6" Mini Airway Buffing Wheels
6" Mini Airway Buffing Wheels
Available in stock (49987)
A 5" or 6" variable-speed grinder is the tool most fabricators and detailers already own, and a full-size 8" or 10" airway buff is too big and too heavy for it. These 6" mini airway buffs put the same pleated, ventilated construction on a wheel sized for that small grinder, so you can edge-buff the inside of a wheel, a bracket, a railing joint or an exhaust tip with the machine you have. We make them in Anaheim, California.
Eight cloths cover the whole job: Yellow and Orange for cut and color, Purple for coloring with white or blue rouge, UBM, White Flannel and Mirror Shine for the final finish, and Very-Fine Maroon Satin and Ultra-Fine Black Satin for blending and satin work without compound. Choose a 5/8 Inch or Hex center hole to suit your flanges.
- 6" diameter sized for 5" and 6" variable-speed grinders, not for full-size polishers
- Ventilated airway pleats run cooler and shed spent compound in tight areas
- Eight cloths: cut, color, finish and two satin grades on one listing
- 5/8 Inch or Hex center hole to match our 3" mini insertable flanges
- Stage speeds published for each cloth so you can set the grinder dial correctly
- Made in Anaheim, California; free shipping on orders over $200
Which cloth and center hole should you choose?
The cloths differ in mill treatment and fabric, which sets stiffness, and stiffness sets how much a wheel cuts. Work from stiff to soft as the metal gets brighter, and keep one wheel per compound.
- Yellow: mill-treated cloth. Our cut-stage wheel on this size, and paired with a color compound such as green rouge it adds luster after the cut. Run at about 2,500 RPM.
- Orange: treated, medium-firm. Cut and color on aluminum and stainless when Yellow is more bite than the part needs.
- Purple: the color-stage wheel, formulated for our White Rouge or Blue Rouge bars. Run at about 2,000 RPM.
- UBM (untreated bias muslin), White Flannel and Mirror Shine: the finish-stage wheels for both aluminum and stainless. Pair with a finish bar such as our Competition Purple compound and run at 1,600 to 1,800 RPM.
- Very-Fine Maroon Satin: non-woven satin buff for blending cut lines and producing a brushed finish without compound.
- Ultra-Fine Black Satin: the finer satin grade, for a softer satin sheen or a final blend before the cut wheel.
- 5/8 Inch center hole: the standard round hole. Hex center hole: for hex-drive flange sets. Both must be run with our 3" mini insertable flanges; the hole shape has to match the flanges you own.
Which compound and speed goes with which 6" mini airway buff?
These are the stage speeds we publish for the 6" mini airway buffs. They only work on a variable-speed grinder; a single-speed grinder cannot get down to them.
| Stage | Wheel | Compound and speed |
|---|---|---|
| Blend (optional) | Very-Fine Maroon Satin, Ultra-Fine Black Satin | No compound; low speed |
| 1. Cut | Yellow (or Orange) | Brown tripoli on aluminum, black stainless bar on stainless; about 2,500 RPM |
| 2. Color | Purple (or Yellow) | White or Blue Rouge (Purple); green rouge (Yellow); about 2,000 RPM |
| 3. Finish | UBM, White Flannel, Mirror Shine | Competition Purple or other finish bar; 1,600 to 1,800 RPM |
Every bar named here is on our metal polishing compound bars page. Stay within the buff's rated speed for your machine at every stage.
What grinders run a 6" mini airway buff?
- 5" and 6" variable-speed angle grinders from makers such as DeWalt, Bosch and Milwaukee. The machine we find most ideal is the DeWalt DWE43240INOX, a brushless 5"/6" variable-speed small angle grinder.
- Not single-speed, high-RPM grinders. These flanges and wheels are not to be used on them; the wheel would run far above its stage speed.
- Not full-size polishers or lathes. A 6" wheel on a 7" polisher or a backstand is undersized for the machine; use our 8" or 10" airway buffs there.
Mounting. These mini buffs must be used with our 3" mini insertable flanges, which seat and center the wheel on the grinder's spindle; the full-size insertable safety flanges are not the right size. Order the 5/8 Inch or Hex center hole to match the flange set you run.
How to get the most out of it
- Set the dial before the wheel touches metal. About 2,500 RPM for the cut wheel, 2,000 RPM for the color wheel, 1,600 to 1,800 RPM for the finish wheels. Slower as the part gets brighter.
- Edge buff. Polishing with the rim of the wheel on an angle grinder is the technique these wheels are built for. Hold the grinder so the edge of the buff meets the part below the wheel's center line and pulls away from you.
- Charge lightly. A short touch of the bar on the spinning wheel. Caked compound smears and burns on.
