DIY Benchtop polisher

[TomoHawk]

What are you guys using for polishing stuff. I think you can get a small polishing wheel at Sears, but what's a good motor to use? Probably something small, like a drill but I don't have any. I've been using a Dremel, but the wheel is too small for things like heat shields, and takes for ever.

How many RPM is 'right?'

I would make mine a benchtop mount, but it has to be detachable. Not too much bench room, but I can put it on a shelf.

Any tips or pics?

thx

[280~Master]

I have a small 8” bench grinder from harbor freight that has a polishing wheel on it. Mine is like a 1/2 horse power motor and is easily stopped with force applied. It’s not too big and can still be moved if need be. It does a good job. To get a good polish you need something that has high RPM’s like around 3000 or more. I also use a high speed die grinder with a set of polishing wheels from harbor freight. This is great for small portability projects. I used this to bring back my shine on the valve cover. Plus you don’t have to worry about burning up the motor on your drill. Pneumatic is my choice. I can also get those angles that can be hard on the grinder. I use red and white rouge for polishing compound.

[xray]

depends on what you're polishing...Folks I've spoken with suggest a low-speed 1800rpm motor for plastics to avoid too much heat generation (and subsequent melting) with a higher 3000-3600 rpm range for metal polishing. There's a whole spectrum of wheels and compounds out there depending on the amount of work a particular item needs to bring back the shine, so someplace like Sears or Pep Boys won't cut it for what you may need. Check out Eastwood for supplies.

Here's a great wheel:

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=5166&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C432%2C433%2C437&KickerID=50&KICKER

Steve

[jjacquot]

Personally I didn't have anything but a dremel with the extention. To tell the truth I took all of the rough spots on my intake down and polished all the enterior walls of the intake with the dremel. It probably would have been less time comsuming if i had a die grinder, but I had to work with what was available to me at the time.

[ktm]

I'll second the Dremel. I use mine for damn near everything, to include metal polishing and rush removal (though I go through the metal brushes quickly).

[ZSaint]

I also have a polishing motor like the Eastwood. I got mine at Harbour Freight on sale for $79. I have done some serious polishing with it. I have 3 sets of wheels. I have one that takes out scratches and hammer marks, one that rough polishes it out and one that does chrome-like polishing. I have done door sills, hubcaps and grills. It works great on stainless steel parts. Don't know how I ever got along without one of these wheels. If you are into restoration, this is a must!

[240ZX]

Personally I didn't have anything but a dremel with the extention. To tell the truth I took all of the rough spots on my intake down and polished all the enterior walls of the intake with the dremel. It probably would have been less time comsuming if i had a die grinder, but I had to work with what was available to me at the time.

Just a note...polishing the intake runners is a no no! Fuel will stick to the polished surface and decrease performance. Smooth is good, polished is not!

[ZSaint]

I'd swear the gentleman said 'exterior' of his intake. I think having a nice finish on your intake is worth at least 5 hp!

[TomoHawk]

I wouldn't go past using the wire wheen on the inside of the intake.

I'd use the Dremel for small parts, and it's probably good for getting nick out of your rims and stuff like that, but I would prefer something bigger for large pieces of sheetmetal or the valve cover, etc.

[Victor Laury]

I'm warning you Thomas, You may end up needing an intervention.

I started with a cheap 1/4 hp grinder to run 3'' buffs, 1 spiral sewn and 1 loose flannel. The first thing I did on that setup was the stainless parking light trims for my 70 roadster (same as the Z car's). It worked great and I was hooked.

You will soon learn as I did that one tool does not a polishing shop make. Yes, I too use a dremel, But mainly to grind and sand tight areas in preparation to polishing and finish polishing very tight spots. Now I own and use an assortment of sanding devices, including a Black and Decker "Bug" sander (one of my favorites), Expanding wheel sanders, Nylon brush wheels, Scotch Brite wheels and 3 motors spinning 4, 8'' buffs and 2 sanding media wheels.

Eastwood and Caswell plating are both very happy with my addiction and are willing to send supplies as fast as I can order them.

My arbors are a collection. The sanding arbor is a 1750 rpm 1/2 hp old Baldor, that I found at a swap meet. It wasn't a grinder motor as they are 3,500 rpm motors, and it wasn't a polishing motor, as they have long arbors for work clearance. I bought arbor extensions to extend the work are out, as far as is safe.

My main polishing arbor was bought at a yard sale for $30.00. It's awesome! 1hp 3,500 rpm, long extended arbors, VERY, VERY heavy homemade welded stand that doesn't need to be bolted down to the floor. It runs a stack of 3, 8'' spiral sewn (for tripoli cutting 1st stage) and a stack of 2, 8'' pillow buffs for the white rouge "Color" stage.

My last addition was also found at a yard sale, I paid $60 for it. It's a 1 hp 3,500 rpm no name (Chinese?) polishing motor, much like the ones a harbor freight, but larger, with heavy, cast ardor extension supports and the typical stand, Which I bolted down. It runs my stainless station with a 8'' sisal buff with emery (cuts out the scratches on stainless) and spiral sewn for the stainless compound.

But, in all reality, the buffing is the last and least step in polishing. The prep grinding and sanding IS where the work really is done. No buff or compound will correct the missed step in the prep.

As an example, take my last project, The water pump for my roadster. It's a sand casted piece with lots of corners and pockets. I spent at least 3 hours grinding, 4 hours sanding, and 10 minutes on the buffing wheels.

[ZSaint]

Looks like it is ready for the powder coater!

[TomoHawk]

I've heard of people using a motor from a washing machine, dishwasher, about anything with an axial shaft.