Buffer……What do you think?

[unclefloyd]

I’ve convinced myself that I ”need” a buffer set-up. I’m looking at this one along
with a speed controller. Any comments…good…bad….or indifferent?

Thanks

Dave

 

[OzPiper]

How many pipes do you have to refurbish ?

Damaged a favourite pipe (it flew a few feet, hit the paved floor and chipped) using one of those.
Mine is now back in its box.

MicroMesh pads, jeweller's cloth and microfibre cloths and elbow grease might be slower, but a lot safer.

 

[monty55]

I just ordered this one off Amazon the other day. Variable speed from 800 to 10,000 rpm.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BLSJFWVZ/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Pipeoff]

I have a grinder like this had a hard time with mower blades, lacks power. Find old motor and shaft extender for multiple grades of buffer wheels. Mount in wood box with hole in bottom for shop vac. You will produce a lot of lint and compound dust.

 

[ssjones]

That speed controller will not work with that buffer. There are a number of threads here explaining why, you'll ruin the motor (I tried it myself)

 

[unclefloyd]

Thank all of you for your help.

 

[georged]

The bench buffer "thing" for pipes is considerably more complicated than it appears to a casual observer.

There are MANY ways to go wrong in both purchasing choices and use. Especially if the mission is working on collectable-grade pipes.

Go slowly, learn all you can, and resign yourself to it costing more in experimentation (and probably cash) than you expect.

 

[ssjones]

If you are handy, do it my way, less than $200 all in.

My Buffing Motor & Work Station Setup – Updated June 2017

Blog by Al Jones See the June 2017 Updates at the bottom of this page I get a lot of requests about my buffing station, so I thought an entry here on the blog would be handy to use as a point of re…

rebornpipes.com

Rebuilt furnace motor - $100 (from you local electric motor repair)
Wire a switch/power cord - $15
Arbor from Jestco or Caswell - $25
Pads - $15
White Diamond - less than $10 (Eastwood, Jestco or Caswell)
Carnuba wax - $10

 

[Duke of Erinmore]

If you are handy, do it my way, less than $200 all in.

Yes, same here. I grabbed myself a used grinder from eBay classifieds (€25), mounted it on a closet from the flea market (€10) which is handy because there I can store all materials, added a lamp (€10) and invested about €50 in waxes and pads.



In the beginning it was difficult because the speed is fixed at 2500 rpm which is A LOT! But after a while I got on top of it, using only the softest pads and being really careful while buffing. So speed regulation is helpful, but you can do without.

Word of advice to all newbies: Start with "practice pipes", meaning pipes you will not miss when you ruin them! That can and will happen - flying bowls and stems, over-buffing which damages the stain, broken tenons etc. - but once you are past that stage, it's endless fun to make old pipes shine again!

 

[sablebrush52]

In the wrong hands, buffers are weapons of pipe destruction. Too much use turns pipes into soft sided lumps. I used butters professionally for a decade and learned how to do the most delicate work using them, but I don't need one to spiff up a pipe.
Micromesh pads to remove grunge on the stem, a tiny bit of either Halcyon or Paragon microcrystalline wax spread and rubbed by hand works great!

 

[Duke of Erinmore]

In the wrong hands, buffers are weapons of pipe destruction. Too much use turns pipes into soft sided lumps. I used butters professionally for a decade and learned how to do the most delicate work using them, but I don't need one to spiff up a pipe.

I agree. I only use the buffer to refurbish estates and very ocasionally for vulcanite stems. I generally don't buff bowls.

 

[ssjones]

I should add, before pipes, I had a small sideline buffing metal car and motorcycle parts. Same principles, more forgiving material!

 

[kcghost]

Buffers are arch enemies of pipes. You have to be super careful with them. You wipe the nomenclature off a pipe that belongs to someone else and you could very easily be out the cost of the pipes value.

 

[monty55]

That one in the link from my post above is only $68, but the good thing about it is that it's variable speed with a low speed of 800rpm, which will keep you from destroying your stems and it's far safer to use at that speed. But if you need high speed for other things, it cranks to 10,000rpm.

 

[bullet08]

Dremel with cotton buffer. Haven't used in awhile. Took some time to get used to it.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I use a 1725rpm Dayton AC motor with a tapered screw arbor. But as others have already stated, you can chuck a pipe across the room real quick. If I was only buffing pipes I wouldn’t even have it. A 1725rpm motor is much easier to buff pipes with than a 3000+ grinding motor. If I need to slow it down I use a Variac, but those are very pricey.

 

[georged]

FWIW regarding the fussiness of buffing with a bench mounted motor w/muslin wheel as a categtorical thing, the highest dollar value destruction I've seen was a rare collectable pipe worth appx $4K.

Its stem got snapped clean in half when the owner was touching up the button. A gentle kiss, nothing more. One millisecond it was there, the next millisecond the last inch of the stem was traveling across the room about 25% of the speed of a .45 Auto bullet.

Oh yeah... the snapper was a vastly experienced shiner-upper. Many thousands of pipes over several decades. He got too comfy with with fluffy wheels at high speed, is all, Karl Wallenda-style.

 

[mingc]

FWIW regarding the fussiness of buffing with a bench mounted motor w/muslin wheel as a categtorical thing, the highest dollar value destruction I've seen was a rare collectable pipe worth appx $4K.

Its stem got snapped clean in half when the owner was touching up the button. A gentle kiss, nothing more. One millisecond it was there, the next millisecond the last inch of the stem was traveling across the room about 25% of the speed of a .45 Auto bullet.

Oh yeah... the snapper was a vastly experienced shiner-upper. Many thousands of pipes over several decades. He got too comfy with with fluffy wheels at high speed, is all, Karl Wallenda-style.




View attachment 193393

In my view, karma requires all pipes with stingers to be shined up with buffers. With a bit of luck, they'll be removed from the plane of existenceimproved.

 

[craig61a]

FWIW regarding the fussiness of buffing with a bench mounted motor w/muslin wheel as a categtorical thing, the highest dollar value destruction I've seen was a rare collectable pipe worth appx $4K.

Its stem got snapped clean in half when the owner was touching up the button. A gentle kiss, nothing more. One millisecond it was there, the next millisecond the last inch of the stem was traveling across the room about 25% of the speed of a .45 Auto bullet.

Oh yeah... the snapper was a vastly experienced shiner-upper. Many thousands of pipes over several decades. He got too comfy with with fluffy wheels at high speed, is all, Karl Wallenda-style.




View attachment 193393

 

[captpat]

I have a buffer (Foredom Bench Lathe) it's used very infrequently -- my wife has taken custody of it for her jewelry hobby.