I still HATE polishing

[Ian S C]

Afraid I tend to just go as far as Draw filing, sometimes bits get a polish up with wet and dry paper, but often, as long as the finish is not too bad, it gets left as machined, I'm more into getting things going, that to what it looks like.  Ian S C

[zeeprogrammer]

Fantastic! A very useful video for me. I really like seeing how it's done rather than a 'started with this', 'used that', 'got this'.

I was wondering too...the chuck does scare me at times...it's so easy to bang a knuckle (as I've done)...

I'd like to use that method but I'm thinking I would mount the wheel on a long bar, well away from the chuck. Use the tailstock on the other end . Maybe a thick rod threaded on one end and another thick rod with a threaded hole. Then pinch the wheel between them?

How much pressure is applied? Enough that the bar would likely bend on me?

[Mosey]

While you're at it, how about posting your idea of a proper polishing machine, and the names of those buffing wheels so we can go buy them. Is there an affordable machine on the market?
Of course, we could always get one of the numerous clapped out South Bend lathes with 1/8" of wear in the ways, to use for a polishing machine.
Mosey

[Jo]

I was wondering too...the chuck does scare me at times...it's so easy to bang a knuckle (as I've done)...

Zee,

Try mounting the pigtail in a 5C collet chuck rather than a three/four jaw SC chuck. They will give you a bit more clearance and they don't have the same sort of rough edges to catch yourself on  .

Jo

[fcheslop]

Don't you find buffing mops round the edges or is that just a case of me being kack handed
I prefer a satin finish or is that a case of I know when to quit

[zeeprogrammer]

Try mounting the pigtail in a 5C collet chuck

I've always wanted to use collets on my mini-lathe but have had little luck finding something that works.
Probably my lack of knowledge/understanding.
I'll have a look around again but if it looks a tad costly (and I tend to go whole hog) then I'll probably wait until I get my next lathe. Oh what a sweet day that will be. That day will be within thirty days of:
a) retirement (choice of 3 dates here...2 years, 6 years, or 10 years which is a clue to my age)
b) last home purchase (actually tied to retirement)
All subject to whim

[Bogstandard]

For a cheapo buffing machine, go onto Ebay and buy a cheap 8" double ended offhand grinder. This size machine will handle a 6" mop with not too much difficulty. A 6" grinder would do for 4" mops.

Next stop is Caswell. You need to go to there from your own country otherwise it just sends you to wherever you don't want to go.

US site (I think) - http://www.caswellplating.com/buffman.htm

It is really worth saving this site as a favourite, as it has a lot of tips on it as well as all their plating goodies as well.

From there buy one right hand and one left hand pigtails of the size of the shafts of your grinder. You may have to cut off the threads on the grinder shafts to get them to fit.

From the same place, you can buy all your wheels and buffing soaps. I would go for a 1/2" wide Sisal, 1/2" wide felt, and two 1" wide stitched to begin with. The soaps you buy are based on the materials you want to polish.



I think my whole set up was only just over 100 UKpounds.


John

[divided he ad]

There you go folks... The man who taught me has now taught you   

The Caswell plating site is a good source of info.... Bill, that's the link I was going to find     It tells you everything I could.


Just to clarify. As said, I no longer polish with the chuck. Here is a few pic's of the set up I use now.

Start with a MT3 soft blank taper.   


Shaped so that it will be strong and smooth. over to the mill to add a flat and a tapped hole for a grubscrew.


Drilled out for the pigtail. Fitted and then machined together and polished up a bit. 



Then a sleeve for the M40 thread.


A bit of smoothing out...
 

A lot safer than the chuck 






Sorry bout the massive pic's.... They're from my old stuff.


Answer to rounding edges.... The prep!
The better prepared the piece (finest flatting available) means you have to do very little work to get the part polished.

Trying to polish out machine marks or even scratches simply does not work!






Ralph.

[Captain Jerry]

I've got a simple rule for the shop.     If I hate it, I don't do it.  The museums don't care what I do.  They aren't interested anyway.

Jerry

[b.lindsey]

Thanks for the link Bogs and Ralph. While I don't polish many parts as per my previous post, I would like to be better at it for those parts that do look better polished so this has all been helpful!!

Bill

[Bogstandard]

Ralph has got it spot on there.

The job has to be as nearly smooth as the finished polished article. It shouldn't take more than a minute or so to polish up a small face or part.

You use the felt one I mentioned for aluminium, getting into those ogee and curved cuts along the edge of a job, but be careful, they can take off material faster than you can mill sometimes.


John

[Tennessee Whiskey]

Folks, redneck here. Lathes is fer turning and buffers is fer polishing. If'n you want to polish, use your off hand grinder or buffing motor with a mop or pad and some compound or soap which ever you call it. In restoring old cars I've found that polishing is a big old PITA, plain and simple. There are tricks,like mounting small parts to polishing boards, wet this, dry that and so on. Now do we really think that if we are gonna replicate the past in scale, that the builders of the originals spent this much time and effort on polishing; I doubt it ( besides being a lot bigger) If you want a museum piece,learn to buff and don't bitch, if you are recreating the past, work on machine finish and painting skills. The main thing I'm saying is; ENJOY YO' SELF, that's why we do this cr¥p. Tell 'em Tell, don't sweat the the small stuff.  OK this is my opinion and whilst I'd like fer it to be yours, if it ain't I still like ya anyhoo

Y'alls Redneck,
Eric

[GWRdriver]

Trying to polish out machine marks or even scratches simply does not work! - Ralph

Strewth.  A comment I read a number of times in old MEs over the years, not complimentary, and often attributed to judges at the IMEX . . . ."Highly polished, . . deeply scratched." 

[divided he ad]

Lathes is fer turning and buffers is fer polishing.

Dunno, lathe works pretty good 






Ralph.

[Bogstandard]

Eric,

EVERYONE to his own.

John