Slow polishing speed is needed in my opinion as it's easy to soften the finish by using a high speed. Also very easy to rub through. I'm not sure about Autosol as its for chrome which is a hard metal and it might be too aggressive. I use a mineral oil with Tripoli powder or jewellers rouge as it's also known, with powdered French chalk and oil for the final polish. 

Is your finish sprayed and did you use high quality spray thinners, which is important to get the gloss. If you haven't already bought the hand drill polishing pad then a hand held car polisher might be better as it runs at the correct speed.

Ive been doing some web checking and wax based polishing compounds seem to be good for instrument polishing. Some varnish sellers make ones that are specific to their product but good luck with getting anything from outside UK at the moment.

Any suggestions/recommendations on policing compound to use on high gloss lacquer?

@rashdown_online Don’t use Autosol, that’s for metal. Use something like Farecla G3 compound, it’s used for auto body paintwork. It will work well with your pad and drill system, just use a bit of water as well so you don’t burn through the clear as easy. 

HiRoland,

Have a look at the products available at www.the polishing shop.co.uk

They supply just about everything we could ever need. They recommend Glosswax 16 followed by P175, both on soft mops, for a normal level finish adding a third liquid polish stage if you are going for a perfect mirror finish. I’m sure that if you ring them they will be happy to suggest suitable products for hand drill type polishing.

BTW, I have heard that using Anusol can take a lot of the pain out of achieving a great finish!

Darren

PS Just a general note: I’ve recently started designing a direct drive single head mop polisher with variable speed control (200rpm-5500rpm) powered by an almost silent 1HP servo motor (same torque at all speeds), with a 12” mop you would ideally be running at about 800-1000rpm. Pictures to follow in the next week or so but if anyone is interested please let me know as, if there is interest, I might run a small batch of them to help reduce costs. I don’t need any kind of firm commitment at this stage, just an expression of possible interest if the price is right.

BTW, I have heard that using Anusol can take a lot of the pain out of achieving a great finish!

@darrenking 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@darrenking

Pictures to follow in the next week or so but if anyone is interested please let me know as, if there is interest, I might run a small batch of them 

I’m definitely interested. I doubt shipping would make sense for me but I’m still interested to see what you come up with!

Pictures to follow in the next week or so but if anyone is interested please let me know as, if there is interest, I might run a small batch of them to help reduce costs. I don’t need any kind of firm commitment at this stage, just an expression of possible interest if the price is right.

@darrenking - please add me to your list of expressors of possible interest without any kind of firm commitment ... tag me when you post the pics / update.

😉

Will do TV.

I have just sent the drawing of the shaft over to my favourite engineering company in Sandy so I'll see what cost they come back with. I'm going to use a 750w (1HP) servo motor, designed for an industrial sewing machine, and which has a digital speed controller and 'throttle peddle' (the little box with the lever in the middle of the picture), although I'm not planning on having the speed adjustment connected to a foot!

So far it appears to be a great little unit and the beauty of servo motors is that the torque remains the same regardless of the speed. You can set a max rpm on the main control unit (say 1000rpm) and then the speed adjustment lever takes you from zero to 1000rpm in 200rpm steps so if you can have different rotational speeds for different grades of finish or softness of mop. It's almost silent as well which may well be a consideration for some of you home builders. The motor and controller cost me about £110 on eBay, there is a 25mm flange bearing that was about £20 and then there will be the cost of the shaft and the housing etc - tbc.

The plan is to have the main shaft connected directly onto the output shaft of the motor as the speed controller means that there is no need for speed reducing pulleys and belts. This will also help keep the unit as compact as possible. The whole housing will be made from birch plywood (who'd have guessed?!) and it is designed to be screwed/bolted/clamped to a work bench rather than being a permanent floor or wall mounted machine. It will only spin one mop at at time but I don't think this will be too much of a problem for 'people like us' where space is at a premium and costs need to be kept low.

Hopefully by the weekend I will have machined the first prototype housing and I can put up some pictures to gauge opinion and I will post these under a new forum topic.

Cheers

Darren

Just a general note: I’ve recently started designing a direct drive single head mop polisher with variable speed control (200rpm-5500rpm) powered by an almost silent 1HP servo motor (same torque at all speeds), with a 12” mop you would ideally be running at about 800-1000rpm. Pictures to follow in the next week or so but if anyone is interested please let me know as, if there is interest, I might run a small batch of them to help reduce costs. I don’t need any kind of firm commitment at this stage, just an expression of possible interest if the price is right.

@darrenking I’m interested Darren, put me on the list. 👍

@darrenking

Looks like a great design. Maintaining torque is a big factor in any turning machine as inconsistent speeds can cause differences in the finish. Wish I had bench space for another machine but don't know what I would throw away.

Wish I had bench space for another machine but don't know what I would throw away.

You don’t need to thrown anything away @rocknroller912 - that’s the wrong way of thinking.

You just need another bench.

👍

Hopefully by the weekend I will have machined the first prototype housing and I can put up some pictures to gauge opinion and I will post these under a new forum topic.

No rush @darrenking, I’m trying to finish watching through the acoustic course before starting on the finishing course!

I did buy a polishing attachment for a drill, and some polishing compounds, last year, but never made anything suitable for trying that out on.

I need to build more ....

@tv101

I was watching the acoustic course as well for a bit there, then I got completely distracted but intend to get back at it.

I don’t really have much interest in building one but I certainly enjoy watching the process.

But I suspect at some point I’ll feel up for it but not for a while as I’ve got plenty that I want to tackle first. 

The finishing course is still rather small, you could blaze through that in no time.

I don’t really have much interest in building one but I certainly enjoy watching the process.

I didn’t either @mattbeels.  But I’ve built enough electrics now (20 odd) and don’t really need any more, I’ve been playing acoustics more of late, plus I’d (need to) learn a whole new set of fine woodworking skills.  So I’m seriously tempted.  

I’m watching through the course to work out whether I feel brave (do one at home) or sensible (wait for a workshop course) ...

tv101

Another bench would be great but my garage has a finite amount of space and also has a motorbike and two bicycles. I was hoping to add on a conservatory in 2020 but Covid has made it difficult to even get plans drawn up.

I was hoping to add on a conservatory

Conservatories are no good as workshops @rocknroller912.

Not for guitars or violins!

😉

@tv101

If I were you I would just bang one out at home, boom! Do it!

Then after Covid go do a course and make one with an arm bevel. That way you’ll have one under your belt (it ain’t that difficult, hell Mark can do it 😆) and you’ll be more prepared for making a really awesome one with a bevel and maybe even a cutaway. 🤔😉🤘