Thread: Your buffer will kill you.

Originally Posted by Whiggamore

My own set-up is similar to this. It works just like it's supposed to. I see this kind of set-up for sale from $300 to $500 (or thousands, if you're into 'German engineering'). That's cheaper than a funeral is here.

I am afraid I am not sure whether the respirator is in the right place. When you buff the dust will be swung upward or downward beyond the reach of the slots of the respirator. Just take a piece of metal and grind some off in a way that you produce sparks. Check if the sparks are sucked up or not by your grinder.

IIRC Bill Ellis showed his equipement on SRP or B&B and he had his Hoover above the grinding wheel.

Just wanted to show why it is critical to wear a respirator and have some sort of dust collector. This is what my collector picked up in one morning of buffing. Raked 2 wheels, buffed one razor...

You don't wear a respirator and use a collector, this crap is all in your lungs. It's not the projectiles that kill you, it's the particulate matter.

I'm guessing you got yourself a wheel rake, and apparently you like to use it!

Originally Posted by Utopian

I'm guessing you got yourself a wheel rake, and apparently you like to use it!

I did get a rake... and it is a wonderful thing... but what is scary is how much of that junk is not from raking!

Oh man I hate raking. I don't open the door to upstairs for at least an hour after I rake, and I up my eye protection too (even with safety glasses you'll get dust in your eyes).

I set up shop in my parent's basement (I'm 19, so I feel no guilt, and my father already had a workshop down there [Mostly just for drilling/sanding/cutting... He does a lot of personal carpentry and DIY things, but is a computer guy by profession]) All it (my area of the workshop) consists of so far is a whole bunch of buffing compounds, a Baldor 114 buffer, a wall full of buffing wheels on pegs, and a Dremel with a ton of bits... Perfect for my needs.

No matter what I'm doing, greaseless/dremel grinding, polishing, buffing, sanding, or anything else with dremel/buffer (sometimes even with the hacksaw, depending on what I'm sawing) I wear safety goggles and a 3M respirator (with the replaceable double cannisters on the side... It's 18$ and worth every penny) and I'm looking in to a face-shield to go over the respirator (instead of goggles) for added longevity/safety.

I was astounded after first raking the wheels, first using the buffer, first time dremeling any material, how much debris all of this causes. The work shop has doesn't have outside ventilation, but for a small, unreachable window for light, so after every raking, buffing, or sanding, I always take a ShopVac (great little tools, in and of themselves!) with a long tube, a wand, and a wide, fanned end attachment, and first vacuum the air to collect as much of the floating stuff as possible, then the table under the buffer, then all the surfaces around it... There's so much fluff and tiny bits of everything.

It takes time, but, like the OP said, it saves lives. Good ventilation would be nice (Maybe a door leading outside... That would be awesome!) but for now, I make do with constant, thorough vacuuming, and never removing the respirator until all the dust has settled, or I've left the workshop.

Also: I don't wear gloves, because I want to be able to feel the temperature of the metal.. I keep my fingers on the back of the blade, so that, if it gets caught, it can't be flung down into my hand, and I have a good gauge on the temperature at all times. Good, thick boots are a MUST, and since I don't have a leather apron, I wear an old, thick leather jacket that I cut the sleeves off of (it's HOT down there!) to keep my stomach safe, and thick jeans for the legs... My arms always stay above the buffer/blade (which are at waist/rib level), so I don't worry about them too much.

A gem I got from a member here: A foam pad, or a small carpet square under your buffing area can be one of the best things ever. If a blade is caught and tossed to wood, it will likely break, if it's thrown to cement, you're almost guaranteed a break. If it lands on foam or thick carpet, that could be your saving grace. It's a little more difficult to vacuum, but, when it eventually happens (When, not if) and a blade is torn from your hand, it may just save your work... Every bit counts.

Also, Soemthing I saw at Lynn's that I copied... The work table that my buffer is screwed to is just a particle board... Very sturdy, and very ugly, so the gouges don't matter... I screwed two boards into it (about a foot and a half tall, and 8-12 inches wide) about 4 inches behind the buffer. When applying greaselss it helps keep the mess from shooting across the room... Also makes raking a little less messy (but not much) since it collects some of the heavier fibers.

That's about all I have. Hope it helps.

cheers,
Jeremy

When I get a buffer, I'll have to do it out doors.
Buff that is!

It took me a long time, but I've finally got a full blown dust collector set up for my buffer. I put in blast gates so that I'm only drawing from the wheel I'm using. Even when raking, my air is clear. I'm still going to hang an air filter above it but I'm very happy with it already.
I'm very happy with it!

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

... It's not the projectiles that kill you, it's the particulate matter.

Uh... what?

In my universe, a razor traveling at 70 ft/sec (caught on an 8" buff at 1000 rpm) is more than dangerous enough to kill you.

Inhaled particles can be nasty, yes, but anything capable of hurling blades at you demands respect.

Originally Posted by floppyshoes

Uh... what?

In my universe, a razor traveling at 70 ft/sec (caught on an 8" buff at 1000 rpm) is more than dangerous enough to kill you.

Inhaled particles can be nasty, yes, but anything capable of hurling blades at you demands respect.

Oh, I agree absolutely. I just wanted to emphasize the invisible danger-- I've talked to enough guys who have leather aprons, faceshields, and deadfalls but no respirator or dust collector to know that people are worrying about the projectile that can happen. What they are less concerned about is the microparticulate dust that will happen every single time you turn a buffer on... which I wanted to emphasize the danger of.