Are 3 m radial bristle discs really as clean as we might wish them to be? What happens to all the abrasive particles as the disc wears down? Or do they require the same dust-collection/ventilation/masking as any other finishing technique, aside from tumblers and vibratory mass-finishers? Thanks!
I have a retail display of jewelry in the same room as my bench, and have been disappointed to find red dust covering surfaces. It comes from polishing with rouge using small flex shafts wheels. If it wasn’t red I wouldn’t know where it comes from. Not sure how much dust my 3M wheels contribute. Guess I need a small dust extraction system. Would appreciate any suggestions.
i googled the SDS for radial bristle discs and found this link:
Hello James,
Easiest method I can think of is to use 4 inch flexible duct and a 4" in-line duct fan (google this)…I see one at Amazon for $24…on the other end, google for square to round duct and you can find a sheet metal funnel that will fit the flexible line and sit on your bench. Another idea might be to make a fish mouth from acrylic sheet and figure some way to attach it to round ducting…maybe the jewelry suppliers have such an animal, prolly for a little more $$$. Best would be to duct to the outside, but you could perhaps put a filter on the end and let the air return to the shop…but effectiveness would depend on the strength of the fan and fineness of the filter. With rouge dust I would want to duct to the outside. Wood shops have dust collection systems, but these might be overkill for what you are needing. -royjohn
Hello royjohn,
Thanks very much for the information you have provided. It has helped me to understand what my options are.
The problem I will have to solve is how to vent to the outside. My shop roof is above the attic, which is above my bench.
I have vented into the attic space in other rooms for other processes, plating for instance.
But with the attic full of storage I can’t do the same with bench exhaust.
That said, I would be better off having it in the attic that in the main shop/retail area.
Maybe I can vent to the attic and use a filtration device that will limit what is dispersed.
It is a commercial building but venting through the roof is not impossible.
I’ll let you know how I solve this. Red dust on white faux leather busts is an impossible situation, lol.
You are very kind to have taken the time to help me.
James
Hello James,
Thanks for your kind words. While venting thru the roof is not that difficult with parts from one of the big box stores and they could probably help you find the right stuff, I do have another thought that might work. If the roof has eaves, you could run your ductwork thru the ceiling into the attic and over to the eaves. If it’s an old style building, it may already have eave vents and all you would have to do is to fasten your ductwork to the vent. If you have that vinyl eave covering with the continuous small holes for vents, you’d have to cut a hole in the eave and fasten the end of your duct to some kind of screen. Possibly simpler and less prone to water leaks than going thru the roof, and requiring less expertise and no climbing on the roof. Only necessary to run the duct over to the eave and maybe sweep away some fiberglass, blown-in insulation…this should not cover the eaves, but sometimes does…HTH, royjohn
Another option if not able to cut the eave. Make a box open on the bottom approximate 1 cubic foot or whatever fits between rafters and duct to that over the eave vents