Good vintage benchtop buffers?

[pendragon1998]

I have a couple of block grinders, but I need something for polishing. What sorts of vintage buffers are good to look out for?

 

[drivesitfar]

Pend: depends on what you are buffing and how many hours you might need to leave the machine on per day. i'd highly recommend Baldor and a good 8 inch with either a 1750 or 3600 rpm and 3/4 HP is a good start. if you are doing some small parts and not too often most any old grinder will work especially with extensions on the arbors.

I still need to work on which compounds and what wheels to use for different items so wondering if there is a thread that mentions this or should somebody start one. also including wire and other types of wheels too because nothing better than the right tool for the right job.

 

[bczygan]

I have a couple of block grinders, but I need something for polishing. What sorts of vintage buffers are good to look out for?

Baldor, of course, but the true buffer, not grinder with buffs on it.

Setco:

Hammond:

Queen City:

Etc.

Bill

 

[2oolhound]

Download the buffing and polishing booklet here:

http://www.caswellcanada.ca/shop/downloads-amp-links.html

 

[pendragon1998]

Pend: depends on what you are buffing and how many hours you might need to leave the machine on per day. i'd highly recommend Baldor and a good 8 inch with either a 1750 or 3600 rpm and 3/4 HP is a good start. if you are doing some small parts and not too often most any old grinder will work especially with extensions on the arbors.

I really don't need it for a ton of production work. I just have the odd small parts on stuff I'm restoring that I'd like to polish up. I'm actually making do pretty well between a drill chucked in my vise and my bench grinder, but it's always more fun to have a dedicated old machine.

Is a 1750 motor or a 3650 better for buffing?

 

[ssdave]

I really don't need it for a ton of production work. I just have the odd small parts on stuff I'm restoring that I'd like to polish up. I'm actually making do pretty well between a drill chucked in my vise and my bench grinder, but it's always more fun to have a dedicated old machine.

Is a 1750 motor or a 3650 better for buffing?

It depends on the size of wheels. Each type of wheel and buffing compound has a recommended surface speed, and the diameter of the wheel and the speed of the motor determines what the surface speed is.

 

[Shiftless]

Dave is right. Each task has its own specs to follow if you expect top notch work.

 

[ssdave]

Here's a reference on buffing speeds if the quality will make it readable:

 

[Corndoggeh]

You can't beat a true buffer so you may end up paying a fair chunk of change. HOWEVER, If you can look and see if any dental labs are going out of business. The dental lathes 95% of labs use are made by baldor or another company that is nearly equal in quality, big beefy wires and durable enough that the ones I worked with had already been going on 25+ years, and were talking about being exposed every day to fine pumice grains that could tear up bearings.

EDIT: I took a quick look on ebay and looks like a Baldor dental lathe can be had for about ~$100.

 

[Carla]

I really don't need it for a ton of production work. I just have the odd small parts on stuff I'm restoring that I'd like to polish up. I'm actually making do pretty well between a drill chucked in my vise and my bench grinder, but it's always more fun to have a dedicated old machine.

Is a 1750 motor or a 3650 better for buffing?

Actually, there is quite a traditional sub-culture of those who do wheel-polishing, with many differing opinions and techniques, all of which are useful for differing types and classes of this work.

Within that, the obvious distinction might be between 'professional' workers in the field, and 'amateurs' or 'hobbyists'.

If one is 'professional', the investment in heavy, powerful four-bearing buffers and a great variety of buffs of varying resiliencies and grits is essential to doing high-quality finish work conveniently, and in reasonable time.

I've done polishing for a great many years, the now, but really on just an 'amateur' level.
I use only a basic 3/4hp 3450 Baldor two-bearing buffer, carrying 8" wheels, and a few light small 1/4 and 1/3hp. grinders of various makes, both 1725 and 3450, carrying 6" wheels, or carrying a drill chuck for smaller mounted bobs. I think this equipment has been adequate for small-parts work at the 'amateur' level.

I've used the 'polish-o-ray' abrasives sold by Brownells, which have worked well for me.

With small re-purposed grinders, I personally prefer 1725 rpm, and either 6" or 8" wheel diameter, for delicate work.

For 'really delicate' work, I use a 1950's Delta 'high speed' drill press, which has a 12000 max spindle speed, with tiny mounted bobs. One must use such a setup ever so carefully, with a very minimum of side-loading on the spindle, as drill presses are intended for axial loading only. Used carefully, this works well.

cheers

Carla

 

[DWise]

I downloaded a pdf file sometime back that is "Caswell An Introduction to Buffing and Polishing". If you do a search for this title, it will give you a site to download.