- Rake the wheel. When the metal dust coming off the part drops noticeably, the wheel is glazed with burned compound. With the grinder running at normal speed, hold a buffing rake to the face of the wheel; on a grinder, stand on the rake to hold it to the floor and bring the wheel to it, and use caution. Re-apply a small amount of compound afterward.
- Keep the part moving so a 6" wheel does not build heat in one spot, and finish each stage completely before changing wheels.
- One wheel per compound. Never put a finish bar on the cut wheel or the reverse.
- Wear a full face respirator; we strongly recommend this full face respirator mask, plus gloves, and keep loose clothing away from the wheel.
The video below shows the 6" mini airway buffs in use on a small grinder.
Use it for / don't use it for
Use it for
- Detail areas on aluminum wheels, tanks and tool boxes where an 8" or 10" buff will not fit
- Stainless railings, brackets, exhaust tips and fabricated parts with tight corners
- Satin or brushed finishes in confined areas with the two satin grades
- Fabricators who want to polish with the 5" or 6" grinder already in the shop
- Mirror finishing small parts with White Flannel or Mirror Shine and a finish bar
Don't use it for
- Single-speed, high-RPM grinders
- Large flat panels; a 10" wheel on a polisher covers them many times faster
- Mounting without the 3" mini insertable flanges
- Sharing one wheel between cut, color and finish compounds
- Compound on the Maroon or Black Satin wheels; they run dry
Specifications
| Diameter | 6 inch |
|---|---|
| Center hole | 5/8 Inch or Hex |
| Cloths | White Flannel, Yellow, UBM, Mirror Shine, Purple, Orange, Ultra-Fine Black Satin, Very-Fine Maroon Satin |
| Construction | Pleated, ventilated airway buff; cotton (satin grades are non-woven) |
| Required mounting | 3" mini insertable flanges |
| Stage speeds | Cut about 2,500 RPM; color about 2,000 RPM; finish 1,600–1,800 RPM |
| Machines | 5" and 6" variable-speed grinders |
| Pack quantity | 1 wheel |
| Compound | Sold separately (satin grades run dry) |
| Made in | Anaheim, California |
Frequently asked questions
Why would I need a 6" mini airway buff instead of a regular airway buffing wheel?
Because it fits a 5" or 6" variable-speed grinder and gets into places a full-size wheel and machine cannot: wheel windows, brackets, railing joints, exhaust tips. The construction is the same pleated, ventilated airway design as our larger buffs, so the finish matches; only the diameter and the machine are smaller.
Which grinder works best with 6" mini airway buffing wheels?
A 5" or 6" variable-speed grinder such as those made by DeWalt, Bosch and Milwaukee; the one we find most ideal is the DeWalt DWE43240INOX. Variable speed is essential because the cut, color and finish stages run at roughly 2,500, 2,000 and 1,600 to 1,800 RPM. Never use these wheels or flanges on a single-speed, high-RPM grinder.
Do I need special flanges for these wheels?
Yes. The 6" mini airway buffs must be mounted with our 3" mini insertable flanges, which seat inside the wheel and center it on the spindle. Our full-size insertable safety flanges are for the larger no-plate airway buffs and do not fit. Choose the 5/8 Inch or Hex center hole to match the flange set you have.
Which cloth do I use for aluminum, and which for stainless?
Both metals follow the same three stages on this size. Cut with Yellow (brown tripoli on aluminum, black stainless bar on stainless), color with Purple and White or Blue Rouge, or Yellow with green rouge, then finish with UBM, White Flannel or Mirror Shine and a finish bar such as Competition Purple. Orange is the medium-firm alternative to Yellow for the cut.
What are the Maroon Satin and Black Satin wheels for?
They are non-woven satin buffs, not cotton. Very-Fine Maroon Satin blends cut lines and leaves a brushed finish; Ultra-Fine Black Satin is finer, for a softer satin sheen or a last blend before compound. Both run without compound and are the tools for a brushed look in confined areas where a full-size satin airway buff will not reach.
Can I polish with the edge of the wheel on an angle grinder?
Yes. Edge buffing is the standard technique with an angle grinder, a buffing wheel and compound, and it is how these 6" wheels are meant to be used. Work with the rim of the wheel below its center line, keep the part moving, and rake the wheel whenever the cut slows and the metal dust coming off the part drops.
How do I know when to rake a mini airway buff?
When you notice a significant drop in the metal dust the wheel produces, or the surface starts to feel rough, hardened compound has built up on the face. Hold a buffing rake to the wheel at normal speed, using your feet to anchor the rake on the floor if you are on a grinder, then re-apply a small amount of compound and continue.
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