We all make mistakes when learning how to do things and Im glad you weren't seriously hurt. A decent sized buffing wheel can easily send a blade flying with enough power and velocity to cause serious bodily injury, and thus shouldn't be done, certainly not without something that seriously protects the person from the blade.

The error here wasn't destroying a nice Wade & Butcher - it was the risk of injury to you.

Also, being hard on yourself doesn't make sense. Part of the human condition is making mistakes.

I don't polish vintage blades for this reason. I'll bet some other members will have input on how do do this safely as we have a lot of folks that restore vintage blades.