A REALLY stupid question

Most likely, it's crayon-style. Peel the paper back as needed to expose the compound.

Only stupid question is the one you don't ask IMO Peel it off is the way I have done it, but I like the bar/blocks better

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Prometheus wrote:

I don't bother peeling the paper, just take the cap off and use it - the buff will remove the paper as requried - at least my buff does)

So, no easy magic bullet, eh?

Ah well-

Here's my solution, which I'll do tomorrow-

I'm going to drill a 3/8" hole in the metal cap, and use a dowel to push it out.

One more thing to keep track of, but I guess that's the way of things. At least that way, the junk will only stick to the bottom where the hole is drilled, and I can still hang 'em above the lathe in the tubes. I wish they'd stop making things "new and improved"- they're often "new," but all too rarely "improved." :)

Thanks- even though there's no single easy answer, at least I know I'm not missing something stupidly obvious!

Only if they have a tight fitting cap. A little sanding dust deposits grit of a larger magnitude. I use several compounds for buffing and polishing (mostly for metal) and keep each compound and it's wheel in a zipper plastic bag. To see what the bag kept off the buffing stick, I just run my finger over the bag. Yuk! Gritty dust that escaped my dust collector and air cleaner accumulates everywhere eventually.

Prometheus wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

You're making this more traumatic than it should be. Let the drill bit stay in the index. Take the tube and smack it against something hard (like my head) and the metal cap should pop off. Then peel the cardboard or just let it rub off. Hank

You're right, of course- I did just end up peeling it off.