On Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 7:24:41 PM UTC+1, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Wed, 16 Nov 2016 06:49:58 -0800 (PST), robobass
wrote:


Y'think? That's 51.6% faster than your ideal. Why didn't you slow
down the lathe? Or did that speed work best with the density of the
larger diameter brush?

Jawohl, Herr Jaques! I slowed down the lathe to 550 for the 10" wheel, and everything works perfectly now. This wheel should last for years, so I will stop fretting about finding 3" wheels that are real brass.

Great. Glad I could help. It's amazing the simple things we can
overlook, or perhaps, are too lazy/hesitant at the moment to change
things.

I don't know why I didn't try to match the surface speed when I got the big wheel. I guess 550 just seemed so slow!

I was going to mention that, but you said "everything works perfectly
now" so I let it alone. 705rpm is your ideal speed, unless the
density of the brush changes that.

Thanks for the calculation. I did it at one point, but have lost the data. With the belts on my lathe, it is quick to change between 550, 1100, and 2200, but a bit more involved to get other speeds. Yes, 550rpm works well for initial cleaning with tripoli. I think I will try a Tampico brush for the final finishing, as that is still a bit laborious. I use a super fine compound that is not rouge, and I use heavy sewing thread to clean it out of the machine threads. Yes, this is a process intensive operation, but my niche market seems to appreciate the effort. I'm still in business, anyway!