The Beale buffing system is pretty popular.  I have one and it made a big difference in the smoothness of my finishes.  Since potential buyers pick up and feel the bowls I think it helps make the sale.  Instead of the carbanuba wax I use the microcrystalline wax.

The Beall buffing system is a proprietary version of the generic three-wheel (three compound) system.  Chestnut Products has their version of this, and I built my own version from components that I obtained from various sources. 

The basic concept is that the first wheel (traditionally linen fabric with spiral stitching and therefore relatively hard) uses a reddish/brown rouge (tripoli - 800-1000 grit) buffing compound, the second wheel (typically loose cotton fabric and therefore softer than the first wheel) uses a white diamond compound (actually a 1500-1800 grit ceramic in wax), and the third uses a very soft loose flannel wheel and wax.  The original Beall system uses carunauba wax, but some people use microcrystalline wax either instead of carunauba, or in addition to carunauba.  Carunauba produces a brighter shine, but it can pick up fingerprints.  Microcrystalline is harder and resists fingerprinting.

I bought a set of three 8" wheels at Harbor Freight that I mounted on shop-made wooden threaded mandrels that screw directly onto the spindle of my lathe.   Harbor Freight also has both red and white compounds (as well as others intended for either metals or plastics), and suppliers such as PSI also sell buffing compounds.  Liberon carnauba wax sticks and microstalline waxes are available from specialty turning suppliers and general retailers such as Amazon.

Another option is to use a wax polishing compound such as EEE Ultrashine, Dr Kirks, Yorkshire Grit, or one of the many shop-made wax and abrasive compounds described on various YouTube videos.  These are applied to the finished piece while it is still on the lathe, allowed to dry, and then buffed away to leave a smooth surface. 

I have found that one of the single-compound approaches is fine on items that simply require a very smooth surface - eg, items to be used in conjunction with yarns in knitting or crocheting.  When I want a more obvious gloss, then I use the three-wheel system.  One thing to be aware of is that a high gloss also means slippery, and should be avoided on items that require a secure grip (eg, walking canes).

Don Stephan wrote on Jan 21^st, 2022 at 6:53pm:


Don's recollection is correct.  Tripoli is reddish/brown, and white diamond is white.  However, one eventually learns to not load the buffing wheels so heavily with compound that the color transfers to the work piece.

And it is true that it is possible that if the workpiece isn't held securely, it can be snatched out of the turner's hands and flung across the shop.  DAMHIKT!

But while these are real possibilities, it is possible to learn to avoid the problems.  Like using a skew, all it takes is a lot of practice.

I don't buff everything I turn because I generally don't want my stuff to be so shiny.  But when its appropriate, its another tool I can use to achieve an objective.