I Need Some Help With A Burnisher

[KalL]

http://m.ebay.com/itm/251651035621?nav=SEARCH

Can someone please tell me if this is a good deal and something I want? I've been reading up on motorized burnishers but I'm getting thoroughly confused on the subject, the steps involved and where burnishing fits into everything is making my head spin. The new version of this is selling on ebay for about $200, but the wheel is flat?

[msdeluca]

I went to the local flea market and picked up a good used 1750 rpm motor for $7. I then found a mandrel apaptor from Lee Valley Tools and from a tack store picked up a 1/2" thick saddle pad made from 100% lambs wool and cut it into 2" circles. Drilled out the center of the circles and fitted about four on the mandrel, tightened it down, loaded it with a 50/50 mix of beeswax and paraffin wax. Perfect results. The mandrel was about $10 and the pad was about $20 shipped. The pad will make about 4 million circles, so for about $37 I built the equivalent of the machine in your link.

Hope this helps.

Edited September 25, 2014 by msdeluca

[KalL]

That's actually a good idea and a great help. I have a motor sitting at home that I bought years ago at a garage sale that has a double shaft that they were using as a buffing machine. It's got pointy things on the ends so you can just screw a pad on it. I'll have to see if I can convert it over like you did. Question though, does using the wool instead of wood or metal do they same thing from start to finish. I've read so much stuff over the last few days I'm getting very confused. And yes, I'm a newbie, lol.

Edited September 25, 2014 by KalL

[Oldtoolsniper]

http://www.durofelt.com/

These guys have all kinds of wool felt wheels already cut. I bought a 1/2" mandrel at the hardware store and the wheels from this place. If you already have the motor find a mandrel and get the ready made wheels from theses guys. Saves having to buy a 2 inch or bigger punch too.

[KalL]

http://www.durofelt.com/

These guys have all kinds of wool felt wheels already cut. I bought a 1/2" mandrel at the hardware store and the wheels from this place. If you already have the motor find a mandrel and get the ready made wheels from theses guys. Saves having to buy a 2 inch or bigger punch too.

I'll have to check it out, thanks for the link.

Ok, I just checked the motor I have sitting at home. It's quiet I'll give it that. It's an old delco ac motor, 1/6 hp,1725 rpms, 3.4 amps, 1/2" shaft. Will this do? It has the shaft clear through, one side is notched to put something on it and the other looks like it used to be longer and cut down with no notch. I have no idea what this thing is off of. If it will work I'm going to have to rewire it since it looks like a hack job and the switch doesn't work, and I'm going to have to give it a good cleaning and put a notch on the cut down side of the shaft. It also looks like a couple of the spade contactors on the board are loose and blackened a little. I checked out that lee valley site real quick and it looks like I can get the mandrel adapters for about $6.50 each.

Edited September 26, 2014 by KalL

[KalL]

Anyone know if this will work?

[camano ridge]

1725rpm is a good speed. If you can adapt it for the madrel it should work. Find Hidepounders tutorial on burnishing edges. It should help you a lot. It is on theses threads. Can't remember exactly where I will have to look for it.

Found it http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18101

Edited September 27, 2014 by camano ridge

[billybopp]

Keep in mind that the faster the motor runs with a given wheel, the more friction you create with the wheel. If you create too much friction, you may burn more than burnish. A smaller diameter wheel can help to compensate for a faster shaft speed.

If you want to do the math, using pi*d for the circumference, an 8" wheel @1750rpm moves surface past the leather at 733 inches per second. A 4" wheel at 366 IPS, or half the running speed along the leather being burnished.

While I can't tell you what an appropriate speed along the leather should be, it's something to keep in mind when you purchase a wheel.

Hope that helps

Bill

[KalL]

1725rpm is a good speed. If you can adapt it for the madrel it should work. Find Hidepounders tutorial on burnishing edges. It should help you a lot. It is on theses threads. Can't remember exactly where I will have to look for it.Found it http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18101

I'll be sure to check it out, thank for the link. I need all the help I can get. I found the adapters, now I just have to figure out what burnishing attachments I want to use so I know which adapters I want to get.

Edited September 28, 2014 by KalL

[KalL]

Keep in mind that the faster the motor runs with a given wheel, the more friction you create with the wheel. If you create too much friction, you may burn more than burnish. A smaller diameter wheel can help to compensate for a faster shaft speed.

If you want to do the math, using pi*d for the circumference, an 8" wheel @1750rpm moves surface past the leather at 733 inches per second. A 4" wheel at 366 IPS, or half the running speed along the leather being burnished.

While I can't tell you what an appropriate speed along the leather should be, it's something to keep in mind when you purchase a wheel.

Hope that helps

Bill

Math is my worst skill but I'll take your word on it. So I should be alright with anything 4"-8" since the motor is running at a lower rpm then others I've seen then. And this has been a great help, thank you.