Thats the problem, your using mothers and a power ball
How bad are the wheels.? Were they already polished from before?
I get most my stuff from caswell
http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/index.html
If you grab some brown and white compounds in stick form you will see results.
Im sure you could get some at some local place if your near a big center though.
Do you have a die grinder and angle grinder? They work well also, so much to choose from really.
Grab a small spiral sewn cotton wheel and maybe a couple lil small guys to get into the tight spots for the die grinder.
Heat is your friend with polishing.