Ebay has many sellers who are selling Buffing Wheels and until recently no one really mentioned in the title that these were Cloth Wheels.  My goal is to introduce Felt Wheels to all the crafters and woodworkers.  Felt is made from sheep's wool making it an environment friendly and versatile product.

Felt Wheels are not limited to just round wheels.

Buffing Bobs AKA Felt Tips come with 1/8" and 1/4" shanks in various shapes like Cylinder, Cone, Bullet, Flat Top Cone AKA Christmas Tree, Pear, Mushroom and Ball.  Difference between Cone and Bullet is minor: Cone has rounded tip like the orange cones used by highway departments and Bullet has pointed tip like the bullet used in firearms.  Shanks are attached to Buffing Bobs during production and are very secure.  If the shank on a Buffing Bob is loose, do not use that Buffing Bob as it can separate from the felt during use and cause severe injuries.

Felt Tubes are seamless and made by hand which is a labor intensive process.  That is why they are expensive but last for a long time.  Felt Tubes look just like a pvc pipe and are able to polish large surface areas.

Felt Belts look like a rubber band and slip on a belt sander to polish large surface areas.  The edges are glued and then machine sewn for a secure fit.  Felt Belts come in 0.44 gm/c3 density.

Knife Edge Wheels look like flying saucers because they are thick in the middle with tapered edges making it easy to slip in grooves and crevices.

Felt Wheels are extensively used for knife sharpening whether they are kitchen knives, butcher knives, hunting knives, carving knives, etc.

Felt Rings are normally used on Glass Polishing/Beveling Machines where water based slurry (cerium oxide) is used.  Felt Rings WILL SWELL in water based solutions.  This is inherent characteristics of wool which cannot be avoided.

Felt Wheels, Felt Tubes, Knife Edge Wheels, Buffing Bobs are available in 5 densities: Extra Soft (0.40 gm/c3), Soft (0.50 gm/c3), Medium (0.60 gm/c3), Hard (0.70 g/c3) and Rock Hard (0.80 gm/c3).  Density is calculated as grams per sq. cm.

Extra Soft (0.40 gm/c3), Soft (0.50 gm/c3) and Medium (0.60 gm/c3) density Felt Wheels are used to apply polishing compound to polish and buff.  Hard (0.70 gm/c3) and Rock Hard (0.80 gm/c3) density Felt Wheels are used to remove scratches and deep gouges.

Facts about Felt: Felt cannot polish itself but is an efficient carrier of abrasive particles.  Felt Wheels have a reputation for out performing other polishing materials because they have the ability to accept all types of polishing compounds and slurries.  This in turn makes them an ideal friend of polishing materials.  Abrasive particles evenly get distributed in the capillaries of felt, thereby evenly polishing the required surface.  Sheep wool is considered to be one of the best resilient materials among natural fibers as it has the ability to hold desired edges and shape throughout the life of the wheel.  As felt wears, new surface has identical medium of polishing compound because felt surface does not get glazed.

Carbon felt is the highest grade 100% wool felt.  Carbon felt wheels and other products are used for precision polishing where even a minute scratch can make a difference.  That is the main reason Carbon felt items are more expensive.

Felt Wheels and Felt Rings are "trued" at the factory so your buffing and polishing will be even on any surface.  This process is similar to how tires are balanced before installation on vehicles.

With a little care, your Felt Wheels, Felt Tubes, Knife Edge Wheels and Buffing Bobs can last a long time.  At the end of your buffing and polishing, allow the felt wheel to continue to spin thru for several minutes so any remaining polishing compound residue can spit out.  Then let the felt wheel air dry before storing it to prevent molds.

Felt Wheels, Knife Edge Wheels, Buffing Bobs can be attached to name brand power tools like Black and Decker, Dremel, DeWalt, Makita and Ryobi.  Large Felt Wheels and Felt Tubes can be attached to any bench grinder.

Always practice safety when using power tools.  Wear eye protection, masks and gloves.  Keep children away from power tools.

Try Felt Wheels, Knife Edge Wheels, Felt Tubes, Felt Belts and Buffing Bobs for your next buffing and polishing job.

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