A polishing disk from a washing machine

You could also look here for an idea

rec.crafts.metalworking is always active and helpful.I haven't heard of a conversion like this but it sounds doable. I added a 150mmgrinder surface to my Krystal 2000 glass grinder. I used UHDPE sheet with selfadhesive diamond sheet for the grinding surface. The UHDPE discs areinterchangeable so I can use different grades. I shall add this to my web sitei'm working on and send you the link soon.

1. I don't know what the speed would be but at a guess from one I have seen converted from a plane blade sharpener at LGC, 150 - 200 RPM and its disc is about 50cm diameter. Is the washing machine a modern variable speed?. Does the motor use brushes.

1. The less the better but you are going to run it fairly slowly so if accurately made I wouldn't expect much problem. Rubber would help keep the glass and wood together in my experience as the glass is less likely to slip on the rubber.

2. Add a ring around the wooden disc to stop it going anywhere.

Hans Paijmans wrote:

So is our dutch electronics community.

It is a 15 year old Miele, so far as I can see without brushes, but with a really *big* pack of condensators. I have the vague idea that the speed of such motors can be varied by adding condensators, but I must go back to nl.hobby.electronica to get a clear answer.

If I can get the thing working, I will publish photos and experiences on my site, if not - you will read it in my obiutary... obutary... obituio... IN MEMORIAM!

paai

Proposals to help. Could use more help in seeing this, So you are mounting this on the end of a horizontal arbor? Any chance or small sketch and a link to it?

1) Reducing the speed at the arbor, wooden disk? (What is the glass disk for?) could be accomplished with different size pulleys. On the polishing arbor on my beveller is a 14" pulley, never measured, just guessing, with a 3" pulley on the motor. My wheel runs about 90 RPM, or slower. 2)The less play, as in none, will give the best and truest surface, from there it is what you can put up with. 3)Haven't figured out the use of the glass disk? Is it to hold grit?

Check out this link, may save you some grief, and have some apps you can make use of.

This pdf-file for some reason gives solid black squares where pictures should be. Of course I use, um, a different operating system, but I never seen this problem.

Anyway, I lay the bracket (arbor???) on its back, so the wheel wil turn in the horizontal plane. I am taking photos with my digital camera, so it should become clear when I put them on the web.

On the first test it shook rather badly, but then I put the blocks of cast iron that served as contraweights in the original washingmachine on the rim, and then it was more or less rock-solid. Now I have to do some shopping, and tonight I'll mount the wooden disk. Things look promising.

The glass disk is to put carborundum slush on.

Paai

If its variable speed which I expect it is then it will probably have brushes. I am not aware of motors which use capacitors to vary speed but more info may be required. Photo posted somewhere might make it clearer.

Hans Paijmans wrote:

Works fine here... both xpdf-0.92-1.62.0 and Acrobat4, so it's definitely not your OS. As I understand it, condensors are for short term current "storage" to supply that large current draw when the motor first starts. I've never heard of them having anything to do with motor speed.

That's because condensors have nothing to do with motor speed. Varying voltage causes the motor to slow/speedup. Condensers only "store" voltage, not modulate it.

I'm no motor expert, but it seems to me that most, if not all, of the variable speed motors I've seen/used were DC voltage. Washing machines vary the speed of the tub by a gearbox which is activated by a solenoid. Some AC motors have two sets of windings in them, and the motor RPM varys by which set of windings are selected. Like a furnace fan, for example.

My 10 year old+ Servis 1100 washing machine has a brushed motor just like a variable speed drill and poly V belt drive giving about 20:1 reduction. It is capable of running down to maybe 60 rpm and upto

1100rpm. No gearbox required. Variable speed AC brushed motors are comm>

It Works!

want to thank all the people who gave good counsel.

Paai

(BTW: let us /not/ discuss here the remarks on the use of english in the html-page).

Looks good i'll keep it in mind when the washing machine gives up. So far 1 set of brushes, drum bearings, gaiter but still going strong otherwise. I have used this type briefly but prefered a diamond wheel. Worked better and no need to replenish carburundum. I don't know what a

50cm disc of the self adhesive diam>

Gaiter...? As in Homni soit qui mal y pense???

My wife reports that the professionals (Tetterode glas) use wheels not unlike mine, with glass disks and carborundum.

You know, I really don't know anything of glass and actually I don't want to. It is the tinkering and improvising with cheap stuff that really turns me on :-)

I mean, if her profession would have been air liner pilot, I'd as happily build jet planes from discarded cigarette lighters or so...

Paai

You've completely lost me now my french is not that good but far better than my dutch. The gaiter is the rubber bit between the outer drum and body just inside the door. My dutch references are not that good so online translations give "slobkous" or "beenkap" and I am not sure if either is really correct. What is the full french reference as it may make more sense and enlighten me. Briefly an ex, now best friend, is half dutch and I have been unofficailly adopted by her family. They all speak good english but as I go to see them in Holland it is reasonably expected that I try to speak dutch which I am trying to learn. I am going to be in Holland from the 19th to 24th February in or about Monfoort near Utrecht. Are you nearby.

I used some diamond wheels at Dartington where their cold working set-up was really good. Grinding and various stages of polishing but that would be expected considering what they do.

What do you actually do for a living. I program windows software for the desktop and CE although I trained in mechanical engineering hence the interest in your grinding wheel and will become more apparent when I send the web site link of my metal projects related to glass for my glass blowing interests.

Having just said that, you and others of the same persuasion may just enjoy this site and the unique work done by this fellow.

know I do.

I think both dutch words are /not/ 'gaiters', and I never heard 'gaiter' in your sense either. A gaiter is a small band of lace that keeps up women stockings - well, gentlemen wear them too, but not of lace, generally.

The french bit means 'Woe to him who thinks evil of this' and belongs to the highest English order: 'the order of the gaiter' .

Not really: I live in the south. But if you want to visit glass shops in and around Amsterdam I can get you addresses and try to get you introductions.

I am assistant professor in computer linguistics at Tilburg University and a Linux user from 1992.

Paai

Ahh the word in question is garter not gaiter as in "Order of the Garter" and a garter holds up a womans stockings. Apart from that I can't and don't want to criticise your english.

You could send some information. I am not sure if i'll be going to Amsterdam this trip, more likely just in and around Utrecht.

Not to difficult to find either. First hit on google with "computer linguistics " was Tilburg. May explain your apparently excellent language skills.

...

Sometimes I wonder what happens in my head when I make mistakes like that... No, really. 55 is a bit young for Alzheimer to set in.

...

I know of no glass studios in the vicinity of Utrecht. Those that I know of are in Haarlem, Amsterdam, Haarlem, Eindhoven, Groningen, Drente and Zuid Limburg. You may be interested to know that my brother-in-law is Peter Bremers, a rather succesfull glass artist; he lives in Zuid Limburg.

But Amsterdam is very near Utrecht, by train preferably. Tetterode is on confortable walking distance from a railwaystation (forgot which one). Richard Price is technical manager there. Yvonne Trossel has a studio in Haarlem.

The irony of fate... I am quoted as one of the most skilled english writers in our faculty, and I am very active in pressing my students to write in english. And also I'm the one who is most opposed to the introduction of english as official language for our university (unsuccesfully).

You don't look that old from the picture on the university of Tilburg site.

Now I would like to see Peter Bremers in action. It looks like has has been near me if he has blown with Neil Wilkin at Frome. I think the stuff has has done which can be seen at Gallerie l'Eclat du Verre is gorgeous,

Tetterodglas looks to do more architectural glass, but still spectactular. I am more into blowing. Do they allow the public in, if so I may drop in for a look if in Amsterdam.