A couple of questions

[CosmicNacho]

Hi, ive got a couple of questions id like advice on. Any help appreciated.

Firstly, i almost bought a buffing system a few weeks ago, mainly for my pens. I wasnt prepared to pay the proce of the chestnut one but saw a cheaper one at about £27, however, i wondered if i could make my own cheaper, or even better.
Has anyone made there own up easily enough? I have an old grinder i could use or is it better on the actual lathe?

Secondly, ive been going to make my own cole jaws for a while now but after making a bowl recently and not realising until sanded up and finished that its almost through on the bottom, ive decided to go for it and make a set, i wondered if anyone knew the screw type off hand of the record power g3 chuck as i will need to get some longer ones for this.

Thanks in advance, look forward to hearing your replies

 

[Dalboy]

I have the chestnut one and although it is a little dear is a very good system, having said that I would not use it on pens as the finish will not last too long especially if it is a very well used pen. There are so many products on the market that people use but personally I always use BLO/CA finish on mine.

Can't help with the other question

 

[marcros]

i was researching this last night actually. it seems that people do make their own for the lathe, securing a piece of threaded rod between the chuck and a live centre. The buffing wheels are then secured using washers and nuts. I have seen suggestions of anything from 8mm rod to 3/4". The idea is that you mount all 3 wheels on the lathe at the same time. for buffing pens, this would work well- you don't need much space. As Dalboy says though, it would need to be a buff, rather than a finish in itself.

I actually like the idea of the chestnut system, and the single wheel mandrels, and am somewhat undecided what to go with.

 

[CHJ]

Hi, ive got a couple of questions id like advice on. Any help appreciated.

Firstly, i almost bought a buffing system a few weeks ago, mainly for my pens. I wasnt prepared to pay the proce of the chestnut one but saw a cheaper one at about £27, however, i wondered if i could make my own cheaper, or even better.
Has anyone made there own up easily enough? I have an old grinder i could use or is it better on the actual lathe?

I doubt very much if you could possibly source and assemble a matching set of buffing wheels to the same standard as the Chestnut or Beal systems without even considering the means of attaching them to any means of driving. There is more to the selection of the fabrics to match the abrasive grade than is initially apparent.
And as Dalboy says, if pens are the driving force then hardly a sound investment.

Secondly, ive been going to make my own cole jaws for a while now but after making a bowl recently and not realising until sanded up and finished that its almost through on the bottom, ive decided to go for it and make a set, i wondered if anyone knew the screw type off hand of the record power g3 chuck as i will need to get some longer ones for this.

This project worries me a little, in all honesty if you do not have the means or knowledge to determine the thread standard of the accessory jaw fixing screws I wonder if you have adequate understanding of the forces involved in the loads on something like a set of Cole Jaws and the materials necessary in their manufacture to hold the work safely.

 

[CosmicNacho]

Thanks for your replies,

What I mean for the pen finishing is actually buff them for a better finish than the 12000 grit micromesh and then finish with ca glue. Is that not the done thing?
I do like the idea of buying the chestnut one and having everything on the box ready to go so maybe I just save up for that one.

Worry not, I'm actually a qualified bench joiner with access to a cnc if I wanted to make the Cole jaws with extreme accuracy. Obviously I've researched already and know exactly what I need. I simply asked if anyone knew the thread size "off hand" as my chuck and lathe is at the workshop and i thought I might order some tonight. Try not to make presumptions, If I've got the sense to search a forum and ask the questions maybe I've got the sense to research. Frankly I'm quite offended by that presumption.

 

[Dalboy]

Thanks for your replies,
What I mean for the pen finishing is actually buff them for a better finish than the 12000 grit micromesh and then finish with ca glue. Is that not the done thing?
I do like the idea of buying the chestnut one and having everything on the box ready to go so maybe I just save up for that one.

I finish my wood pens through the grits ending each grit with the lathe stationary and sanding with the grain and then stop at 600grit from there I go to applying the BLO/CA, you can then sand wet with the 12,000 grit if you feel that is needed but I have never done so as I get a nice smooth finish.
The main reason I use the coloured wet sanding pads to 12,000grit is for when I turn and finish the plastics ie: Acrylic and polyester blanks.
All the pens are given a coat of microcrystalline wax this helps with people handling them on my stall it helps stop all the fingerprints it has no lasting finish like the CA on wood pens.

 

[CHJ]

Try not to make presumptions, If I've got the sense to search a forum and ask the questions maybe I've got the sense to research. Frankly I'm quite offended by that presumption.

My take on the subject is that it's better that you are offended by a query about your basic knowledge than you ending up with an exploding set of jaws if you make them of a material not capable of containing the stresses.

 

[CosmicNacho]

I feel i do get a better finish by going right upto 12,000, i noticed the odd one wasnt always as good as some, i wasnt sure if it was just a harder wood to finish or work with so thats when i thought buffing might help.

Like i said, it didnt come across as a 'query of my basic knowledge' more a presumption, which i didn't appreciate.
Dont get me wrong, im always glad of constructive criticism, i just feel you were a bit presumptuous

 

[CHJ]

On basic finishing, rarely is polishing wood down to very fine grit levels best practise before applying a surface coating finish.

Most coating finishes require a surface that provides a strong bond line key to provide best adhesion. Very few woods have a surface texture that is any finer than can be obtained with 240 or at most 320 grit if sanded with the grain.

This level of finishing then provides a good key to whatever sealer or lacquer you apply.

Super gloss of the cured finish is then achieved by polishing the cured surface of the sealer or lacquer.

A couple of buffing leaflets on my site I think give a good summary of what buffing a surface finish can achieve, basic buffing process, and the one by KimG on coloured work is especially enlightening as to what can be achieved, but both are in relation to polishing a sealed and coated surface, not the wood.

The level of abrasion that works may be different when using CA as it is primarily an adhesive, but I have seen pens so treated where the finish has lifted and cracked away from the ends of the wood cylinders due to pressure of the component assembly so in those cases either the oil contamination of the wood or other surface problems had prevented good adhesion, there is obviously an added user skill involved in getting good results.

 

[alexf]

I made my own buffing system to fit my chuck. I had some plastic just the right size, but wood could be used to mount the buffing wheels on. I originally made a long spindle and had the three buffing wheels in a row but found it awkward. I now use individual wheels and simply clamp each one in the chuck.