Is there a dimmer switch for a buffer to reduce the 3400 RPM's ?
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Is there a dimmer switch for a buffer to reduce the 3400 RPM's ?
Yes it is called a smaller wheel :)
Most buffers either have a speed control on them or they can't use one, it has to do with the type of A/C motor it is,, if you put a dimmer switch on most buffers you are just going to burn it up..
here is the long answer
Can I put a variable speed control on any motor? - Yahoo! Answers
IIRC I saw an HF buffer in your last thread here is info about it specifically
http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.ht...&f=5&t=1073257
HF has a cheap one with variable Speed and the customer reviews say Dont Buy It !. The only other Vaiable speed ones I saw were more then I wanted to spend. I am getting smaller wheels with the 3400 RPM one Im going to buy. So if it is a six inch buffer with say 3450 speed, is that the speeds of the six inch wheel
or the spindle ?
3450 is the revolutions per minute of the motor shaft, and yes technically that's also the RPM of the wheel. But it's not the Surface Feet Per Minute of the abrasive that's attached to the wheel. I still have trouble doing the math for that. And everybody talks in rpm anyways. Here's a link. Surface feet per minute - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Doesn't really look complicated, but it's hard for me to remember it. And as before, everyone usually talks in RPM anyways. Such as, get the 1750 rpm one instead of the 3450 rpm one. If you use the higher rpm, use smaller wheels(3-4 inch)
Formula math is not hard but...
If it says 3450 RPM with the 6 inch buffer I still would need to know if that 3450 is the RPM of the spindle or the 6 inch wheel. If it is of the spindle the I could use the formula but I doubt it is of the spindle because then any size wheel would be spinning way too fast for a buffer. So If I ASSume the 3450 is of the outside diameter of the 6 inch wheel, then yes a 3 or 4 inch wheel would spin slower, but what do I know, Im just a newbie !
Formula for calculating surface speed of wheel in SFPM.
SFPM = 1/4 x diameter of Wheel x RPM (revs of spindle per min.)
Rated speed on the buffers is rated as Spindle speed...
Examples of common buffers we use
.25 x 4 x 3450 = 3450 sfpm
.25 x 6 x 3450 = 5175 sfpm
.25 x 6 x 1725 = 2587sfpm
.25 x 8 x 1100 = 2200 sfpm
Dremel
.25 x 1 x 10k = 2500 sfpm
Caswells will also have the most effective application sfpm rate for many of their polishes being used on different metals,
sfpm + pressure + time = heat keep in mind that the grit and media being used changes the equation also...
Well that formula is even easier to understand but maybe Im being dense because I am not sure it answers the question of the RPM's that the manufacturer of the Bench Buffer is giving you in the specs. 6 inch buffer with 3450 RPM.
Do I go .25 x 6 x 3450 = 5175 ??? isnt that way too fast for a buffer ?
You can find some great info here http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/images/Buffbook.pdf - see page 5.
Ok, you can doubt it all day if you want. I already told you it is. :)Quote:
If it is of the spindle the I could use the formula but I doubt it is of the spindle
Im getting a spindle headache !
@mcpell
Thanks. I already bought 4 inch wheels there. I downloaded the file and read it through.
This seems to be a good rule of thumb and easy to figure but my numbers are larger.
Circumference X RPM = surface speed [Changing from inches to feet divide by 12.]
3.14 X diameter = circumference
3.14 X 6 X 3450 / 12 = 5416.5 sfpm
By your example it is 5175 sfpm.
But is a 6 inch buffing wheel not 6 inches in actual use?
Tim
Why did I read all this ? Oh yeah the variable speed control. **makes note...forget it.****
Not sure I understand you confusion: if the spindle rotates at 3450 RPM, and the wheel is attached to the spindle, then obviously the whel also turns at 3450 rpm :) The diameter of the wheel does not have anything to do with it unless you want to know how fast the wheel surface is rubbing over your blade. In that case you need the formulas.
For razors, it is better to go as slow as feasible initially, because buffing generates heat, and something as thin as a razor blade heats up awfully quickly.
The calculation that 32t uses is the one I learned a number of years ago. I agree with that.
What you really need is the SFPM to compare different size buffs & rpms.
