month or so and for the short review I think it is very good and at least as good as the equivalent Beal system for the longer review see below.

So what you get for your money is a sturdy cardboard box which makes a good storage box for the system and inside it the following.

3 wheels, 3 bars of compound, 2 mandrels and a set of instructions.

Wheel A is the firmest wheel and used with the Dark brown bar (Tripoli) for initial cutting.

Wheel B is a slightly softer wheel and used with the white bar (White Diamond) for fine cutting.

Wheel C is the softest wheel and used with the light brown bar (Carnuaba Wax) for polishing.

The large mandrel has a small spiggot which measures 18mm and the larger size which is 25mm and is for use in your chuck.

The smaller mandrel is for use in a drill and can be used to buff an item while it is still mounted on the lathe and it has a spiggot of 10mm and a shaft size of 13mm.   It can also be used to good effect in a pillar drill.

Before you can use it you obviously have to mount it on you lathe, I have Administer chucks and a variety of jaws but none of then has either an 18mm or 25mm diameter grip.   They were all one or two mm larger or smaller but I found this was not a problem as they still gripped the mandrel properly and held it firm during use.

The important thing when installing the mandrel is to make sure it runs true.   The best way to do this is first make sure your head stock and tail stock are aligned properly.   Then put the mandrel in the chuck and grip it lightly then bring up the tail stock with a center installed into the end of the mandrel and tighten the chuck, as below.

Now you screw the mop into the mandrel until it is fully seated and you are ready to start buffing.

I use the Goliath chucks from Axminster which have a 5” body and found that I would occasionally hit either my hand or the piece I was buffing against the chuck or the jaws, neither of which is recommended.  

To get around this and give myself more room to move around the wheel I now use an Axminster Junior collet chuck and the drill mandrel, as below.

This has given me more room to work and solved the problem of hitting the chuck.   It is also easier to mount the mandrel as it automatically centers it.

Overall I am very happy with the system and it is as good as the Beal system I have borrowed from a friend and used in the past.

Bowl mops are now available are are to the same quality as the rest of the kit.

For a run through on how I buff items using this kit see HERE

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