CygnusXII
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- Mar 22, 2012
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Well Boys and Girls, I ordered a small polisher Buffer off of eBay, a smaller double wheeled model with variable speed controller. I spent about $40 bucks on it, with free shipping. It arrived this morning... Wooohooo! So of course I've been buffing and polishing all my Stable of Pipes. The model I ordered came from China, of course, and it really isn't all that bad for the money. It came with dual tapered, threaded Mandrels, and two 4" cloth, washable wheels. It has variable speed control from 200 to 7000 RPM. From Amazon.com I bought 2 x 2lb blocks of Bees Wax, and a 1Lb block of Red Jewelers Rouge. Let me tell you, all in all, it's not a bad little rig. It runs on 110 volts, so it plugs right into the wall, and setup took about 5 minutes. Word of Warning The mandrels have to be put on properly as the threading is pertinent to mounting the buffing wheels easily. If you get them reversed, the wheels will not mount, they will attempt to spin off the mounts instead of tightening down. Once you have the wheels mounted, load one side with red rouge, and the other with Bees Wax or Carnuba, which ever you chose to use, personally. I choose to use Bees wax, as it is easier and more cost effective to buy in bulk, has a nice smell (floral to fruit scented depending on what the Bees used to make their Honeycomb with.) Bees Wax leaves a little less of a lustrous shine than Carnuba, but I think it goes on a little thicker, and last a little longer than Carnuba, and has a little bit better tactile feel in your hands. Of course I had to start right in cleaning and polishing my beauties. My Pipe Stable dwindled during my 10 year Hiatus, but I am back up to about 45 or 50 of them now With more to come 
I used to work a buffer a lot in my younger years as a pipe smoker. My best friend owned a Tobacco Store, and I had free reign to come and go, and use equipment as I needed. Hand + Eye memory comes back but slowly, and I must admit 20+ years have gone by since then. Back in those days I flung a Pipe or two across the room, every now and then. It is really easy to catch that cloth wheel at an odd angle and before you know it, shcwing!!! there it goes... KA!-Ping! Sometimes it can ricochet from wall to wall. Be warned, a pipe can become a projectile faster than you can think about it. Well I've slung a few today, but with the variable speed control, I had it lowered and the pipe only flicked a few feet. It really surprised me, and let me tell you, my cats sure jumped.
I hope my little story has helped encourage you guys into looking into buying your own buffing gear, and I really hope it helps you prepare for a flung pipe. It will happen, even if you are careful... Eventually. I hope you do not break a shank, bowl or stem.
One word of advice I might offer when you buy (IF) a buffing wheel. Get larger cloth wheels. maybe 6 inch or 8 inch. The 4 inch is serviceable, but a little tight, and thin in movement room.
I used to work a buffer a lot in my younger years as a pipe smoker. My best friend owned a Tobacco Store, and I had free reign to come and go, and use equipment as I needed. Hand + Eye memory comes back but slowly, and I must admit 20+ years have gone by since then. Back in those days I flung a Pipe or two across the room, every now and then. It is really easy to catch that cloth wheel at an odd angle and before you know it, shcwing!!! there it goes... KA!-Ping! Sometimes it can ricochet from wall to wall. Be warned, a pipe can become a projectile faster than you can think about it. Well I've slung a few today, but with the variable speed control, I had it lowered and the pipe only flicked a few feet. It really surprised me, and let me tell you, my cats sure jumped.I hope my little story has helped encourage you guys into looking into buying your own buffing gear, and I really hope it helps you prepare for a flung pipe. It will happen, even if you are careful... Eventually. I hope you do not break a shank, bowl or stem.
One word of advice I might offer when you buy (IF) a buffing wheel. Get larger cloth wheels. maybe 6 inch or 8 inch. The 4 inch is serviceable, but a little tight, and thin in movement room.
