Buffing tools, equimpent and technique

[fender3x]

I wonder if a low cost right-angle chuck adapter bolted to the platform securely and raised to meet the press’s chuck would give you some more freedom of movement. That is, assuming the right-angle would be robust enough to withstand the forces involved, particularly with perhaps a longer shaft on the buffing wheels etc.

That would be a much simpler and less invasive solution. I did a quick search and so far have not identified "cheap:" and "robust" in the same package. The bolt I am using fits the buffing wheel well and just barely fits in the 1/2" (13mm) chuck...but... If I can find a suitable adapter. It would eliminate the potential for wear and tear on the drill-press's bearings as well. If I can find a cheap enough adapter, it wouldn't matter much if it wears out. Besides the strain on the right angle adapter at 600-750 rpms has to be pretty minimal.

Putting this on my shopping list ;-) Thanks for the suggestion.

[fender3x]

I bought a $25 right angle adapter that I think I should be able to bolt on to the drill press table. Not sure the chuck is large enough, but for $25 it's worth a shot...

[fender3x]

I cancelled the order for the right angle chuck. Reviews said it was flimsy and on closer inspection it was also too small. Meanwhile I had a small epiphany... All I need to do is loosen two 4mm Allen screws, and I can turn the drill press 180 degrees on it's stand. [Picture head slap here] That will allow the buffing wheel to be a few inches lower so that it easily accommodates the width of a guitar body. In theory if I put the press at the edge of the bench, it gives it quite a lot more room. It still pretty much limits me to 6 inch buffing wheels, but I don't really see that as a problem.

[fender3x]

I used some Brown (Tripoli) buffing compound on my tele body...and from what I read, it got it right where that rouge is supposed to get it: satin finish. HOWEVER, I then did some more reading. While there are people who use metal polishes on guitar bodies, I have now learned that there is some danger in using these rouges. They may work fine on really hard finishes like poly or nitrocellulose but may cause damage to oil or satin finishes. Also they may have solvents that could be a problem.

So... I decided to go with the "most luthiers" suggestion and get some menzerna polishes. I got P204 as a mid grade, to start with, and got some yellow P175 for final polishing. Now taking a bit of a pause for it to arrive.

This purchase is messing a bit with my "cheapness" project, since these compounds turn out to be a lot more expensive than what I was going to use. That said, while a bar of each is not cheap the two bars will (by one YouTube reckoning) do over 150 guitars....It'll be worth it if it speeds up my process and obviates the need for more sanding... ;-)

[Trevor Davies]

Is there really a cheapness project? But, Cheers for starting to prepare for your next 150 guitars

[fender3x]

Is there really a cheapness project? But, Cheers for starting to prepare for your next 150 guitars

I think I have given in to the notion that I am likely to keep at this, in spite of the intrusions from job and home-life ;-)

On the question of cheapness...there are a few principles I try to use. Some I learned from friends who were mechanics growing up in the middle of nowhere.

(1) Believe your senses. Try not to pay for the hype on expensive things. Recognize that the cheapest things may be junk. Price alone rarely tells you whether something is good quality or not. Ultimately your senses will tell you if a thing is good quality of not.

(2) It is generally cheaper in the long run to get the right, good quality tool, than to mess things up with the wrong, poor quality tool. A corollary is that in the long run you often find uses for good quality tools, and also get better at using them.

(3) Things you buy once and use frequently tend to be cheaper than cheap things that need to be frequently replaced. This is also true of time. Things that save you from large investments of time are generally worth the investment.

(4) Try to avoid buying things that are expensive and that you will not reuse.

(5) Figure out what you need before you figure out what it costs. Once you know what you need, start looking for the best price.

(6) Recognize and learn from mistakes purchasing the cheap items that turn out to be junk. Sometimes you get lucky. If you don't, don't throw good money after bad.

(7) Try not to make mistakes by purchasing an expensive item that turns out to be overhyped. Try to be as sure as possible that the thing you are buying is actually good before investing. Do some research.

(8) Bias toward fixing things rather than replacing them.

(9) Keep what you don't use. Reuse everything you can. Make jigs and testing devices out of leftover stuff. (Now you know why my jigs are so ugly ;-) ) Jigs are almost always worth the investment in time to make.

Looking at this list of rules of thumb... I am not sure whether the answer to your question (at least in my case) is yes or no. I think what is clearest is that my cheapness has resulted in quite an investment ;-)

[fender3x]

More to the point of this topic... (oops! Highjacked my own tread!)

I did a bit more digging. Menzerna has a lot of info on their website... Including something about how fast the buffing wheel should be turning. What you mostly see on the web is RPM...but that is misleading. My little 6" wheels are moving a LOT slower on the surface than the 12" wheels that SM and many others use. So it's kph or m/s (meters per second) that is most relevant. On my drill press the slowest speed is 620 rpm. That translates to about 5 m/s at the surface of the wheel. That means it should be safe to use between 750 and 3000 rpm with a 6" wheel. I'll still start at 620 RPM, but if it's not buffing well I may bump it up to a faster speed.

To give an equivalence, the SM buffing machine ($1000 US) turns 14" wheels at 720 RPM, which is about 13.4 m/s. The equivalent on my drill press with a 6" wheel is the medium speed of 1720 which produces 13.7 m/s. That said if I just bump my drill press to the 2nd slowest speed (1100 rpm), with a 6" wheel I get 8.8 m/s...still in the range that Menzerna likes but closer to the slowest speed.

I am no knocking the SM machine, which looks just great... But since $1000 will not be approved by my accountant/wife, If I end up using this a lot I may start looking for an old drill press I can cannibalize.