Thread: bench grinder

Any one have info on a different buffer from harbor freight? The one I was looking at from them was 3600 rpm and couldn't turn it down. I thought that was rather fast, has anyone had issues with that speed?

Nope, works just fine with 4in wheels. 6in wheels will heat up very fast.

Buff barehanded and quench in tumbler of water at the slightest feeling of heat. Once you feel heat, it will continue to heat quickly. Too hot and you will ruin the temper.

Castwell’s Plating sells all the wheels and compounds you will need and also has great tutorials.

There is also much written on buffing in the workshop forum.

Can’t beat the HF buffer, I have one and also a Baldor 1800 rpm that sells for almost 10 times the cost of the HF buffer, they both get exactly same results.

This is the buffer I got from harbor freight last night. They only have polishing compounds though and do not carry greaseless compound. I havent got a chance to add any of their product to the wheels yet but im thinking about hand sanding a lot of the major rust and then bringing it to the wheel with their polishing compound that says its for rust removal. The razor in the picture has very very little pitting so I think this process will be ok until I can get some greaseless compound. Currently the price of the stuff is more than what I paid for the buffer itself...

Put the spacer on the inside of the wheel. I make spacers from PVC pipe and a large washer, so the nut just screws on fully, hand tight, to get the wheel as far from the motor as possible and give you room to work.

Buy smaller wheels.

Don’t bolt the buffer to the bench. If you are moving the buffer, you are using way too much pressure.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Put the spacer on the inside of the wheel. I make spacers from PVC pipe and a large washer, so the nut just screws on fully, hand tight, to get the wheel as far from the motor as possible and give you room to work.

Buy smaller wheels.

Don’t bolt the buffer to the bench. If you are moving the buffer, you are using way too much pressure.

Great advice ! Thank you I'm glad to hear the wheels can be hand tight, I felt pretty silly not being able to figure out how to tighten them down more since the threads turn the same direction as the motor and no where to hold onto it. I got 6 in wheels because that's what harbor freight had nothing smaller I'll look elsewhere. Thanks again!