Buffing vs. Polishing: What's the Difference?

Polishing and buffing are two common finishing methods in the manufacturing industry. Before choosing one for fabrication, it's essential to understand the principles and differences between them.

This guide will help you determine which finishing methods suit your job. First, let’s understand what polishing and buffing are.

• Polishing refers to finishing methods that use abrasive belts, whereas buffing refers to finishing methods that use cloth or buffing wheels with polishing compounds. 
• Buffing removes the lines and gives a bright, glossy finish, whereas polishing provides a brushed or lined surface. 
• Buffing typically needs surface improvement, and polishing before buffing.

Both finishing methods have their advantages. Let’s start understanding them individually.

What is Buffing?

Buffing is a finishing method that involves applying a loose abrasive to a wheel. Manufacturing industries use buffing wheels with abrasives for metal polishing and finishing. A buffing disc with loose abrasives efficiently removes surface material and flaws, resulting in a smooth surface.

Common Applications of Buffing

The following are the applications of buffing:

• Automotive Sector: In the automotive sector, buffing is important for correcting paint, reducing scratches, swirl marks, and oxidation, and restoring a vehicle's look. Additionally, it is used to repair foggy headlights for improved visibility and to polish metal parts, including chrome wheels and trim, to enhance shine, which eventually improves the final look and value of a car. 

• Metalworking Sector: In the metalworking sector, buffing helps in smoothing surfaces by eliminating welds and burrs, generating desired finishes and prepares the metal for coatings. 

• Woodworking Sector: In woodworking, buffing can be done after sanding to get an extremely smooth surface before finishing. Additionally, it is used to enhance the lustre and protection of wax finishes and polish cured finishes, including lacquer and varnish, to get a high gloss, generating beautifully finished wood creations. 

Other sectors where buffing is used:

• Jewelry: for removing scratches and getting a shine 

• Manufacturing: enhancing performance, manufacturing of medical devices, and preparing surfaces for final coatings.

• Plastics and Acrylics: eliminate scratches and smooth out the surface  to enhance the appearance 

• Furniture restoration: removing flaws and restoring the finish of furniture.

What is Polishing?

Polishing is a finishing method that involves the use of an abrasive wheel (not loose abrasive, but tightly attached with glue or other adhesives). Because of this, polishing is supposed to be a more aggressive finishing method than buffing. Polishing removes more superficial material from a workpiece's surface, resulting in perfect finishing and a more polished surface.

Common Applications of Polishing

To get a high-gloss and shiny finish, polishing can be used on surfaces that are already smoothed out. 

• Automotive Detailing: used to improve the shine of a car’s paint after cleaning and buffing. It is also used to trim metal and wheels for a more enhanced appearance. 

• Jewellery Making: It improves the shine of precious metals, including gold, silver, and platinum, eventually increasing their worth and beauty. 

• Metal Finishing: Used to polish metal parts to achieve a mirror-like finish and also to minimise the friction in mechanical parts. 

• Woodworking: used to polish furniture to get a deep shine finish.

READ: GRINDING WHEEL TYPES & DIFFERENT SPECIFICATIONS

What are the Differences Between Buffing and Polishing?

The grit of each abrasive determines the difference between buffing and polishing. Polishing generally requires a high-grit abrasive, while buffing needs a low-grit abrasive.

In other words, in buffing wheel abrasive grit, the abrasives are not tightly attached (they are loosely bonded), so they are easy to remove and replace. Aside from this tiny distinction, another distinction between buffing and polishing is abrasive grit. Buffing is usually done with a low—or medium-grit abrasive, whereas polishing is done with a high-grit abrasive; however, there are limitations.

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What are Polishing and Buffing Abrasives Grit?

Abrasives are required for both buffing and polishing. Low-grit, medium-grit, and high-grit abrasives are widely available for different polishing applications.

Low-grit abrasives are as small as 60 to 80 grit, whereas medium-grit abrasives are as large as 100 to 200 grit. The smoothness of an abrasive is reflected in its grit. Low-grit abrasives are rougher than medium- and high-grit abrasives because they contain fewer grit particles.

As a result, buffing and polishing processes usually work with a low-grit abrasive, followed by higher-grit abrasives. When it comes to choosing between buffing and polishing, fabrication industries need to utilize the correct sort of abrasive. The workpiece can damage if incorrect abrasives are applied.