Borrowing a buffer

A

Aktundra

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Feb 17, 2019
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if there is a better place in the forum hope the moderator will move.

Here in AK, the Eskimos made thier ulus out of old saw blades. With that in mind, I am working with a scout troop for the boys to make thier own knives out of old saw blades. We got a CAD file for our knives. A local CAD/CAM cut the blanks with a water jet. A local hardwood flooring supplier, gave us some old flooring samples. So the kids have a choice of some sexy wood varieties: Brazilian walnut, Burmese teak, red heart, quarter dawn oak, maple, etc. I’ve stabilized with a home made vacuum chamber. Here in a week or two, we’ll be ready to put some kind of finish on their wood handles.

I’be never made knives myself, and just trying to stay one step ahead of the kids !!!

I have some CA-thin, and one of the mom’s is a beekeeper. To finish the scales, I’ve done some research on a CA finish, and a wax/mineral oil rub. Figured I’d give the kids a choice on how they want to finish thier masterpiece !!!

Long story, now my question

I noticed a friend had a buffer he didn’t use anymore, I thought I might borrow. I don’t want to borrow somebody’s tools and ruin them. From my understanding, folks only use a buffing wheel for a single purpose. Change abrasives, change the buffing wheel. A CA finish, is best no abrasive, no pressure, no heat.

Can I use the same buffing wheel for a CA finish and a wax/mineral oil finish? Can I use my friends buffer for these finishes without ruining the buffing wheel ?
 
Okay buffing wheels can be quite cheap so if you are worried that you might ruin them just buy a couple for 20 bucks.
 
I would be careful about using the buffer with a boy scout troop, especially if it's a 3450 rpm with a good bit of hp. Buffers are considered to be the most dangerous thing in the shop, and NOT for the inexperienced person. I'd suggest hand sanding up to 1500 grit at least.

Put a good coat of CA on the handle, then wet sand a couple of coats to fill pores nicely. Then sand all the CA off leaving bare wood with pores filled. Next would be a few coats of Tru-Oil or similar.

BTW, what did you use to stabilize the wood? Cactus Juice or something else?
 
Ken H> said:
I would be careful about using the buffer with a boy scout troop, especially if it's a 3450 rpm with a good bit of hp. Buffers are considered to be the most dangerous thing in the shop, and NOT for the inexperienced person. I'd suggest hand sanding up to 1500 grit at least.

Put a good coat of CA on the handle, then wet sand a couple of coats to fill pores nicely. Then sand all the CA off leaving bare wood with pores filled. Next would be a few coats of Tru-Oil or similar.

BTW, what did you use to stabilize the wood? Cactus Juice or something else?
Click to expand...
Ken H is right buffers are very dangerous and should not be used by anyone that's not experienced with them, especially around children.
 
I appreciate the catution on the buffer. Might be to much of a reach.

To answer K Ken H> wasn’t really sure I was getting the penetration I wanted. My home built vacuum chamber is only able to pul “20”, and I guess the store bought vacuum chambers get up to “25”. Nobody in town stocks cactus juice, shipping doubles the cost, and just not sure how much of this I will do within the next year after activated, once these kids are done. I stabilized some with minwax wood hardener from Lowe’s, then a local guitar maker suggested I try EZ bond-thin. Did some more scales with that stuff (same stuff I was going to wipe on the outside for a finish)
 
Experienced grown men have died from buffing knives. I doubt anyone here could overstate enough how bad of an idea children buffing knives would be. I do commend the project though, I was in boy scouts when I was younger and I would have loved to made a knife then. After the scouts are done with the knives you should update us and post some pictures of them!
 
Buffer+knife = Russian roulette, even for seasoned pro's. It's not a matter of if, but when an accident will occur. I didn't fear them for a long time until a mastersmith who shall remain nameless was buffing some knives around me and flung one across the room so hard that it woulda killed anyone in it's path. Now i won't touch the big ones, but still use a jewelers buffer as it's gutless and i only do handles on it.

We just lost a smith like 2 months back to a buffer, i forget the guys name, was a tactical/bushcraft type maker. That one guy in Alaska a few years back took a bowie to the heart and bled out before his wife found em. Def not machines to be treated lightly, and DEFINITELY not a machine meant for minors to be using with a knife.
 
Let’s see....1...2....yup, it’s unanimous! Stupid idea to try & add a buffer to this project !!!

This is probably one of those times to remind myself: more important to teach these kids correct principles, than maximize end results.

In this case: no finish/treatment lasts forever. Much better to hand rub a refresher from time to time, than to finish this project thinking one-and-done requiring a machine you will probably never see again.

Thanks to all for your comments.
 
I would forget the stabilization - you can't pull anywhere near a high enough vacuum to do a good job. Forget the red heart - it will turn grey in a couple of years. The teak will make great scales if you finish them with teak oil. Wet sand the scales 2 or 3 times with teak oil, letting them dry between the coats. The oil plus the teak dust will fill the pores. After the pores are filled do a coat a day with LIGHT sanding between coats. After sanding each coat wipe with a tack rag to get all the dust off. You may need up to 10 coats to really make the scales look great. After the last coat of oil, let dry for a few days and wax. The reason for all the coats of oil is that teak oil has a UV inhibitor so it will not break down in sunlight as fast as regular oil. A new coat of oil once a year will keep the scales looking like new for years.
 
If it was my project my goal would be to teach the kids that they can make something and how they can make something. The knife they end up with would be bonus.
I let them use as many handtools as possible and let them take their time learning to use them properly.
That will make them appreciate what they've created even more.

If you want to use local materials and decide to use beeswax let them apply and polish it by hand with some cloth and elbow grease.

I've finished a baby bed with bees wax by hand.
I've taken pure wax and melted it with some olive oil. After setting the mixture was soft enough to apply by hand. The rubbing with cloth produces friction heat that melts the wax in to the wood.
Bees wax + olive oil is 100% non-toxic
 
Ken H> said:
I would be careful about using the buffer with a boy scout troop,

I suggest hand sanding up to 1500 grit at least.
Click to expand...

Same here, teach them to sand, they can all do it at the same time, no waiting for the machine, no snatched knives and hurt kids.

1500 grit is pretty fine, there is a tendency to progress through the grits too fast.
I'd probably stop at 600.

If you want to buff the handles, you gather them all up and do it for them
 
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