Anybody got a bench buffer? Here's an 8" Craftsman one I'm looking at ($160!). Or do you just mount buffing wheels on your bench grinder? Anybody build their own (shaft, pillow blocks, etc)?

How do you buff your stainless trim?

I spent the equivalent of weeks buffing all the stainless on my 70 Cuda. Wasn't uncommon to spend over an hour on a large part (the lower windshield piece comes to mind). Very satisfying actually. I don;t think you have to spend that much, but the buffs (especially the larger ones) get spendy.
Removing scratches/dents is actually easy, I saved a few pieces I thought were trash.

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Couple suggestions, Wear heavy leather gloves... Just in case.... Often taping the trim to a piece of wood will help support it while doing the majority of the buffing... Always buff off the edge of trim, never onto the edge of the trim or A) buy spare trim B)buy more heavy leather gloves C) make sure your current on your medical insurance....

I actually have a cheep Craftsman fron sears back when they were mand in da USA. You dont need the biggest buffer for stainless buffing ( mine is only 1/3hp) but if your gonna be buffin all day long a smaller one will heat up a bit. I have had good results with the Eastwood kit if you just want to buff the stainless back to a nice shine but if you have mangeled and dented stainless I would look for a better piece of trim or send those pieces to a pro.

I buffed the stainless on my cuda, and it was a lot of work, but satisfying.
A couple added points to things already mentioned; practice on junk stuff first to get the hang of it, wear a face shield, have a fan blowing stuff away from you (the shield will get steamed and fuzzy otherwise) and wear stuff you can toss or don't care about, it's MESSY!

I used a couple of small wheels mounted in my dremel and cordless drill.
Either held the piece on a small table or in my lap, worked well on small trim around the windows.
Probaly would used a wheel mounted in the air die grinder if I had to do it again.

I bought a small wheel for my old grinder and did all of my trim on my 71 challenger. I did not have any large scratches or dents to fix. I did all mine in a afternoon with what's pictured. Not hard at all to do, can't hurt stainless.
Moved my grinder outside so it didn't mess up my garage.

Can u sand out the scratches with like 1000 to 1500 grit before buffing?

Yes, actually preferable to do so. Its just like body work, only stainless is a much harder material. Tap out small dings, file down high spots, sand, then buff. Lots of time involved.

I’m an amateur buffer also. Lots of good tips already mentioned, but I’ll throw in my .02.

I use a Craftsman drill press with a radial/rotating head. Makes it easy to put the wheel at a good angle. It’s also able to set at different speeds, handy when using different-diameter wheels. Also puts the wheel out in the air with no guards/structure around it to interfere with handling the part. I use it because that's what I had at the time, and now I wouldn't use anything else.

Taping trim to wood is a good idea, hopefully I’ll remember it next time I buff!

When buffing stainless, I’ve found that a bit of heat seems to melt and flow the metal. When buffing a piece of long trim, whilst pushing it from 1 hand to the other (with the wheel in between), you can get a feel in one hand for the right amount of heat and set the pace that way.

Yep, wetsanding can cut down on buffing time, but sanding takes time also. Sanding is ‘safer’, though, and less likely to have a part-launching event.

Regarding gloves and a face shield:
Gloves are a paradox IMHO. They’ll protect your skin, but are more likely to get caught by rotating items. And it’s a buffing wheel, so worst-case is you’ll get an annoying 1st-degree burn. Either way, your fingers shouldn’t be that close.

Wear a dust mask under the face shield, and maybe some swimmer’s goggles. If I don’t, within a few hours after buffing I feel ‘fuzzy’ – my eyes, nostrils, etc, feel like there are fine cotton particles in them (because that’s exactly what happens!).