Thread: what is the secret to applying greasless to a new wheel!?

Originally Posted by ShavedZombie

Here's my method: WARNING! IT IS MESSY (but then, with greaseless, it always is)

First of all, I give my buff wheel a HEAVY raking, which shoots cotton everywhere, then I give it a hair cut... A buzz cut actually, so it's all one short, uniform surface (probably about a half inch long)

From there, I get my greaseless out of the fridge. With the buffer running, I VERY gently push the greaseless against the wheel... Watch to see the color appear on the wheel, that means the tip of the greaseless is melting... I move the greaseless bar side to side to get an even coverage on the BAR (of melted material) then I push the greaseless into the wheel hard.. Hard enough to overpower the motor (I know this is bad for it, but I don't do it for more than a second or two)

My biggest problem is that, as the greaseless melts onto the wheel, it's spinning fast enough that it throws greaseless off, and creates an uneven, cracked surface... By doing it my way, and slowing the wheels speed with the greaseless, the pressure of the bar, and the slower moving wheel create a smooth, even surface. As soon as the bar starts to slow down and get a coat (about 2-3 seconds) turn the buffer off, then manually rotate the wheels AGAINST THE CAVITY in the bar... That way it smooths everything out even more.

I'll try to make a video, but that's how I do it.

Also, the more you use/load the wheel, the smoother it will get.

Good Luck!

I have the same Baldor, and I see no reason to do it like that. The buffer has an on/off switch, and it's there to be used. With the motor off, put the compound onto the wheel. Use a bit of pressure (you'll have to try to see how much works). Flip the switch on and off. You'll have to play with the on duration and the off duration to keep the wheel moving at the speed you want. If you do it right, the wheel will spin slowly, the compound will load up evenly, no compound will get thrown off, and you don't have to stall the motor - greaselesse IS NOT always messy; it need not be. You're working at low speeds, so it's safe; if the bar grabs, drop it. If the motor spins too fast, shut it off (one hand will always be on the off switch).

If you want to slow a motor or stall it, it makes much more sense to start with the motor off and the compound against the wheel as opposed to running the wheel full speed and then jamming something up against it. But you don't need to stall the motor anyway.

Always wear safety glasses. A face shield will help. A hat keeps it out of your hair. Stand out of the line of the wheel, so you don't throw compound on yourself if it does get thrown off the wheel, and don't stand under the wheel in case you do drop the compound (I never have, but I guess it's possible).

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I have the same Baldor, and I see no reason to do it like that. The buffer has an on/off switch, and it's there to be used. With the motor off, put the compound onto the wheel. Use a bit of pressure (you'll have to try to see how much works). Flip the switch on and off. You'll have to play with the on duration and the off duration to keep the wheel moving at the speed you want. If you do it right, the wheel will spin slowly, the compound will load up evenly, no compound will get thrown off, and you don't have to stall the motor - greaselesse IS NOT always messy; it need not be. You're working at low speeds, so it's safe; if the bar grabs, drop it. If the motor spins too fast, shut it off (one hand will always be on the off switch).

If you want to slow a motor or stall it, it makes much more sense to start with the motor off and the compound against the wheel as opposed to running the wheel full speed and then jamming something up against it. But you don't need to stall the motor anyway.

Always wear safety glasses. A face shield will help. A hat keeps it out of your hair. Stand out of the line of the wheel, so you don't throw compound on yourself if it does get thrown off the wheel, and don't stand under the wheel in case you do drop the compound (I never have, but I guess it's possible).

I had tried jockying the switch like that, and could never get a good coverage doing that... Then it blew my circuit breaker. Not sure how or why, but it did.

Although the eyeshield/facemask is a good idea. I wear safety goggles and a respirator, and I'm looking into getting a clear mask from my grandfather (it's not necessary to have a full facemask, but it would be helpful.)

And this stuff is murder on long hair >.<

I'll give jockeying the switch another try, but so far my method works fine... although I do like the starting with the bar against rather than ramming it... I'll give that a go too.

Thanks, Dylan... Again

Yea, I forgot about the respirator. I run my buffer in my basement, which is sealed up. I don't go down there without a respirator anymore.

I don't know much about electric stuff, but I would guess the buffer draws the most current when it's starting up, because it's doing the most work while accelerating. That may be why it blew your breaker. That actually suggests to me that you should look into your wiring if you're gonna run power tools on that circuit.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Yea, I forgot about the respirator. I run my buffer in my basement, which is sealed up. I don't go down there without a respirator anymore.

To follow up on this: It's worth getting one of the 18-30 dollar ones at home depot with the rubber mouth/nose cover, and the replaceable "cannisters"... There's a lot of metal dust and particles, not to mention tons of fabric from raking the wheels... Those little "swine flu" masks don't quite cut it in my mind.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Yea, I forgot about the respirator. I run my buffer in my basement, which is sealed up. I don't go down there without a respirator anymore.

I don't know much about electric stuff, but I would guess the buffer draws the most current when it's starting up, because it's doing the most work while accelerating. That may be why it blew your breaker. That actually suggests to me that you should look into your wiring if you're gonna run power tools on that circuit.

Well, I haven't had any problems since adopting the new method, but I'll mention it to my father... Worth being safe.

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