[Jewelry making - Article 00387] - Re: [Orchid] Polishing on the Flexshaft

[Pam Chott]

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>        I have too many times regretted not putting on a dust mask when
>     making some tiny touch-up with a rubber wheel, and I end up
>     sneezing all evening.)  Finally, clean up your bench and go and
>     wash your face to get all the gak out of your pores :) 

    As Gerry (I think) mentioned, finishing and polishing are safer when
    done holding the work in both hands.  

    I totally understand making do with less than optimum tools but
    there are some cheap and relatively easy adaptations you might
    consider for safety and comfort or convenience.  

    My first "buffer" was a cast-off drill from my brother-in-law and
    used a 1/4" diameter screw-end arbor to hold the buffing wheel. Not
    content to hold the dang thing between my knees to work, I
    appropriated an unused motor-mounting bracket that I McGiver'd up
    parallel with the edge of the workbench.  This held the drill body
    and the wheel rotated down-and-back while I worked but polishing
    compound went everywhere! At least until I plopped a cardboard box
    behind the drill set-up. 

    After several months of this, we set up a proper double-ended motor
    for my needs but still used the cardboard box. 

    Years later, when I finally got a flex shaft, I discovered that the
    concept of holding something in my left hand and working on it with
    the flex shaft in my right hand was beyond foreign to my
    lapidary-trained brain!  Not to mention the GAK (nice word) I didn't
    care to eat or dodge!  I yearned for a cleaner, two-handed approach
    and glommed onto a drill press my husband had long-ago picked up at a
    garage sale thinking I'd have some use for it.  This makes a great
    holder for the flex shaft handpiece, which is bungie-corded through
    openings of the table which is rotated to vertical position.  This
    set-up comes from the LEFT side which makes the rotation
    down-and-back rather than in-your-face and allows for safely holding
    the work with two hands.  The table with attached handpiece is
    positioned within my portable air handler filter - added to my studio
    years ago and a much healthier alternative to the cardboard box! 

    I also use a larger, more standard buffer, but love this set-up for
    most flex shaft work. 

HTH.

Pam Chott
www.songofthephoenix.com


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