Basic Buffing and Metal Polishing

[MetalMonkey]

Languishing in the back of the workshop is a pedestal buffer (I think it is either an 8 or 10 inch). I have no mops or compound for it.

I would like to start restoring a few bits of the machinery I've collected, so I can see it being useful for polishing up crank handles, brightwork and the like. Eventually I'd also like to be able to polish some aluminium, perhaps even perspex.

Can anybody recommend a good general purpose system for a beginner, and some reasonable places to purchase consumables from?

I'm not looking to go too crazy, but now seems like a good time to put it to use.

 

[GrahamGKD]

I bought a load of stuff from these people - quite a while ago now though.

If you look under 'information' there is quite a bit of information about polishing metal.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Machine Mart do a good basic range to get you going.

Plus they are doing Mail order.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Just to bump this with a related question for buffing aficionados.

The machine (Viceroy) is currently fitted with a 3/4HP 3PH which looks original. I'm going to have to either swap the motor to 1PH or VFD as I don't have a three phase supply here.

Reading a few topics 3/4HP seems to be bit underpowered for 8" or 10" mops - if I have to swap the motor, would I be better upgrading it? 1HP would fit relatively easily, 1.5 a little tighter.
Alternatively, is it better to stick with 3PH and a VFD - how useful is it in real terms to have a variable speed option on a buffer?

Thoughts on a postcard welcomed.

 

[Theblackbox]

Variable speed really only comes into it when your doing plastics, wood, horn etc

certainly wouldn’t stick a 10” mop on anything less than 3hp

either way is fine really you more need to calculate surface speed this varies depends on what your doing what finishing etc

what speed is it running currently?

 

[brightspark]

think I have a 5 or a 6inch wheel on mine and its 1hp .adequate for just doing your own stuff

 

[MetalMonkey]

Thanks @Theblackbox - might need to do some plastics at some point but it would be a lot cheaper to just sling a new motor on it and be done.

No idea on the speed as I've never had it running due to lack of three phase, it will be whatever the factory speed is rated - the data plate doesn't give an clue and my google-fu hasn't dug up anything yet.
Motor is 1425rpm on a five inch pulley, not sure on the spindle as it is hidden in the head of the machine but it looks smaller I would guess around 3 inch or so. Could be around 4700 sfpm on an 8" or 5900 sfpm on a 10" but that is purely a guess.

 

[duncans]

don't forget to use a mask mate as when I used to polish milk churns etc on a 3hp 3phase double spindle free-standing machine we had ducting for extraction but you get black when you get in the shower you can see it going down plughole used to get all compound etc from Laycock's in Sheffield im not sure if it's still running as I was years back when I used to do polishing

 

[Wallace]

Black bogeys off the soap!

 

[brightspark]

the rpm will be stamped on the motor id plate

 

[MetalMonkey]

don't forget to use a mask

Point taken, but I have the feeling I might struggle with finding one at the moment!

the rpm will be stamped on the motor id plate

I have the motor speed, as posted above, problem is I don't know the spindle speed of the polisher which is what will give me the surface speed of the mops.
It is a belt and pulley drive so the spindle speed is increased over the motor speed. Unfortunately, it is inaccessible so I can't calculate by how much without stripping the machine apart.

 

[brightspark]

if u know the motor rpm its either 1450 ish or a 2800rpm just leave as is pulley wise and get another motor single phase .nothing else to alter

 

[MetalMonkey]

if u know the motor rpm its either 1450 ish or a 2800rpm just leave as is pulley wise and get another motor single phase .nothing else to alter

I think it depends a lot on what material is being polished and the size of mop selected. The machine can physically take a 10" mop, but it may have been set-up for only 8" mops (or even less), which is obviously quite a difference in surface speed. From what I can see, running a 10" mop on 3/4HP is going to be a real struggle.

If I am swapping in a new motor or a VFD to run it on single phase I really want to ensure I'm putting in something sufficiently powerful and that the resulting surface speed is going to be optimal - as now is the time to change it. I would hope that the original design would have taken all this into account, but then perhaps not if they come underpowered. The only reason I can think for this is they were predominantly sold to education, so perhaps they didn't want something that would mangle the children too badly.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Just done a quick unscientific test with a sharpie and it looks to be around a 1.875:1 ratio, so that would give a spindle speed of around 2700rpm which equates to ~ 7000SFPM on a 10" mop and ~ 5650 on an 8", if my maths is correct.

 

[duncans]

you can buy a motor and put omg forgot what they call them they go too near a point and you slide over the shaft of the motor and tighten with a grub screw that them

 

[gordon stephenson]

When I visited the guru of making stainless parts and polishing (Steve Lang, "Langy" RIP) he showed me his small dirty room, used for machining, grinding and polishing, His double ended polishing motor was very big, He said that you have to really buff hard and get good heat into the part for show quality results, And he definitely knew what he was talking about,

 

[MetalMonkey]

you can buy a motor and put omg forgot what they call them they go too near a point and you slide over the shaft of the motor and tighten with a grub screw thatView attachment 224487 them

Pigtails is what I think you are referring to. But I don't know why I would do this when I already have a buffer, unless I missing something?

This is the type of machine I have, not mine but near enough identical.

View media item 10705

 

[duncans]

good machine mate just remember will never be able to stop it you have to be very careful in no matter what your polishing because you know what will happen if you take your eyes off the ball a terrible accident that is same as I had mate

 

[gordon stephenson]

This is a chassis Langy was making up to his untimely demise, He also had an all stainless chassis.ready for his next build. Looked the dogs dangles, Great polished exhaust made from the sections that he used to import from the USA. He was the go to guy for the hotrod building community to get parts needed from America, He was not too far from Heathrow and told me he had up to £20,000 every week arriving,

 

[duncans]

a great job their mate