Buffer RPMs and greaseless compound

Actually if you are going to be running a higher rpm buffer, then you want to go with 4" buffing wheels as that will effectively reduce the overall surface speed.

FYI, I have this grinder from Lowes (btw a 6" is all you need):
http://www.lowes.com/pd_78808-46069...&currentURL=%2Fpl__0__s?Ntt=bench+grinder

I removed the safety guards to use. However, if you do not get extenders with 4" wheels you will not have clearance to work on the razor without having to work around the motor and thus you will be working in the dangerous "kill" zone of the wheels.

I got these extenders from caswell that work great (you will need a left hand and right hand one):
http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/longsa.htm

Mine were the half inch bore. These effectively extend the arm a good 4-5" overall and make it much easier to work.

Since Caswell charges a ton for shipping, I would just place a large order for all your greaseless compounds, rogues, spiral sewn wheels, etc.

It is a large initial investment and unless you are serious about restoring a lot of razors then it might not be worth the $$.

Just my 2 cents.

If I had to do it all over again, I would just buy a dedicated 1750 rpm or variable speed rpm buffer instead of converting a bench grinder to suit my uses.

I will chime in on this. I have used a HF 6" for a few years on everything from Jewelery to espresso machine parts. The 3450RPM or 1750 rpm is because they are synchronous motors. A synchronous motor has no brushes like a drill motor or router. All that the cheap controller does is reduce the power applied to the motor. So for a drill motor it works fine and just like the trigger speed control. A synchronous motor rotor is hauled around by its diameter according to the frequency of the line voltage in the stator coils around it. A Brittish motor will have a lower speed than a US as their current varies at 50Hertz/cycles per second rather than 60~ as ours in the US does. Each motor speed is directly divisible by the frequency of the alternating current from the mains.

A smaller wheel seems to work very well for razor work and the largest I use is about 3"/75mm. and smaller hard felt wheels at about 2"/50mm. Greaseless compounds are often lacquer based and do need time to set. Having the open end of the stick placed into a tight baggy with a damp rag between uses helps the compound stay soft enough to load a wheel. I load wheels the night before and let them set overnight. The compound can also be used fresh on the wheel but often the fumes are bad to dangerous when doing it that way. I seldom use the greaseless except as a first go-round on a really nasty razor, and then gently with only 320.
Respectfully
~Richard

I see that Caswell is offering a straight razor polishing package that includes a 1100 RPM buffer.

I started this thread several days ago by asking if anyone uses a buffer as fast as 3,450 RPM to use greaseless compound....

Now I've come full circle and am asking if anyone uses a buffer with RPMs as slow as 1100 with greaseless compound.

I'm concerned about removing the pits.....all the pits. Will 1100 RPMs get the job done?

Freehand

My poor man's buffer consists of my bench vise with leather-lined jaws, my cordless drill and 4" buffing wheels that fit my drill chuck. Once you get on to how to orient the razor in the vise to get the correct spine to edge orientation on each side it is not bad. For scales I hold the drill in my hand and run the piece back and forth across the buff. The drill on its highest setting is 1100 rpm so it hasn't been too scary yet. I get the wheels and rouges at princess auto.

dmcconnell said:

My poor man's buffer consists of my bench vise with leather-lined jaws, my cordless drill and 4" buffing wheels that fit my drill chuck. Once you get on to how to orient the razor in the vise to get the correct spine to edge orientation on each side it is not bad. For scales I hold the drill in my hand and run the piece back and forth across the buff. The drill on its highest setting is 1100 rpm so it hasn't been too scary yet. I get the wheels and rouges at princess auto.

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Oh my! An accident waiting to happen. Hope you never experience one. On a different note, I hope you guys reading this thread don't think this is a good solution or should try this method yourself. If you do, be sure to run a video so we can all see the carnage on You Tube.

My dad just got a variable speed bench grinder, does as slow as 2000 rpm. I figure that is close enough for me to get some wheels compounds and rig it up to try some serious restores. Still faster than the recommended, but at least it isn't double!

BillEllis said:

Oh my! An accident waiting to happen. Hope you never experience one. On a different note, I hope you guys reading this thread don't think this is a good solution or should try this method yourself. If you do, be sure to run a video so we can all see the carnage on You Tube.

Click to expand...

BillEllis said:

Oh my! An accident waiting to happen. Hope you never experience one. On a different note, I hope you guys reading this thread don't think this is a good solution or should try this method yourself. If you do, be sure to run a video so we can all see the carnage on You Tube.

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Thanks Bill, you are certainly right. I definitely would not recommend anything but a properly equipped and safe buffing station regardless of shortcuts I may take . . . even if it has entertainment potential.