Mini Buffing Wheels (1/2" Arbor Hole)

The windows in an aluminum wheel, the inside of a fitting, the knuckle of a hinge: a full-size airway buff cannot reach them, and that is where most polishing jobs stop looking finished. Mini buffing wheels are sewn cotton buffs from 2" to 4" in diameter with a 1/2" arbor hole, run on a 1/2" mandrel in a drill or die grinder. They take the same cut, color and finish compounds as our big airway wheels, so the detail areas end up matching the panels.

We make them in Yellow mill-treat cloth for cutting and coloring and UBM (60/60 unbleached muslin) for coloring and finishing, in 20-Ply, 40-Ply and 60-Ply thicknesses. Buy a Mini Buff Pack of one diameter if you already own a mandrel, or a Mini Buff Kit with mixed diameters and the mandrel included.

• 2", 3" and 4" diameters reach wheel windows, fittings, hinges and tight angles
• Yellow mill treat for cut and color; UBM untreated muslin for color and finish compounds
• 20-Ply (1/4" thick), 40-Ply (1/2" thick) and 60-Ply (3/4" thick) for face or edge work
• Sewn all the way through so the wheel holds together at drill and die-grinder speed
• Kits include a 1/2" mandrel with 1/4" shank; packs are wheels only for mandrel owners
• Made in Anaheim, California; free shipping on orders over $200

Which cloth, ply, diameter and pack should you choose?

Four choices on this listing. Work through them in this order.

• Yellow (mill treat): the stiffer, treated cloth, the same material as our full-size Yellow airway buffs. Use it with cut and color compounds (brown tripoli or black emery for cut, green or pink for color).
• UBM (60/60 unbleached muslin, untreated): softer. It takes cut and color compounds too, and it is the only one of the two we recommend with the finishing compounds (white, blue and purple) for a final luster.
• 20-Ply (1/4" Thick): thin and flexible for narrow slots and shallow grooves.
• 40-Ply (1/2" Thick): the general-purpose thickness for wheel windows and fittings.
• 60-Ply (3/4" Thick): the widest face, for covering flat spots in tight areas quickly and for longest life.
• 2 Inch: the smallest openings and inside curves. 3 Inch: most wheel windows and hardware. 4 inch: the largest face you can spin safely in a drill, for lug areas and larger cutouts.
• Mixed Diameter Kit (Yellow Mini Buff Kit or UBM Mini Buff Kit): two 2" wheels, two 3" wheels and one 4" wheel in the chosen cloth and ply, plus the 1/2" mandrel.
• Mini Buff Pack (Yellow Mini Buff Pack or UBM Mini Buff Pack): 4 to 6 wheels of one diameter and ply, depending on size, with no mandrel.

Which compound goes with which mini buff?

Mini buffs follow the same rule as our airway wheels: one wheel per compound, cut first, then color, then finish. Because they are small, most people keep a Yellow wheel charged with cut compound and a UBM wheel charged with color or finish on two mandrels and swap tools instead of wheels.

All of these bars are on our metal polishing compound bars page. For brass and copper detail work, the Brass and Copper Polishing Mini Kit bundles mini buffs with the matching bars.

What tools run a 1/2" arbor mini buffing wheel?

• Conventional drills, corded or cordless, holding the mandrel's 1/4" shank in the chuck. The most common setup for wheel windows and home-shop restoration.
• Straight die grinders with a 1/4" collet, for reaching straight into cutouts and pipe ends.
• Angled die grinders with a 1/4" collet, for working around lug areas and the back side of spokes.

Speed. Mini buffing wheels should be run at approximately 10,000 to 12,000 RPM, which is die-grinder territory; a drill will run them slower, which is fine for compound work but will cut more slowly. Stay within the wheel's rated speed for your tool. Mounting. Every wheel has a 1/2" arbor hole and mounts on our 1/2" mandrel: a 1/4" shank, a 1/2" threaded arbor with washer and nut, about 2-1/4" long. The mandrel is included in kits and sold separately for packs. It is not for our full-size airway buffs or Surface Prep discs.

How to get the most out of them

1. Mount tight. Slide the wheel onto the mandrel's threaded arbor, add the washer and nut, and tighten so the wheel cannot spin on the arbor. Chuck the 1/4" shank as deep as it will go.
2. Charge lightly. Touch the bar to the spinning wheel for a second. A small wheel cakes fast, and caked compound smears instead of cutting.
3. Let the wheel turn into the work. Hold the tool so the wheel rotates away from the edge you are polishing; a mini buff that catches an edge will grab and can pull the tool out of your hands.
4. Keep it moving. A 2" wheel concentrates all its heat on a small spot. Sweep across the area and come back, rather than parking on one place.
5. Match the panel. Use the same compound sequence you used on the face of the part so the detail areas come up to the same color; different compounds leave slightly different tones.
6. One wheel per compound. Mark or bag your wheels by compound. Cut compound on the finish wheel undoes the finish.
7. Protect yourself. As with any polishing project, we strongly recommend a full face respirator mask and eye protection. Small wheels throw compound and lint straight back at you.

Use it for / don't use it for

Use it for

• Wheel windows, cutouts and the area around lugs after the face has been done with an airway buff
• Fittings, valves, hinges, latches and other hardware with sharp angles
• Motorcycle and bicycle parts, trim, emblems and small castings
• Knife bolsters, guards and handle hardware on a die grinder
• Any detail area where a 6" or larger airway buff will not fit

Don't use it for

• Large flat panels; use a full-size airway buffing wheel and finish faster
• Running without a mandrel or with an undersized arbor; the 1/2" hole needs the 1/2" mandrel
• Cutting oxidation or scratches that a compound cannot remove; sand or use a Surface Prep disc first
• Finishing compounds on the Yellow wheel; use UBM for white, blue and purple

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

Related products and guides

• 1/2" Mandrel for Mini Buffing Wheels
• Metal polishing compound bars
• 6" Mini Airway Buffing Wheels for small variable-speed grinders
• Brass and Copper Polishing Mini Kit
• All airway buffing wheels