Thread: Better than flap wheels?

I got a multi-grit kit (the smaller ones for the dremel) from Rio Grande jewelry supply back in the winter. The idea came from Bill Ellis CD. I wasn't so impressed, but maybe the big buffer-sized discs he showed work better? The little discs work well for the jimps, but seem too wimpy for the blade even when you stack a few of them on the mandrel. The trick is to let just the trailing edge hit the surface as this seems to get quicker results. Flap wheels IMHO still rule the roost when it comes to cleaning up the main blade.

-Steve

Originally Posted by Elspago

I got a multi-grit kit (the smaller ones for the dremel) from Rio Grande jewelry supply back in the winter. The idea came from Bill Ellis CD. I wasn't so impressed, but maybe the big buffer-sized discs he showed work better? The little discs work well for the jimps, but seem too wimpy for the blade even when you stack a few of them on the mandrel. The trick is to let just the trailing edge hit the surface as this seems to get quicker results. Flap wheels IMHO still rule the roost when it comes to cleaning up the main blade.

-Steve

I wonder how much speed (rpm's) comes into play here. With any grinding wheel you have an effective speed per application. You can sometimes get by without changing the speed of your tool but it will not be as effective as it would if you did. Sometimes fast just does not work, were slow has amazing results (and vs. vs.).
Sometimes not changing speed can be flat out hazardous. I've seen a guy loose his right shoulder from a large wheel blowing up due to not having changed the speed on the machine he was using. He was trying to make time by not slowing down the machine to accommodate the type of wheel he was using (I believe it was a large glass wheel).

Steve,

Thanks for your impressions; that's a little disappointing. I hope I didn't just waste $50...

Josh

Hey Josh, I just picked up Bill Ellis's restore CD (2007) and his using these exact smaller sized wheels for restore. He recommends them if the blade is not cleaning up after using a buff and Maas. He goes on to say,

"I cannot begin to tell you how invaluable these things are".

He uses the larger 6" wheels for the final finish to get those little grinding lines in the blade that come stock with most blades out of the factory.

Now you got me beat... I have to get me a set

BTW, it looks like he only uses one at a time on the mandrel.

Please post a review after you use them.

Originally Posted by Martlet

Please post a review after you use them.

+1

These are going to be my next purchase. I also want to get those little low grit sanders from Rio that Bill uses in the '07 restore CD. I did a review of the buff compounds (they work great I might add).

I'm about two months late with this, but I've finally had some time to try out these bristle discs.

Initially, I was very disappointed with them. After using flap wheels, they seemed really puny.

On further review, I'm glad I added them to my toolkit. They aren't as fast as flap wheels, and I wouldn't use them for heavy work. But for tasks like polishing a metal bolster or cleaning the shank of a razor between the scales, they are excellent.

Right now, I'm using one, two or three on the spindle at a time. I keep my Dremel set to one, so I'm not too worried about having an accident.

Yesterday I cleaned a razor that had some light water staining on the blade and lots of gunk on the bolsters. Maas took some of it off, but using a single bristle disc let me really clean the crevices nicely. On the blade I started with the 400-grit disc and finished with the 6 micron one. It didn't eliminate the water staining like flap wheels would have, but it was a gentle way to make the razor more presentable.

So my review: two cheers for bristle discs.

Josh

Where can one get Bill's CD?


Greg

www.billysblades.com

James.

Thanks, Jimbo!