Leather buffing wheels?

K

knifemaniac

Joined
Jan 19, 2007
Messages
288
Have you ever think of buffing wheel made from pieces of leather instead of cotton? I have that idea in my mind from a while. It will be heavy and hard stuff, but is it safe?..........
 
The most dangerous tool in the knife shop is the knifemaker, the second most dangerous is the buffer. So long as that is understood leather wheels are perfectly safe. I made one because I could but I prefer to use my 2' x 3" strop. I also made a leather belt which works ok but I still prefer the strop.
 
I try to avoid buffers mostly (Phillip Patton's guitar accident scared me), but I have considered making something like that, except to put in a drill press, so I can have super slow speeds (250 rpm), or to use a small motor like a hand held drill.
 
When I worked for the Colt custom shop, they used mostly waltrus hide for making their buffing wheels ---- but only for the highest grade engraved guns. They also made wood wheels and attached tannic acid cured leather straps to the wheel for polishing. I'll be happy to explain the process to anyone who cares enough to call. Ken 910-221-5288 EST
 
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Ken Hurst said:
When I worked for the Colt custom shop, they used mostly waltrus hide for making their buffing wheels ---- but only for the highest grade engraved guns. They also made wood wheels and attached tannic acid cured leather straps to the wheel for polishing. I'll be happy to explain the process to anyone who cares enough to call. Ken 910-221-5288 EST
Click to expand...

I'm green with envy. I can't imagine the caliber (see what I did there?) of firearms you have seen in your days.
 
Hi Ken

Grohmann knives are buffed with a walrus wheel aswell... I saw it in there factory and they swear by it... apparently the walrus leather lasts a real long time... they had to get a permit from the canadian gov't to get 2 walrus skins of which one still hangs up on the wall.. ( nasty lookin critter )

can you tell us how to attach the leather to a wood wheel... sounds extremely interesting !:thumbup:


Greg
 
Wow, I have to find walrus now? :confused: :D
I was planninng to make a disc about a 3/4 inch thick, from thin leather pieces, stacked together. Arround 5 to 7 inches diameter. For stroping and removing scratches after finer belt grits.
 
I've had an idea floating around in my head for a while. I'm going to take a 3/4" or 1" spiral sewn buff wheel and soak it in maybe a 50/50 white or wood glue and water and let it dry flat, that should stiffen it up a lot and will be very nice (hopefully) for polishing and buffing.

The leather wheel I made was like that, about 8 or so pieces glued together and trued up on the grinder with a rasp. It works OK for honing but it is quite hard, not ideal for buffing.
 
The hard wheel cannot enter grooves, and the cotton wheel seems too gentle for me in some cases. So I think that will be medium desicion. Don't know, I'll try and will see. :)
 
I use Leather Wheel for Stropping.
The motor will drive through the Gear Reducer at very low RPM.
It works very well.

 
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