Home Grown Burnisher

[Dwight]

Earlier, I saw another home grown burnisher, . . . and this is just to reinforce to especially the new folks, . . . you do not have to spend $1000 on equipment to make your edges look good.

This took me a couple hours, . . . and something like $10, . . . has worked for quite a few years.

Don't recollect what the motor came off of, . . . probably a furnace fan.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dave Richardson]

Great idea Dwight. Keep it simple !

 

[cjartist]

Looks good and it sounds like it has served you well.  Being a leather worker is super expensive and I'm right there with you.  Why spend hundreds or thousands when you can get the job done for less than $20 (if your even the tiniest bit handy).  You can find motors in many places, even garage sales sometimes.  Biggest thing to pay attention to is the voltage and make sure you can power it correctly and safely.

[RhodesAveDesigns]

I love this!

Many seem to believe they need "the best", i.e. most-expensive, or nearly-most-expensive, products available to do just about anything. While some products are outright awful, cheap, and useless, many things can be accomplished with some ingenuity. 

Quite frankly, I would make just about everything I use, if I could, just because I'm a control freak, prefer knowing where the components came from, and don't like to wait for anything, but that's just me .

[JD62]

Hay Dwight , I'm guessin that's what they call an "open frame " motor?

[Dwight]

11 hours ago, RhodesAveDesigns said:

I love this!

Many seem to believe they need "the best", i.e. most-expensive, or nearly-most-expensive, products available to do just about anything. While some products are outright awful, cheap, and useless, many things can be accomplished with some ingenuity. 

Quite frankly, I would make just about everything I use, if I could, just because I'm a control freak, prefer knowing where the components came from, and don't like to wait for anything, but that's just me .

You and I are cut from the same piece of cloth, . . . or maybe leather  as I have made almost all my specialty cutting tools for straps, contours, belts, etc.  

Made my own drying box, . . . burnisher, . . . and others.

Been called a cheap-skate, . . . and I just smile and nod at the reputation and recognition.

May God bless,

Dwight

[dikman]

Not a cheap-skate (a term usually applied by people who are incapable of making their own "stuff" and are probably just jealous anyhow). I take a great deal of pleasure in fabricating my own gear, when possible. Guess it's how I was brought up.

[RhodesAveDesigns]

I do think it's often either jealousy or a lack of understanding behind a lot of labels; I've learned to accept the "cheap skate" moniker with pride, insofar as it means I am careful with my spending, and tend not to have too many regrets about my purchases (and have $$$ I wouldn't otherwise have remaining). Your ingenuity is a skill, just as much as your leatherwork. 

I didn't have a lot as a child, and had to "make-do" a lot of the time in terms of art and hobby supplies. Sometimes I probably take it too far (this area is known for being frugal; many in West Michigan are of Dutch descent, and being "Dutch" is considered a put-down). I know tonight there were a couple coupons ($20 and $25) for websites where I just placed orders yesterday and earlier this morning, and I'm trying not to get overly upset about it (in the scheme of things, on a student budget, given that textbooks now easily run $300-400 apiece, and textbook rental $$ can vary from hour to hour). 

Anyway, the point is that you should be proud (and now I really need a lathe). I have seen the other, recent, thread with the burnishing unit, and filed that away, as well, as I like to have options.  Having a "name" on your tools makes for pretty Instagram pictures, but it doesn't necessarily get the job done any better. 

- Elizabeth

[dikman]

Elizabeth, you definitely DO need a lathe . Anyone who is a "cheap-skate" will find one invaluable. (Might be cheaper than some of your student stuff, unfortunately I suspect it rates low on your list of priorities at the moment).

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Not as low as you might think, lol. Especially given what I've seen on Craigslist lately, while searching for sewing machines. After all the talk about Shopsmith tool systems the other day, well, let's just say I also really need a larger, hatchback vehicle ($125 w/ 4 attachments?!?!). The possibility of burnishers, tool handles, part modifications, and custom crochet hooks, is awfully tempting, I already have the chisels... maybe next spring.

The God of second-hand/ thrift store items tends to pull in my favor, if I put in the work/ really need something. Sooner or later. Given the recent sewing machine acquisitions, I can't be too greedy. Especially since I'm still elbow deep in the de-gunking and greasing phase. And considering whether I really should re-paint, and, if so, classic black, or a cool racing green.

In the meantime, I'll keep scavenge-ing pieces and parts.

[Mechanic]

On 8/26/2017 at 6:12 PM, dikman said:

Not a cheap-skate (a term usually applied by people who are incapable of making their own "stuff" and are probably just jealous anyhow). I take a great deal of pleasure in fabricating my own gear, when possible. Guess it's how I was brought up.

