Has anyone found the new 3M FX polishing wheels to be a feasible
replacement for compounds?
Has anyone found the new 3M FX polishing wheels to be a feasible replacement for compounds?
Good question. I haven’t bought any yet because, as I understand it,
they aren’t supposed to be run at the speed my buffing machine
turns. If you have to have variable speed to use them, I’ll have to
hold out for teensy ones to use on the flexshaft. Anybody using them
at 3500RPM’s?
Noel
Noel,
I have used the 3M FX wheels on a full-sized polishing lathe for
non-jewelry applications and find them, er, aggressive at 3500 rpm.
I long ago set up all my arbors to run off a pulley set-up so that I
have variable speeds available to me. As you know, but newbies may
not have experienced, a variable pulley set-up combined with whels of
varying diameters gives a very wide range of avaialble surface
speed-per-minute outputs. Lathes (buffing machines, etc.) with
in-line single sped motors are tools of very limited effectiveness.
Baldor and others make very good dual speed motors, but they are
expensive ( I use them here and there). However, with a good quality
arbor (not very expensive), and some pulleys, one can use a cheap
motor, as the smoothness and runout are dependant on the arbor, not
the motor.
But the FX wheels are great, although purists will still probably
prefer a traditional quick final polish on the softest of clean
buffs.
Wayne