Tapered Saffer?

bobbywett

bobbywett

Joined
Jul 23, 2006
Messages
1,231
Hi Everyone,

Buffing a blade scares me...I've had-em ripped from my hands and ruined. Luckily, I've not been injured and don't want to be injured....but, I'm SCARED!!!! non the less.

Whats the best way to go about this inherently unsafe procedure? Is there a "safest way" to complete the task? Is there "safer equipment" than conventional buffing wheels attached to high horse power motors.

I came across this tapered buffer http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/tapered.html ....is this a safer alternative to traditional buffing wheels? Are variable speed motors safer?

Ideas, suggestions, and opinions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Bobby,

Hershey, PA
 
My opinion on the tapered buffer in no it's probably not any safer. If used in a drill where you are having to hold the drill at the same time it's probably less safe! If used in a drill press it puts the object being thrown out of it at a very bad height!

Buffing is inherently a dangerous operation and has been discussed in detail many times on this forum as well as many others.

I use an old cheap grinder I bought but I removed the guard and I work from the back side, and high up on the wheel. Hopefully it will it kick the knife away from me if it catches.
The problem I find with using the old grinder is two fold. The length of the shaft from the motor is too short and the speed. I want to build one with an extended shaft and a variable speed. There is a reason the most buffer have an extended shaft, like this one.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/3-4-HP-INDUSTRIAL-BUFFER/T23551

If you can clear the motor with the material you are buffing there is less of a chance of snagging the material in the buffers material, while trying to buff out a piece. The speed is the other problem of the old grinder. It has too fast of an RPM. You can buff at a slower RPM than what the average grinder turns at!

I watched a video of a buffing operation in a factory setting here a while back and the guy was dressed in a facemask and like a bullet proof vest with neck, hand and groin, leg, and knee protection. He looked kind of like a goalie for a hockey team!
I first laughed and then thought about having a knife snatched from my hands and flung across the room and I quit laughing. :eek:

Buffing is something I rarely do anymore, I reserve it more for handles and such. That doesn't mean it makes it any less dangerous, and like you I think it is something you must be keenly aware of the dangers of when doing. MY O2 on the subject, you can take that for what ever it is worth!
 
As with Dixie, I rarely buff anymore. I can get a great finish by hand and it's a lot safer. If I buff I use a much slower speed as my buffer is attached to the VFD. The fact is my buffer now is a rack for used belts and it takes a while to clear it off to use it. SO I better have a real good reason to set it up.
 
I know this sounds like a smart ass answer, but if you have to ask if that buff should be used to buff knives....you should not be buffing knives.

That is a tapered fluff-buff for polishing inside silver cups and such.

Slower speed is a help, and VS is a good thing in buffing.

A buffing machine needs a long arbor shaft with at least 10" of clear space between the wheels and the motor housing. The buffs should also be of a size that is larger than the motor diameter. 10" or 12" wheels are safer than small buffs.

Stacking three buffs on the shaft makes for a firmer and wider buffing area, and will work safer.

Working high on the wheel and from the back side of the buffer, thus having the wheel turning away from you, is a good way to become an emergency room patient. A snagged object usually travels about half way around the wheel before becoming a flying object. This causes the blade to be thrown several feet toward the floor or wall behind the buffer if you are using it properly. If you are working backward, the blade will be coming at your intestines from about 10-12" away. An OSHA inspector would stop all work in the shop if he saw someone doing such a foolish thing.
 
If Buffing a Blade Scares you I would not recommend buffing.
I have work with machinery for long enough that Caution and Stability of hand is needed.
I do not buff much any more but when I do I wear a kevlar apron from neck to knees. Do I trust my Apron to save my life? No, It is still not a substitute for Good Skills. I can still get hurt as fast as a eye blink.
A maker I met had to have his thumb reattached.
"It only takes one train wreck to make you wish you were walking"
 
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Thanks everyone for the in-depth responses. Most of my blades have a non buffed finish to date, but I've been buffing a few lately. I really like what buffing does for nickel silver and handle material in general. I don't buff blades much...I like hand finishing them.

I appreciate all of your help!

Bobby
 
Machine polishing is a skill that takes time to learn.
Never hold an item in a position that it can catch your hand if it is caught. Use common sense and buffing is not nearly so dangerous.
Knives are traditionally polished, and you need to have this skill.
 
a loose wheel will grab a blade faster than a stitched wheel will . You always work on the wheel between 4-5:00 , that way the blade will be thrown away from you if it happens .Also , you never-ever give the wheel an edge to grab , work on the flats and watch the blade angle .
 
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