Need input on this buffer(Foredom)

The link is in Swedish but here it is:
Polermaskin

2400 kr isn't a small amount of money so I'd like to make sure it's money well(ish) spent before I go all out.

It's a variable speed buffer, that's good?
The store is in Stockholm so maybe I wont have to pay for any shipping if I can pick it up myself, that'd be great.

What concerns me is that it says that it can't use any wheels larger than 100 mm, is there any real reason for this or is it just that it's so small that the wheels would hit the table if you used the bigger ones and if that's the case you could bypass that problem mounting it on a block of wood or something?

Looks pricey to me. My logic would be to see how many different polishing wheels are available for it, and how much they each cost.

I went with a simple $150 Craftsman from Sears. From my experience there isn't a heck of a lot of difference between others I've tried.

I've only seen Foredom in handpieces used by jewelers, watchmakers and such. It is a high end professional quality item and the dremel is similar but more for the home hobbiest. So I cannot read the ad but looking at it I wonder if it isn't geared toward watchmakers and jewelers that use smaller wheels for the fine work they do ?

That is a very small unit and best serves the Jewelery and Watchmaking trades. It is a high quality unit. My Foredom flex shaft is going on to 50 years with only the inner shaft and brushes being replaced.
A call to a local Jewelry trade school would give a few more options that are larger and would suit your voltage and usage. We had buffers up to 8"/200mm in our College Shop. A four inch 100mm to 6 inch/150mm would be the most useful for a razor restorations usage.
That is my opinion, list \en to others and make up your mind then.
~Richard

I have been using a small 1/5 hp variable speed bench grinder as a buffer. What I like is I can slow it down on hollow razors and work on them with less heat. Now I don't use it instead of hand sanding at lower grits but it sure helps towards the end of the process.

10Pups, your post gave me an idea.

I have access to an old wood lathe, I think it's my mom's, would this be a good temporary buffer if I mounted a spindle on it.

You mean temp buffer ? Just watch the max. amount of rpms your wheels will take no matter what you spin them with. And make sure anything you rig up is safe and won't come flying at your face. The only other thing I could think of would be , do you have room to maneuver safely.

Which ever you select. Be careful when you use it. Not only because of the blade flying off and hitting you but because of how brittle the metal really is in a razor. If it flys off and hits anything, you're out a blade.

Yes, temp buffer.
Good catch on the wheels' max rpm, I had honestly not considered that that might be an issue.
I'm thinking I could either clear out some space in the garage or buff out in the yard behind the garage.

I knew a guy who sold used tobacco pipes and buffed them on a drill press. He either ran the wheels too fast, or used too much pressure because he would lose the nomenclature stamped on the pipe. I imagine the lathe would be a good way to go if you could control the speed. Slower is better AFAIK. Worth it to experiment and report back. Especially if you have a blade or two that are expendable in case it doesn't work out. :gl:

I'll go take a look at it tomorrow, I have a handful of junk blades lying around but I think I'll wait a month or two until spring starts approaching since it's not very fun to work outside when you only have a few hours of sun.

PM randydance062449 - he has a mini-lathe set up that works really well. There is a thread somewhere here that shows it.

Did dome digging and found 'em, thanks.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...ng-razors.html
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...-finished.html

Dig a little deeper, or PM Randy. He also has one he made for his mini lathe. He uses wood discs, wrapped with double sided tape, and then sandpaper. I have something similar, but his is better. I used 3/8th threaded rod. 1/2 would be better. Drill a small hole in one end to fit the live center. Chuck the other end in a drill chuck. Install the wood discs between 1/2 inch nuts. Sorry, no photo - and it's buried under several projects I'm working on.

Found it!
razor-restoration-sander
Enjoy, it works well!
~Richard

I just sent a pm to randydance.
Well, here's what I'm working with, I think it could do.
Pics:

Attachment 150245
Attachment 150246
Attachment 150247
Attachment 150248

It will do very nicely! Plenty of length and that is a very nice positive!
That spud/driver is removable.
You may find a taper shank adapter at a machine tool supply house:

~Richard

Hello :)

May I suggest that you first decide if you want to buff or sand. The sanding requires a much lower RPM...approx 400 rpm. Using 800 rpm might will be a challenge for sanding.

When your restoring a 9/16" German hollow ground blade ( bi-concave) the max sanding wheel diameter/size is about 1.75 inches. That is what will fit into the top hollow grind of the blade.

For the sake of simplicity of construction and the variability of speed selection and the ease of use I have decided that the tapered spindle approach is best.

Look at Charlie Lewis ( Spazola) setup here.......

Buffing Setup - YouTube

and mine...........

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...-finished.html

Please note that to obtain a lower speed you will need a larger pulley on the shaft or a slower motor like 800 rpm instead of 1750.

Using a wood lathe requires more tooling ($) for the live center in the tailstock, a drill chuck or 3 jaw check in the headstock and the shaft must be reamed/bored on one end for the fit onto the tailstock. It is also advisable to mill a flat on the shaft so that set screws can be installed to hold the wheel in place on the shaft or use collars with set screws to hold the sanding wheel in place. You will also have to have the tools to make a round wheel that is bored out to fit your shaft. That will require that you have access to a metal lathe and the proper measuring, cutting and boring tools ( and skills to use them).
I will have to take some pics of my latest wood lathe setup to show you this if you wish.

Please remember that all of the above is about sanding, not buffing.
If you are going to buff with the above tapered spindle/shafts do not use wheels larger than 4" ( 100 mm) or centrifugal force will become a very serious problem. Keep the speed of the shaft at 1750 or slower if your using the extended/tapered shafts.

I'm more interested in buffing but I wouldn't mnd seeing some pictures.