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Post by stonesthatrock on Oct 21, 2008 21:12:24 GMT -5
i would like to cut and polish the ends of some really nice az. pet. wood i have but i don't want to spend a fortune to try it. I was wondering if i could use the grinder that would fit on my compressor? That why i could buy a set of pads that would fit it, and because it air i don't have to worry about being electrocuted. whats your thought on this?
ty ralph and mary ann
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,777
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Post by adrian65 on Oct 22, 2008 0:08:14 GMT -5
If you could add some water supply in the grinding/polishing area, it might work just great. Don't forget to post the results.
Adrian
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Post by Woodyrock on Oct 22, 2008 1:18:58 GMT -5
Ralph and Mary Ann: You certainly could use a hard rubber sanding pad on your air tool to polish your pet wood. Have a look at the Richardson's Ranch dry polisher...........the only basic difference in using the air tool would be you are holding the machine instead of the rock. With the air tool, you could do this wet or dry. Dry, you will want to do this outside with a breeze, and a dust mask. Wet, you are going to make a big mess, but it will be better on your lungs...and the neighbors. You could go right through all the sanding stages with Si discs, and then switch to your favorite polish with a lambs wool pad. Do make sure that pet wood is very secure before hitting it with a rotating tool. Woody
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Post by stonesthatrock on Oct 22, 2008 13:54:39 GMT -5
one more question about the rpm's? how fast should i look for?
ty
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cutter
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2008
Posts: 129
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Post by cutter on Oct 23, 2008 10:12:06 GMT -5
Ralph & Mary, another outlet for such equipment is Granite City Tool WWW.granitecitytool.com. They tend to supply big stone and monument producers but they are great people to work with. Their prices are very reasonable for good quality tools. They also have good prices for large quantities of grits and polishes. They also have lots of cool tools that just make me want to spend tons of money. Brad
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Post by Woodyrock on Oct 23, 2008 11:47:52 GMT -5
The Richardson's Ranch dry polishers are a direct drive using a high speed motor which I think is 3400 RPM. I have tried my air sander with pretty good results but have no idea how fast it turns. Chasfire has one of the Richardson's dry sanders, and the results he gets (very quickly) are no less than impressive, and he uses hardware store abrasives, polishing with a piece of carpet cerium charged. Use what you have.....it might be the ideal speed, or you might have to work a wee bit longer if not. Woody's two cents worth.
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Post by stonesthatrock on Oct 23, 2008 19:21:27 GMT -5
ty everryone, so woody you have tried your air sander? cool now i know it can work. ty
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DeanW
has rocks in the head
Member since December 2007
Posts: 721
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Post by DeanW on Oct 26, 2008 23:29:00 GMT -5
Barranca makes a unit using a modified electric dry angle-grinder (so that it is wet instead of dry). It uses velcro-backed diamond pads ranging from #30 to 30,000 I believe. I don't know for sure what speed it turns but I believe same as a regular angle-grinder. So, I suspect your air-grinder would be pretty much the same. But, I'd worry about the dust; both for your lungs and for your compressor.
Also, I've watched Johnny Richardson using a regular electric angle grinder with a diamond-cup to rough-shape spheres.
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UtahRockHound
spending too much on rocks
Sometimes your the Windshield, sometimes your the Rock.
Member since May 2008
Posts: 301
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Post by UtahRockHound on Nov 3, 2008 14:08:42 GMT -5
This topic sounds much like the first time I experimented with polishing.
The big difference is I put my air drill in a vise to hold it, used a 5" sanding pad(hard plastic), and the silicone carbide grinding disks. The disks only go to 220, so after that it was wet and dry sand paper. I also used a old coffee can with a tube siliconed in the bottom as a drip feed.
For a quick throw together, it worked surprisingly well. Good Luck.
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Post by johnjsgems on Nov 4, 2008 23:30:51 GMT -5
The velcro-backed pads are rated for 5500 rpm max as that is about the limit for the velcro. My unit runs 3400 rpm and works very well. The current model has a 2000-4000rpm variable speed that will likely be replaced soon with a single speed again. I would be very careful working dry. The standard dust masks will not filter silica dust. A really good respirator mask would be required.
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