I am hoping that there is another woodworker out there who enjoys restoring old phones. I was experimenting on restoring some very beat up brass bells yesterday by chucking a screw with the bell on it into my drill press. I used sand paper and brasso from 120 through to 1000 and then tried my Dremel with a white buffing wheel and it was amazing how big a difference it made. But the 1" wheel is too small for even results.
I have many power tools in my shop that spin (but no bench grinder). The Ryobi buffer that people have gotten good results out of runs at a maximum of 4800 rpm's. My Makita drill maxes out at 1500 so I don't think that is an option. (?) I have a sanding station, v.s. drill press, grinder (very high rpm), bosch v.s. 5" disc sander among other spinny things.
I prefer the ability to hold the items with two hands for buffing. Which of these tools would be the closest to a bench top buffer and give me the best results?
Thank you for your input,
Tina Loyd
I'm a bit of a woodworker myself and there are many things you could use. There are buffing wheels that you can get for your drill press. Also, if you have a lathe you could run it at a good speed and chuck up a buffing wheel into that. The nice thing about a lathe configuration is that it is very similar to a buffing wheel as it is horizontal, rather than vertical.
Ben
Here is a bit larger rotary tool with a more powerful motor that delivers it's torque to a smaller handpiece. You can find somewhat larger buffing accessories at Harbor Freight or a specialty source online.
http://www.sciplus.com/p/VARIABLE-SPEED-FLEX-SHANK-GRINDER_43486
( dead link 04-04-22 )
You might be able to use high speeds when polishing metal but avoid it on plastics.Lower speeds (1800 rpm) also make it harder to loose control
Make your own using a hardware store arbor and motor. Make sure you slow down the rotational speed via your choice of pulleys. I didn't have to as the motor I used was a gas pump motor which ran 1200 rpm. Remember, it the pulley driving the arbor is twice the diameter of the pulley on the motor, it will cut the speed in half. It will cost a fraction of what a purpose built buffer will cost, especially if you already have a motor.:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/buffing.html (http://www.islandregister.com/phones/buffing.html)
Dave
Quote from: DavePEI on October 15, 2015, 06:07:23 AM
Make your own using a hardware store arbor and motor. Make sure you slow down the rotational speed via your choice of pulleys. I didn't have to as the motor I used was a gas pump motor which ran 1200 rpm.
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/buffing.html (http://www.islandregister.com/phones/buffing.html)
Dave
Dave,
Are there other specifications that you would suggest regarding the motor? How many HP for example? The Eastwood dual speed buffer has the following specs.
Specifications:
1720/3400 rpm Speed
6.3 amps for 3400 rpm (1hp)
3.3 amps for 1720 rpm (1/2 hp)
750W/370W
120 VAC 60 Hz
What is it about motors that causes the price to shoot up to hundreds of dollars?
Tina
If I don't have a motor already, it seems that buying all of the components could add up to an inexpensive buffer or maybe half of a better buffer. If I don't have the time to invest in searching for parts and motors, what should I look for in a buffer? They range from cheap to very expensive. What makes the difference?
Thanks,
Tina
I've used an older version of this drill as a rotary buffer for larger areas. It must be variable speed. I have a dremel variable speed rotary tool for detail work.
http://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-variable-speed-reversible-close-quarters-drill-60610.html
( dead link 04-04-22 )