I will spend several hours and buy a gob of tooling to build a "whatever", even if I could buy one for 30 bucks.

In this case, i wanted a burnisher, "right now".

Chucked up a chunk of oak closet rod, drilled & tapped for a 7/16" bolt.

Had to grind a couple of tool bits to cut the radius.

 

I just chuck it up in the vertical mill.

Nice having speed control with it.

 

It runs just a smidgee bit out of concentric. I consider it the "orbital action".

I should have through drilled and put a nut on both ends, but I was working with what I picked up on the work bench.

Edited August 31, 2017 by Mechanic

[dikman]

Good one. That's what it's all about . As for the "orbital action" I'm sure the leather won't care!

[Dwight]

When I built mine, . . . it went on the shaft first (after drilling all the way through of course), . . . and then went into the drill press.

Got a big cup of coffee, . . . hand full of files, . . . turned the old press on, . . . chopped, channeled, and filed until I got what I wanted.

Then took it to the shop, . . . little bit of smoother sand paper, . . . then finished it off with a coating of true to life virgin bees wax from my hive up in the corner of the yard.

Took some nasty old hard leather scraps, . . . and heated up the burnisher by pressing really hard on it, . . . and she slicked up really good.

May God bless,

Dwight

[DrmCa]

Hoping this helps someone!

If you are looking for a motor with very high RPMs, you can find one in a vacuum cleaner. Many of them usually run 10,000 RPMs. But they are low power, keep that in mind.

And if you are looking for a variable RPM motor, then you might find a combination of a variac with a lawnmower PMDC motor might be a good choice. The variac will provide variable voltage, the bridge rectifier will rectify it, and the PMDC will respond well to variable DC. Going between 20V and 150V on the variac gives a full range of PMDC motor RPMs and slightly above.

Do not use a variac with a powerful AC motor, as at low RPMs they will overheat: both the variac and motor. The variac will overheat as it uses same diameter wire along the entire range of coil, and the motor will overheat, as its impeller will not provide enough air flow at low RPMs, where current increases.

Edited August 31, 2017 by DrmCa

[bikermutt07]

It's the shopsmith for me, as soon as I can get it set up. This oneachine could be complete Overkill for what a leather crafter needs. Variable speed, lathe, disc sander, belt, strip or drum sander and all with a ⅝" collet. What more could you ask for?

[480volt]

8 hours ago, DrmCa said:

Hoping this helps someone!

If you are looking for a motor with very high RPMs, you can find one in a vacuum cleaner. Many of them usually run 10,000 RPMs. But they are low power, keep that in mind.

And if you are looking for a variable RPM motor, then you might find a combination of a variac with a lawnmower PMDC motor might be a good choice. The variac will provide variable voltage, the bridge rectifier will rectify it, and the PMDC will respond well to variable DC. Going between 20V and 150V on the variac gives a full range of PMDC motor RPMs and slightly above.

Do not use a variac with a powerful AC motor, as at low RPMs they will overheat: both the variac and motor. The variac will overheat as it uses same diameter wire along the entire range of coil, and the motor will overheat, as its impeller will not provide enough air flow at low RPMs, where current increases.

I can't speak to lawnmower motors, but a variac cannot be used to control AC single phase motors. The speed of AC motors is a function of frequency and the number of poles. As you lower the voltage, the motor speed will try and remain constant and the current will increase proportionally till eventually the windings fail. A big enough variac won't care, it'll just keep feeding the load till the motor burns up. Lower airflow may contribute, but the main cause is excessive current.

A variac should feed a rectified DC motor with no problems, but it would be cheaper to go find a used treadmill and take the motor and controls off of it.

You should have a good understanding of motor nameplate ratings, wire ampacity, grounding, and overcurrent protection if you're going to build something up from scratch. 

[480volt]

On 8/30/2017 at 7:44 PM, Mechanic said:

It runs just a smidgee bit out of concentric. I consider it the "orbital action".

Just out of curiosity, since you turned it on a lathe, how is it not concentric with the shaft that was in the chuck?

[dikman]

I would hazard a guess that tapping into the wood was slightly askew? At least, that's what's happened to me when I've used a similar process.

[DrmCa]

I too made a burnishing cylinder on a lathe, but I drilled and glued the wood onto the steel shaft first, then turned the wood dowel on the shaft, so it's perfectly concentric.

[JD62]

On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 1:11 AM, 480volt said:

 a variac cannot be used to control AC single phase motors. The speed of AC motors is a function of frequency and the number of poles. As you lower the voltage, the motor speed will try and remain constant and the current will increase proportional

You should have a good understanding of motor nameplate ratings, wire ampacity, grounding, and overcurrent protection if you're going to build something up from scratch. 

 You explained this perfectly