rookie handle making questions on a skinner

[Neutron]

Starter knife, cheap paki blade, hickory handle.  I have gotten it to the polish the handle stage. I tried to using white buffing compound on a new cotton wheel (the loose style).  6" wheel on an arbor which I think is going around 1750 rpm.  I am getting a grayish black color on the wheel and building up in the pores of the wood and nooks and crannies around the edges of the wood/metal contact areas. and have some questions (I have never used polishing wheels before):
1. Is that grey stuff normal?
2. Can it be cleaned out of the wood?
3. What can I use to clean it out of the edges where the metal/wood contacts are that will not mar the wood or brass.
4. If you are going to stain it should it be stained before polishing or after?  If before, can it be stained well after polishing?
5. Are bigger buffing wheels better or are smaller ones better for polishing wood?

[OconeeDan]

Nice knives you have been posting, Neutron.  
For buffing wood, there are some "rules" to know...
Yes, the grey stuff is normal. It is metallic gunk mixed with the compound, leaving a grey or black residue. You can remove some of it using a paper towel wet down with laquer thinner.  The only other way is to sand down below the bottom of the open grain, removing the outer layer of wood until the stuff is gone.  Then don't use the buffer again on this handle.  
I only buff woods that:
1)Have a very tight grain, and the pores are small enough to not trap the buffing residue (desert ironwood)
2)Very dark woods that are hard, can be buffed, and won't show the residue (ebony)
3) Stabilized woods, because their grain and pores are filled with polymer stabilizer (this applies also to dymondwood and actionwood)
4)woods that have the grain completely filled with epoxy, sealer, super glue, or other finish.

Maybe someone has something else to offer.

Woods that don't fit the categories above, are usually better off finished by hand sanding, then apply a finish by hand.  My favorite is Fornby's Tung Oil.  But there are a bunch of others that work well.
Buffing works well on bone, antler, horn, and synthetics like G10, micarta, and phenolic.  Of course, buffing leaves the same crap on bone or antler if there is any "bark" or inner pith showing.

Staining should be done before any finishing, including buffing and applying a finish.

Larger wheels simply get more speed at the outer edge, given the motor speed is the same.  I like larger wheels because they fit the hollow grind that I usually put on a blade (I grind with 8" wheel, and buff with 8" wheel).  other than that, bigger is not necessarily better.

Dan

[Neutron]

Thanks.  I was just searching the net on buffing and found some info at a place called Caswells that said the black stuff could be from putting too much compound on.  I was afraid that it was from not enough or going too fast and was burning the compound or cotton or something.  I thought buffing would be the easy part.  Well back to the sandpaper.

[OconeeDan]

Well, I don't care what Caswells says, you are going to get the black gunk no matter how much or little compound you use.  It's just gonna happen.
Dan

[Lin Rhea]

Neutron,
         Listen to Dan's advice.  Lin

[Kevin Evans]

I agree with Dan.
Only thing I have to add is, on some projects I use floppy wheel with no compound and it gets to looking pretty good.

[OconeeDan]

I really didn't mean it to sound like advice.  Just my experience.  
And Rooster you are correct about that.  The loose wheel is also real good for lightly buffing leather sheaths.  Dan

[Lin Rhea]

I'm just saying that I agree. I have had the black stuff get in my handles too. It's the compound mixed with metal getting down in the pores of the wood. I also agree that a dry wheel used lightly will do it on some materials. Just about every material has to be treated in a slightly different way. Lin

[Neutron]

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.  I resanded down to where I got 90 or so percent of the black stuff gone but ran out of steam and left some specks in the open grain.  Hit it with 1 coat dark walnut tung oil and 2 coats of natural tung oil.  Used 600 grit paper in between coats.  Turned out pretty decent almost honey color, not perfect but I am happy. The walnut made the black specs look dark brown mostly and so they just look like part of the grain.  If you look close at the brass finger guard you can see my camera in the reflection.

[OconeeDan]

[chris amos]

Nice job! I use alot of maple and find that if I soak it overnight in linseed oil and let it air dry for a few days it buffs up really nice with a sewn wheel and some scratchless pink compound. Just my 2 cents. Might work well on hickory as well.

[mater]

On a wood lathe, they kinda burnish wood instead of polishing it. It comes out smooth.  Mark