16" Airway Buffing Wheels For Polishing, 10 PACK
16" Airway Buffing Wheels For Polishing, 10 PACK
Available in stock (50000)
A 16" airway buff is a production wheel. It goes on a buffing lathe or backstand with a 1-1/4 Inch spindle, covers a wide face on tanks, sheet and castings in fewer passes than a 12" or 14" wheel, and carries enough cloth between the 5 Inch or 7 Inch center plate and the rim to run a long shift before it needs replacing. The ventilated pleats pull air through the wheel, which keeps the face cooler and clears spent compound on long runs.
We sell it as a 10-pack of one cloth type so a shop can stock a full cut spindle or color spindle in one order. Every wheel is made in our Anaheim, California facility. Aluminum tank and wheel polishers, stainless fabricators and brass or copper finishing shops with two-spindle lathes are the usual buyers.
- Ten 16" wheels of one cloth type: a production spindle stocked in one order
- 1-1/4 Inch arbor for buffing lathes, backstands and two-spindle industrial buffers
- 5 Inch or 7 Inch center plate to suit your flanges and the wheel life you want
- Six cloth types cover cut, color and mirror on aluminum, stainless, brass and copper
- Ventilated airway construction runs cooler than sewn buffs on long shifts
- Made in Anaheim, California; free shipping on orders over $200
Which cloth type should a production shop order?
Because the 10-pack is one cloth type, order by spindle. A cut spindle gets a treated wheel, a color spindle gets a soft wheel, and the two never swap compounds.
- Red: treated, firm, our heaviest cutting buff. The stainless and steel cut spindle, run with the black stainless cutting bar.
- Orange: treated, medium-firm cutting wheel. The aluminum cut spindle with brown tripoli; with the black bar it also cuts stainless on lighter work. Together with Yellow it is the most common 16" order.
- Yellow: mill-treated cloth. Our color spindle for aluminum and stainless with green rouge, and the first step on brass and copper with yellow deluxe.
- 86/80: untreated, higher thread count cotton. A coloring and finishing wheel for white or blue rouge on a spindle that runs one bar all day.
- Domet Flannel (White): the softest cloth. A final-luster spindle with the purple finishing bar after the color step, for show work.
- Pink: soft finishing buff. Color spindle for stainless with yellow deluxe or green, for brass and copper with purple, and for plastics with no-scratch pink.
Which compound goes with which wheel?
| Metal | Cut spindle | Color spindle |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | Orange + brown tripoli | Yellow + green rouge |
| Stainless / steel | Red + black stainless bar | Pink + yellow deluxe or green |
| Brass / copper | Yellow + yellow deluxe | Pink + purple high luster |
| Show luster | after color | Domet Flannel (White) + purple |
Brass and copper are sanded before buffing: scuff pad for light tarnish, 600 or 800 grit for heavy oxidation. At production volume the case pack of compound makes more sense than single bars. For edge buffing with a hand-held machine, see the 10" airway buff; a 16" wheel is a lathe wheel.
What machines run a 16" airway buff?
- Large industrial buffing lathes with 1-1/4" spindles, where the operator brings the part to the wheel. This is where the old page said these wheels live, and it is still true.
- Backstand polishers for sheet, tanks and long extrusions.
- Two-spindle buffers with a cut wheel on one end and a color wheel on the other.
Center plate size. Both plates take the 1-1/4 Inch arbor. The 5 Inch plate leaves the most cloth between ring and rim, so a 16" wheel can be run down a long way before it is retired; many shops keep using a worn 16" as a smaller wheel. The 7 Inch plate holds more of the wheel rigid, which helps on heavy pressure and large flat work, and matches machines with larger flanges. Check spindle length: ten wheels in stock is no use if the nut will not engage with your flange stack.
How to get the most out of it
- True each new wheel with a buffing rake at speed before the first part. It opens the pleats and evens the face.
- Charge briefly. A second or two of bar per charge; heavy caking melts under a 16" face and smears.
- Work below the center line and traverse the part so the whole face wears evenly. On a wide wheel a groove forms quickly if parts always land in the same spot.
- Finish the cut before the color. Inspect under good light between spindles; anything the cut wheel left will be shinier, not gone, after the color wheel.
- Keep spindles clean of each other. Wipe parts between steps and use Dissolver on finished work.
- Rake at the first sign of glazing rather than adding pressure. Pressure builds heat, and heat is what hazes aluminum and tints stainless.
- Rotate the ten wheels so they wear together, and store the unused ones flat, dry and out of sunlight.
- Safety. Flanges both sides, guards fitted, face shield, gloves, respirator, sleeves tight, and run within the buff's rated speed for a 16" diameter.
The videos below explain the mill treatments from stiffest to softest and show wheel and compound pairing.
Use it for / don't use it for
Use it for
- Production polishing of aluminum tanks, wheels, castings and extrusions on a lathe
- Stainless steel sheet, tanks, sinks and architectural work on a backstand
- Brass and copper production parts after fine sanding
- Shops running dedicated cut and color spindles all shift
- Plastics and acrylic on a Pink wheel with no-scratch pink
Don't use it for
- Hand-held polishers or grinders; no 5/8" arbor is offered and the wheel is far too large
- Bench buffers with short 5/8" spindles
- Removing weld beads, deep scratches or heavy oxidation; sand first
- More than one compound on a wheel
Specifications
| Diameter | 16 inch |
|---|---|
| Center plate size | 5 Inch or 7 Inch |
| Arbor hole | 1-1/4 Inch |
| Cloth types | Red, Orange, Yellow, 86/80, Domet Flannel (White), Pink |
| Construction | Pleated, ventilated cotton airway buff with steel clinch ring |
| Pack quantity | 10 wheels, one cloth type per pack |
| Typical machines | Industrial buffing lathes, backstands, two-spindle buffers |
| Compound | Sold separately |
| Made in | Anaheim, California |
Frequently asked questions
Why buy a 10-pack of 16" airway buffs instead of singles?
A production spindle goes through wheels steadily, and the 10-pack is one cloth type so it stocks that spindle in one order at a lower per-wheel cost. Most shops buy two packs, a treated cut wheel and a soft color wheel, and rotate the wheels in each pack so they wear evenly.
Which 16" wheels do I need for stainless steel?
Red for the cut spindle with the black stainless cutting bar, and Pink for the color spindle with yellow deluxe or green rouge. Stainless needs more aggression than aluminum, so Red replaces the Orange used on aluminum. A Domet Flannel (White) wheel with the purple bar adds a final mirror if required.
Does the 16" wheel come with a 5/8" arbor?
No. The 16" airway buff is a lathe and backstand wheel and is only offered with a 1-1/4 Inch arbor. For 5/8" bench buffers and hand-held polishers use the 10" or 12" airway buffs, which are available with that bore.
Should I choose the 5 Inch or 7 Inch center plate for a 16" wheel?
Choose 5 Inch for the most usable cloth and the longest life; the wheel can be run down well past 14" before it is finished. Choose 7 Inch when your machine has large flanges or you buff large flat panels under heavy pressure and want the wheel held more rigid near the center.
How do I stop a 16" airway buff from developing a groove?
Traverse the part across the whole face rather than parking it in one spot, and rake the wheel at speed when the face glazes. A buffing rake also trues a wheel that has already started to groove. Rotating the wheels in the pack spreads wear across all ten.
Can I mix cloth types in a 10-pack or get case pricing?
Each 10-pack is one cloth type, plate size and arbor. For mixed packs, larger case quantities or standing orders for a production line, call 714-646-3299 or email sales@maverickabrasives.com with your cloth types, plate size and monthly usage. Orders over $200 ship free.
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