Thread: Need a Buffing Machine Recommendation Please

How did those restores go for you Glen. I'd like to see some of your work sometime. LOL. The Porter cable seems to work just fine. It is variable from 1750-3500 I believe. I am at work right now so I can't go look at it.

OK, just so it's here, I did the math. 1750rpm, 6in wheel = 32,986in/minute. 3450rpm. 4in wheel = 43,354in/min. 6in wheel, 3450rpm, 65,030in/min. I have one 1750, 6in pads. Glen's solution is cheaper, a tad faster, and god knows he has done more polishing this week than I have done in my lifetime, so my next machine will be a HF 3450. Glen, where do you get 4 inch pads?

I buy them at Home Depot, I have used the Sisal the Sewn and the Loose over time... I no longer use the Sisal at all, I use the Sewn on greaseless then loose on all the polishing compounds from there up... YMMV but that is where I am at right now..

TAKE YOUR TIME, READ ALL THE THREADS, BE CAREFUL, and WEAR FREAKING GOGGLES NOT GLASSES things we all have learned the hard way

AND,
please, wear a respirator. That stuff does not belong in your lungs. I have not been able to use my buffer for the past several months only because I no longer have a way to properly clean the air in the apartment in which we are temporarily living. This is despite having a respirator, a dust collector with collection ports behind my wheels, and a shop air filter. You don't want to live with the dust that comes off of your buffer.

I must be doing something wrong. I tried a 4" wheel on my 3600 rpm machine and still couldn't get the greaseless compound to apply well. I guess I'll have to invest in the lower machine afterall (or try the dimmer switch trick).

Originally Posted by diyguy

I must be doing something wrong. I tried a 4" wheel on my 3600 rpm machine and still couldn't get the greaseless compound to apply well. I guess I'll have to invest in the lower machine afterall (or try the dimmer switch trick).

Your doing something wrong... I don't know what because you haven't given me any info to try and help you...

However, if this is just a reason to buy a new machine, and justify it to the wife, I agree, it will never work

Thanks for the reply. I'd prefer not to buy a new machine if I don't have to - and use the saved money for other RAD stuff. :-) I put a brand new 4" cotton wheel (Ryobi) on the machine (also Ryobi). I had to cut the center of the wheel bigger to fit over the 5/8 arbor, but otherwise I am using a brand new wheel. I used a loose wheel, because I don't have sewn wheels in the 4" size. I then brought the machine up to full speed. I then bring the greaseless compound (Eastwood) to the wheel. Light pressure, hard pressure --- doesn't seem to matter. The compond gets thrown around my garage more then it sticks to the wheel. Makes a giant mess before I can even get started. Would a sewn wheel work better? Is cotton the right material? Do I need to treat the wheel somehow before application? Further thoughts?

My limited experience is that greaseless does not work on loose wheels. I think Harbor Freight has 4inch sewn wheels. Good luck!

loose wheels will be quite a bit more difficult to get the compound to adhere.. firmer is better... I am actually wondering, however, if maybe you aren't pressing into the wheel hard enough.. when I load mine up, sometimes I press hard enough to cause my motor to lag (a 1/2h motor).. the greaseless has to be warmed up from friction in order to adhere correctly... the other thing you could try doing is running the motor...and then turning off the motor, and then applying the greaseless as the wheel comes to a stop...and repeat until you have even coverage -- it can be easier doing it this way, and give you slower speeds during application.

Whenever I load up a brand new wheel, even firmer sewn wheels, it usually takes a while to get a good even cover... once you have good application and you let it dry out good, it becomes easier and easier to reload as time goes on.

Thanks guys. Turning the machine off and applying the compound as the wheel slows down (using the compound to stop the wheel even) seemed to do the trick, even on the loose wheel. I'm confident that once I get some 4" sewn wheels, the process wiill be quite smooth. Thanks for everyone's patience and sound advice.