Mold polishing machine (air filer) questions...

Hey guys!
I do a lot of hand finishing of hardened steels (A2 @ 63HRC) using mold polishing stones (EDM stones), and I'm looking for a way to cut the wear and tear on my fingers/hands/arms, polishing by hand for 8 hours at a time is no fun!

I buy all my stones from MoldShopTools and they have a selection of "air powered filing machines" designed for use with polishing stones... I'm interested in the UltraLap UR120 and UR300 systems (1.2mm and 3mm stroke length respectively).

However I have a few questions for anyone that's used one of these systems:
1) How loud are these tools? As loud as an air powered rotary tool, or quieter?
2) How long do they last? Hundreds of hours? Years?
3) Do these give you the numb tingling feeling in the hands that comes from dealing with long periods of heavy vibration?

I'm going to give them a call on Monday but I wanted to get some other opinions as well.

If you guys have recommendations for other systems I'd love to hear them! The surfaces I work on are largeish (1x4") and largely flat.

Thanks!
-Aaron

Hey Aaron,

I've owned an 'air powered filing machine' for years. I'm not sure it's the same brand as MoldShopTools, but it looks pretty similar. Here's my stab at answering your questions.
1. They're much quieter-a much toned-down hum or buzz.
2. I bought mine used, and it has worked for years, but I don't use it daily.
3. You do feel the vibration when you use it. I don't use it too often, and then not for hours at a time.

Just one guy's opinion. YMMV

Ron

I used to work in a large mold making shop. They had 4 or 5 fulltime polishers.A few of them joined in a class action lawsuit against a handheld DME mold polisher machine and won, and of course were hounded out the door.They ended up with a tidy non disclosure setelment.The human body WILL NOT STAND viabration 8 hours a dayEVERY DAY .Edwin Dirnbeck

Gawd did I hate to polish!

It doesn't matter what you buy, there is still stuff that has to be done by hand.
Hold a pencil for 8 hours and see if you don't have cramps
Romove all the machine marks BEFORE you heat treat.
You're lucky, wait until you get a mold where you finish with tongue depressors and diamond paste.
JR

I have a number of flex-shaft driven Diprofil tools that are made in Sweden. I have used them a little bit, but seldom have a need. They are made for mold polishing. They get worn out if used with diamond compound for years, as evidenced by some I bought on eBay. They also have air-powered models, but I have never bought one. I have an ultrasonic Diprofil that I have never tried out.

I get more use out of my Marathon Handy 700 50,000 rpm brushless electric die grinder, made in Korea by Saeyang. I have a couple of the other Marathon micromotor handpieces, and they are all very fine tools. I have seen the Marathon machines sold with Foredom and Diprofil names on them, but for more money.
Marathon Handy 7 Brushless Dental Micro Motor
Foredom Electric Co. - Brushless
Reciprocating Machines for Mould Making | Diprofil
Ultrasonic Polishing
Di-Profiler Reciprocating Handpieces
https://moldpolishing.engis.com/category/diprofil-tools/

Larry

Used to polish zipper teeth molds for Coates and Clark a 2 ft. mold would take a month to do. used a foredom and hand tapered orange sticks to remove the cast layer on EDM'd molds hard on the hands and the eyes looking through a loop for extended time is rough. Never again.

scojen said:

Used to polish zipper teeth molds for Coates and Clark a 2 ft. mold would take a month to do. used a foredom and hand tapered orange sticks to remove the cast layer on EDM'd molds hard on the hands and the eyes looking through a loop for extended time is rough. Never again.

Click to expand...

Damn, that sounds awful!

Luckily the work I'm doing is not this bad! Each part only takes about 30 minutes to polish, and usually I'm only doing a couple of hours of polishing a day, though I have polished for up to 10 hours a day (can't imagine having to do that on tiny intricate parts!)

I don't think the vibration will be an issue give the relatively short periods I'm aiming for, but I have experienced lasting numbness with other vibratory tools that I've used for longer periods of time.

Honestly, the ideal solution in my case would probably be to reciprocate the workpiece (rather than the tool), but I'm not sure that the best way to do that would be.

Hi Aaron:
Somewhere on Youtube is a knifemaking video where the guy built exactly what you're talking about; a reciprocating platform that has a blade clamp and a frame around it so he can rest his arms on the frame while he polishes the blade going back and forth below his hands.
He's Russian or Ukrainian.

I thought it was a neat concept when I saw it: too bad I don't remember who it was or even how I ended up there.
Just trollin a long until something caught my eye.
I do remember starting out with Carlos Santana, but that's no help at all...is it.

Should be pretty easy to rig something; his was unutterably crude as all tools Russian tend to be (especially the home made ones), but it seemed to work slicker than snot.
Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining

There are gloves made to help.
Anti-Vibration & Shock Dampening Work Gloves - Reduce Risk of Injury

Hi again Aaron:
Here's a link to the home made reciprocating polisher video.
Damascus from the cable, the entire process (Blade) - YouTube
It appears for a few seconds toward the end of the 7 minute mark.

One of the useful things about this as opposed to a hand held reciprocating polisher like a Diprofil, is that the polishing strokes are nice and long with the Russian gadget and others like it.
I find you get a nicer finish faster with longer strokes.
The even sweep of the stone over a large area levels the surface and gives a unique high quality look that cannot be achieved any other way.
A Diprofil or my NSK air powered polisher are great for tiny details but pretty hopeless for big surfaces like a knife blade.
Big surfaces done with a Diprofil look like a roller coaster by comparison to a properly hand stoned surface when you catch the light with them..


Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining

Take a look at the Okamoto Aero Lap. There are some good videos on YouTube. I haven't seen any come up used but have seen them in use and it looks to do good quick work.

YT3 - Features - Okamoto Corporation