Thread: Bench grider for razors

Hi. Has anyone tried using a bench grinder fitted with some kind of soft wheels for razor making? I only ask as I already have a bench grinder and it could be a cost effective way to try my hand.

You can see undreams youtube videos he uses that type of setup for restores.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...rt-finish.html

I would assume you could do the same thing for shaping a blade but it would need to be a fairly aggressive paste I would think.

Thanks. I was thinking of some how attaching a sanding belt to my grinder on a soft wheel? May well be a stupid idea

Bench grinders usually run at 3400 to 3600 RPMs unless you get a variable speed setup. If running at ~3k RPMs do be careful. Everything happens much faster at that speed, some of which are throwing the blade and annealing the steel. That said, I do use a bench grinder for some work. While this place may not be feasible for you to purchase from you can see what is available: Buffing Polishing Supplies Buffing Wheels Compound Polishing Aluminum Polishing Kit - Caswell Inc.

As Joed said bench grinders move at a good speed, almost twice the speed necessary, but you can fix this by changing out the off/on switch with a rheostat also known as a dimmer switch. This way you can have a variable speed grinder, run it at full speed for the usual grinding chore or set it at half speed for razor buffing or grinding.

I'm not sure about what is what but from what I understand using a 4" wheel effectively slows the RPM of the buffer/grinder ? IOW, with a 6 or 8" wheel it would be effectively faster ?

My bench grinder actually runs at 1,425rpm so I may be on to something. On the link to casewells I saw some sanding drums, I could presumablly use something like this, though the largest one they do has a 2 inch diameter. Has any one seen these in larger sizes?

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I'm not sure about what is what but from what I understand using a 4" wheel effectively slows the RPM of the buffer/grinder ? IOW, with a 6 or 8" wheel it would be effectively faster ?

the rpm is the same but the surface speed is different. The surface speed is what really matters when buffing and grinding.

Originally Posted by mainaman

the rpm is the same but the surface speed is different. The surface speed is what really matters when buffing and grinding.

That is what I read. I had thought that the larger wheel would be 'slower' but it is just the opposite.

It is the same principle as car tires.. the revolution is the same speed but because there is more surface area to cover in that revolution. The larger the circle the faster the speed. That is why all those people who drive large lifted pickup or jeeps should have their speedometers re-calibrated.