# buffer speed



## sbwertz (Jul 31, 2011)

I'm setting up a buffing station with a motor and a jackstaff.  I have two motors, one 3400 one 1700 rpm.  I have two pulleys for the motors, two inch and 4 inch.  The mandrel has a 2" pulley.

Right now I have it set up with the two 2" pulleys on the 3400 rpm motor.  Is this OK?  I have no idea what speed to run buffing wheels.  I can change to the slower motor and reduce the rpms to 1700.  My wheels are 8" buffing wheels.


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## Chthulhu (Jul 31, 2011)

Sharon, what *kind* of buffing wheels? There are many different types, and they can run at various speeds. Usually the wheel or its packaging will be marked with the maximum RPM it can handle.

If you put the 2" pulley on the 3400 RPM motor shaft and the 4" pulley on the wheel mandrel, it will turn at 1700 RPM; slower is better until you know! 

I did some looking, and it appears that the majority of common 8" wheels will handle 3400 RPM; just don't put the 4" pulley on the drive (motor) side of the system and you won't exceed that. Use two 2" pulleys and you're at 3400 RPM; use a 2" on the motor and a 4" on the wheel shaft and you're at 1700 RPM.


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## sbwertz (Aug 1, 2011)

I can't change the 2" pulley on the mandrel.  I can put either a 2 or 4" pulley on either the 1700 or 3400 motor.  One motor had a 4" and the other had a 2" pulley, and I can interchange the pulleys on the motors because they have the same size arbor, but the mandrel has a 2" pulley and a different size arbor.  I would have to buy a different pulley to put on the mandrel.  So I can run at 3400 rpm with one motor and the 2" pulley, or put the same 2" pulley on the other motor and run at 1700 rpm.  My buffing wheels are rated for 3400 rpm max.  I just don't know whether 1700 or 3400 rpm works better for buffing pens and other turnings.



Chthulhu said:


> Sharon, what *kind* of buffing wheels? There are many different types, and they can run at various speeds. Usually the wheel or its packaging will be marked with the maximum RPM it can handle.
> 
> If you put the 2" pulley on the 3400 RPM motor shaft and the 4" pulley on the wheel mandrel, it will turn at 1700 RPM; slower is better until you know!
> 
> I did some looking, and it appears that the majority of common 8" wheels will handle 3400 RPM; just don't put the 4" pulley on the drive (motor) side of the system and you won't exceed that. Use two 2" pulleys and you're at 3400 RPM; use a 2" on the motor and a 4" on the wheel shaft and you're at 1700 RPM.


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## rherrell (Aug 1, 2011)

1750 is the speed I use. You run a greater risk of burning through a CA finish at the higher speeds.


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## Chasper (Aug 1, 2011)

1700 will work better than 3400.  But it is still a little too fast.

Use cotton wheels with either no stitching or a single ring of stitching.


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## Don Wade (Aug 1, 2011)

I use a buffer on larger object such as bowls and vessels.  I use as a last stage, carnuba wax.  It requires a high level of heat to melt and be effective so I use the high speed on the buffer.  3700 rpm I think.


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## louie (Aug 1, 2011)

from their online buffing manual, www.caswellplating.com :

BUFF RUNNING SPEEDS

For best results your wheel should maintain a surface speed of between 3600 & 7500 Surface Feet Per Minute. (SFPM). The higher your speed, the better and quicker your results.

Formula for calculating surface speed of wheel in SFPM.
SFPM = 1/4 x diameter of Wheel x RPM (revs of spindle per min.)


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## Chthulhu (Aug 1, 2011)

sbwertz said:


> I can't change the 2" pulley on the mandrel.  I can put either a 2 or 4" pulley on either the 1700 or 3400 motor.  One motor had a 4" and the other had a 2" pulley, and I can interchange the pulleys on the motors because they have the same size arbor, but the mandrel has a 2" pulley and a different size arbor.  I would have to buy a different pulley to put on the mandrel.  So I can run at 3400 rpm with one motor and the 2" pulley, or put the same 2" pulley on the other motor and run at 1700 rpm.  My buffing wheels are rated for 3400 rpm max.  I just don't know whether 1700 or 3400 rpm works better for buffing pens and other turnings.



