i just got out my used polishing machine and am wondering how to keep
the polishing compound from getting into the air. the machine has a
fan that blows the dust into a very crude filter but all the dust
blows right through it.
i was thinking of somehow attaching a shop-vac to it but am not sure
how because the entire back of the machine is open and i don’t know
if the vac could steer all the dust.
ideas?
thank you,
gail
@gaillowitz1
Gail, You can go to a sheet metal shop and have them fabricate a metal
cover for the back .Have them make it like the lid of a shoe box
.Don’t have them fabricate it so it is flush up against the filter but
leave about an inch of space between the filter and the wall of the
cover you are having made.Have them make a hole that will accept your
shop vac hose.You could also run pvc pipe through the wall of your
shop and buy a plastic garbage can.Cut a hole in the side of the
garbage can and keep the shop vac in it with the lid on it.Run your
pvc to the can and hook it up to the vac.You can also run pvc to your
bench and other spots in the shop that require such.You should put an
old panty hose over the end at your bench to prevent you from sucking
up stones and such.You can hook a foot feed up so every time you use
your foredom the shop vac kicks in to suck up debris and every time
you turn on your buffer it kicks in also.Hope this helps. Regards
J Morley
Coyote Ridge Studio
Hiya, there are several different things I tried when I used to have
one of the polishing machines as you have described.
I first tried using two filters back to back and held in place with
duck tape, instead of the stardard one filter. When this still
allowed some of the particulars to get through I then started
wrapping cheesecloth around the last filter to make it more dense and
have more of a surface area. Today they make pleated filters that are
10 times better than the old house filters and have more suface area
to keep the dust down. If they don’t have the size you need at say
Lowes or Home Depot try the yellow pages for a filter company in your
area, you may have to buy gross. Cheesecloth you can find in auto
parts. To hook up a shop vac to your system take measurements of the
back of cabinet to any welding shop or sheet metal shop and the can
make you something to fit to the back that will flare down to the 2
inch diameter you need to fit the hose of the vac to. Don’t forget to
save that dust. Chuck
If they don’t make the size I need, I can tape a larger size to the
back of my buffer . . .and catch that nasty stuff. Size doesn’t
matter, does it??? Density does. If it’s too large, I can attach with
duct tape and then flip it to the clean part when the other part gets
too dirty, can’t I?
I have a squirrel cage fan that vents to the outdoors. It’s attached
to my buffing wheel using metal dryer duct. Used squirrel cage fans
can be had for next to no money. This one cost $3. And hey, the
trial version of the housing for the buffing wheel was made out of
cardboard and lots of tape to attach the ducting… Before you get
creative, though, what about installing denser filter material? Dana Carlson