But to the original question..... I have never tried a Variac but I know that a dimmer type control nor a router speed control will usually not work. However, using a 3 step pulley will give a good speed range and using two of the 3 step pulley system , one on the motor and one on the arbor shaft will give a broad range of speeds. Combine that with different size buffs and you will find the sweet spot of speed when using a 1750 rpm motor.
Hope this helps :)
@Bruno, My confusion was I thought the RPM's were based of the size Buffer you are buying. Like if you buy 6" buffer the RPM's were based on the diameter of the wheel. I now see that s not so and understand what is being said here.
@Randydance
Are pulleys and pulley driven spindles available for purchase ? So you put a pulley on the buffer motor and run belt driven buffing wheels?
I feel another formula coming.......
I have used Variacs on many motors,without capacitor start,they work,With capacitor start,I do not know.
Take a look at this setup of mine. Just imagine that the motor also has a 3 step pulley.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/randyda...th/8017361174/
Does anybody have a pic using pillow blocks? I have not built mine yet.
Very nice but theylook like vintage pulleys. Are they ? Where did you acquire them?
Also look like way more $$ then I want to spend.
Outdoors is nice. I will be using a large cardboard box to catch all the fly !
The arbor assembly is vintage,yes. You would use pillow blocks instead. The pulleys.... it does not matter if they are new or old.
What would be difficult to find is the shaft. That one was custom made by Geezer.
You could probably pick up a shaft from MSC, plus some collars to hold the buff in place or do it like Charlie Lewis (Spazola) has done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdOV5ktMt94
Actually, I have used Charlies setup and it works very well. Changing the buffing wheels is very quick and easy.
Please note that he is using pillow blocks, and a 3 step pulley on both the buffing shaft and the motor. With his setup you also have a lot of clearance for the razor.
Hope this helps :)
Really neat stuff. I'll look into it about 50-100 razors from now.
Im just happy to be getting my buffer and all the wheels and all the compounds. Have to open everything in the garage and haul it into my set up in the basement (steps are in the garage). I have about a dozen razors waiting. Will push the Drill Press Dremel to one side. Think I'll make a stand for it and attach it to the bench on one side. That way I can sit on the stool and work. Like I said earlier will try a large cardboard box at the buffer to catch everything. I do have a fire extinguisher down there :)
I think so ! I am happy for the Shaving Den Pictures ! I show them to my wife to see that I am not the only one!
She just looks, shakes her head, and walks away.:rock:
I havnt told her yet but she's aware of the Excessive Compulsive stuff :rofl2:
Can Greaseless Compound that has gotten hard be salvaged ?
It sucks up the water ?
Yes it does
Storing Greaseless..
Take an airtight Tuperware conatiner that can hold all your open Greaseless tubes, use a folded up piece of plastic to cover the tubes and leave them in the Tuperware when not in use..
This keeps them perfectly, almost like a Cigar humidor, and now for the real trick, for the inevitable mistake of leaving one tube out or leaving the top off the container :p Just wet a washcloth wring it out until damp, and toss that on top of the plastic, come back in a day or two, the washcloth will be dry and your Greaseless will be fine..
I only use that trick for problems, I have never tried it long term...
Every time I try to save some $ it goes in my face. I bought three tubes 80, 120, 320, from a guy on EBAY. ( I bought the rest from Caswell) The EBAY guy said they have been refrigerated. Came hard as a rock, all three. A hammer would bounce off ! He refunded my $. So if I can salvage some I guess I should send him the shipping $ back ? Once they get soft will they stay that way if I store them as you say ? What do you think ?
Re the Caswell link that was posted. Thanks. I didnt know there were only two safe spots to hold your work on a wheel, about 4 oclock & 8 oclock. When I look at the wheel and its direction it makes perfect sense. Dont want to learn that one the hard way. Can you just see a straight razor sticking out of someones forehead ?
I learned about handling the Greaseless from a friend. he did not store his in a frig. he took a aluminum pie plate, put paper towels on the bottom, added some water, then stood the open end of the bar on the damp paper towel. It worked. The greaseless stayed soft. Glens method is a better way, no evaporation.
At RegularJoe:
I wasn't challenging your statement. Sometimes I think out loud. Bad Habit !
I have had one standing up in 4 inches of water and nothing, still hard as a rock. I'll try cutting the hard end off with a saw and put it back in the water.
Just curious, how long has it been in the 4" of water?
and the package is open on one end I assume. Just checking.