Many use the Beall buffing products.
https://www.bealltool.com/products/buffing/ When I visited an experienced turner he had a big box of shavings under his buffing area. When I asked him about it he said in case the bowl gets pulled from my hands. I too now have a box of shavings under my buffing set up. Be cautious with the inside of the bowl esp.
In the beginning, I lost several bowls because not holding it correctly against the Beall buffing wheel. It gives you that terrible feeling in your gut to see your just finished bowl go bouncing, spinning and ricocheting across the cement floor!
The shavings might be a pretty good idea to save a few mistakes.....that is, until you get the hang of what you can and can't do with the Beall buffing wheels.
Rule #1..... While buffing the exterior, always hold the bowl inline with the diameter line, and pointing directly towards the axis center of the buffing wheel. This is the point where you get the least tendencies to snatch the bowl out of your hands. It's important to remember that it doesn't take a lot of pressure against the wheel to get great results......let the buffing wheel and compound work as it was intended.
Rule #2..... Always rotate the top of the bowl towards you when buffing the exterior, so that any residue left on the bowl is further buffed the next time you rotate the bowl. This would be looking at the side view of the buffing wheel, and the rotation is counter-clockwise......and, holding the bowl up to the wheel at the 9 o'clock position. The bowl itself will also be rotated periodically in steps, in a counter-clockwise direction.
Rule #3..... When buffing interiors of bowls, the bowl is held in one position, and the entire circumference surface of the buff is used as you run the bowl in a circular pattern around the buff. Many times, it's best to offset the central axis of the bowl with the central axis of the buff. This takes some practice. When doing the very center of the interior, it's best to run the buff in the same direction as the grain of the wood.
Rule #4.....
Avoid excess Tripoli (EEE) and White diamond compounds. A little bit of compound goes a long way, and too much will deposit in detail grooves, natural voids, bark inclusions, inside corners, and etc.
Rule #5..... Assuming everything is going well, and you've progressed to the hard Carnauba wax wheel.....you can go ahead and use a bit of pressure with the wax against the wheel. It's hard to overload the wheel with wax (unlike the first two steps).....but, I'll bet someone here will disagree with that!
If there is any "cloudy" spots where the wax hasn't been fully buffed in corners, detail grooves, etc., this can be easily spot checked and removed with a rag in some cases, or with an old toothbrush in other cases.
There may be more rules, but I don't have these things written down, so relying on memory as I type them. I may come back later and update the rules later on.....
@Ron Solfest, and others....You might try using some rubberized work gloves with the fingertips cut off. This is what I use, and it gives a great "catch resistant" grip on bowls. These gloves are cheap from HF.
-----odie-----
