Thread: 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.