definitely stand to the side of the centerline, and work below the center, I
didn't
while finishing a knife last year. when the knife finished bouncinng around the
shop,
it had dented my brothers Pontiac, one toolbox, cut a pantsleg, broke thhe stag
handle. and made me feel like Homer Simpson DOH!!!
Russ Southwell 70 1600
VulForge@aol.com wrote:
> Okay, I'll weigh in on polishing.
> Generaly, bigger and faster is better. For small items your 1/2 horse
> 3450 motor will work fine. I use a Baldor in that size range for my jewelry
> business. For serious polishing on swords and armor I use a 5-horse
> vari-speed polishing lathe swinging 14 inch buffs. The bigger wheels give
> you more surface speed and work faster.
> The $30 motor will probably work just fine. They tend to skimp on
> bearings, so don't expect it to last forever. I'ts nice to mount your motor
> on a pedestal to gain some clearance. On a typical grinder unit you will
> have to remove the gaurds. I wouldn't bother with multiple motors, it just
> takes a minute to change buffs.
> Like most things, polishing demands good prep. Keep in mind that what
> you are doing is making smaller and smaller scratches, and you have to get
> rid of all the bigger scratches before you can move on. There are some new
> greaseless sanding compounds that do a great job of surface prep and
> conditioning. From there you can go to a emery compound and then to a finish
> compound. You can use the same TYPE of cotton buffs for all three steps, but
> make sure to use DIFFERENT buffs. Keep only one compound on each set of
> buffs or you will put unwanted scratchs on your workpiece. Buffs are
> directional, they rotate with, not against the stitching. I put on big
> arrows with a magic marker. Use enough compound to keep the face "wet".
> For safety, work below the horizontal centerline of the buff. Trail
> the edge of your workpiece, don't let the buff grab an edge. Don't let
> anything loose (esp. clothing or hair) get near the buffer, and stand to one
> side or the other of the vertical centerline of the buff. Gloves, glasses
> and a dust mask are good ideas. You might want a dip tank, the work can get
> really hot!
> Lighter fluid is a good solvent for the traces of polishing compound.
> Clean off between steps so you don't contaminate your buffs.
> This probably sounds more complicated than it really is. It IS
> expensive to set up, but supplies last a long time. It's not rocket science.
> Go step-by-step and you will get great results.
>
> Best of luck!
>
> Russell Criswell
>
> Kansas City MO
> 67 1600
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