If there's room on the 1700 RPM motor's shaft, mount a 2" and a 4" pulley there. Then you can choose 1700 or 3400 at the wheel just by moving the belt.


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## moke (Aug 1, 2011)

Sharon, 
I was given a 3400rpm buffer. I have tried with several types of buffing pads including Cantons, I had problems with it continually, I abandoned it a long time ago. The speed just makes it too aggressive. I purchased a second slow speed buffer (1750) and have had very little problems. Maybe it was just me, but I had very limited success at the higher speed.


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## Whaler (Aug 1, 2011)

I use the Beale system on my lathe and run it at about 1200 and it works great for me.


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## KenV (Aug 1, 2011)

Sharon -- my observations is that the higher the speed, the higher the need for skill, and the greater the risk if you are a bit shy on the skill.  

I have little skill with polishing (mostly because I do not do it enough to get the practice to develop and keep the skill)  and opt for slow and careful --  I also get fewer flying objects to recover and try to repair.

Note that you need to be careful not to cross contaminate your wheels.  A pro can rake and change grits (eats up buffing wheels faster) , but most of us occasional buffing folks just change wheels.   

All of the compounds are a mix of grit sizes, and as you pay more you will tend to get better constitency of grit sizes in a coumpound.  Better to purchase from a specialty house like caswell than the hardware store or Harbor Freight for quality.


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## Fred (Aug 1, 2011)

*Fuzzy and Dusty wheels ...*

To clean your buffing wheels get yourself a fine bristled steel brush, like the one many folks use to clean cement, carefully and briefly hold it to the wheels as they spin. Get ready for a face full of the "fuzzies" when you do this as the wheels are shredded a little bit and the stuff goes everywhere ... unless you have some way of putting a vacuum cleaner hose at the brush while you preform the cleaning operation.

Buffing wheels that are stitched do not seem to do the same soft polishing as those wheels that are not stitched ... I use the unstitched Beall style wheels and have one dedicated to each buffing compound to avoid cross contamination.

Muslin, cotton, flannel, wool wheels, etc. all have their own use and the results vary. I like to use the softest wheels I can buy. Also, I buff with the tubed wood parts mounted to a pen mandrel still on the bushings, but adjust the brass knob so they are just loose enough to spin. I hold the mandrel to the area just below center (waist) level and at an angle until the wood parts spin. Varying the angle will vary the speed of the spinning. DO NOT BUFF THE METAL PARTS unless you just want to remove the plating and get to bare metal quickly.

The faster the wheels turn the "harder" the surface becomes, quite often slower is better ... it just depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

I buff on a lathe that has variable speed control so I use whatever speed seems to suit me at the time ... I hate fiddling around adjusting pulleys when I have so many things and other stuff to fiddle with. (Dang, we need to be designed with three, maybe four hands! Eyes in the back of our heads would be good too!)

Have fun and experiment as see what the different results are. :biggrin: Just avoid any catches as that mandrel can and does fly quite well into glass windows or through walls ... no pictures please! A folded over towel under the turning area may be a nice landing pad just in case you do have a catch. Just keep the towel a long, long way from the spinning buffing wheels.


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## JimB (Aug 1, 2011)

If you go to the Beall site they recommend a slow motor 1725 RPM for 8" wheels for all buffing steps. If you are using smaller wheels or their bowl buffs they recommend the higher speed. They also have videos on buffing to help you out.


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## NewLondon88 (Aug 1, 2011)

sbwertz said:


> , but the mandrel has a 2" pulley and a different size arbor.  I would have to buy a different pulley to put on the mandrel.



I just picked up a couple of pulleys at the hardware store, they were $6 ea.


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## DozerMite (Aug 1, 2011)

With opinions, comes inaccuracy. :wink:


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## Chthulhu (Aug 1, 2011)

DozerMite said:


> With opinions, comes inaccuracy. :wink:



What I get a kick out of is the way the topics here always drift so far away from the original questions.


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