Cold Working tools for hobbyists

[rskrishnan]

Hello All,
I've been kiln casting for about 3 years and have collected a fair number of pieces that need to "cold worked" before I can claim them to be DONE! All I need is to remove a few flashing (too close to the main body to snap-off), and polish them lightly. I am not looking for super-fancy $500 belt sanders!
Is there a good way to build your own belt-sander from "commodity" belt-sanders ? I've tried with a couple of Black-Decker ones - the motor burns out since the bel gets wet from the spray. The "bigger" sanders just take too much space and $$$
Greatly appreciate any/all replies.

Krishnan

[charlie]

Hello All,
I've been kiln casting for about 3 years and have collected a fair number of pieces that need to "cold worked" before I can claim them to be DONE! All I need is to remove a few flashing (too close to the main body to snap-off), and polish them lightly. I am not looking for super-fancy $500 belt sanders!
Is there a good way to build your own belt-sander from "commodity" belt-sanders ? I've tried with a couple of Black-Decker ones - the motor burns out since the bel gets wet from the spray. The "bigger" sanders just take too much space and $$$
Greatly appreciate any/all replies.

Krishnan

you can use hand diamond pads with a little water and a lot of elbow grease. you'll then need to polish the marred areas (rouge and cerium on a felt pad). harbor freight has a dremel type tool with a flex shaft on sale this month for about $50. they also sell cheap diamond hand pads of various grits.

[Bert Weiss]

Hello All,
I've been kiln casting for about 3 years and have collected a fair number of pieces that need to "cold worked" before I can claim them to be DONE! All I need is to remove a few flashing (too close to the main body to snap-off), and polish them lightly. I am not looking for super-fancy $500 belt sanders!
Is there a good way to build your own belt-sander from "commodity" belt-sanders ? I've tried with a couple of Black-Decker ones - the motor burns out since the bel gets wet from the spray. The "bigger" sanders just take too much space and $$$
Greatly appreciate any/all replies.

Krishnan

I have a 3' x 24" wet belt sander by Covington. The water source is a sponge. It couldn't be much simpler. It will do all the work of a big wet belt sander, the belts just don't last as long.

[Bert Weiss]

Hello All,
I've been kiln casting for about 3 years and have collected a fair number of pieces that need to "cold worked" before I can claim them to be DONE! All I need is to remove a few flashing (too close to the main body to snap-off), and polish them lightly. I am not looking for super-fancy $500 belt sanders!
Is there a good way to build your own belt-sander from "commodity" belt-sanders ? I've tried with a couple of Black-Decker ones - the motor burns out since the bel gets wet from the spray. The "bigger" sanders just take too much space and $$$
Greatly appreciate any/all replies.

Krishnan

I have a 3" x 24" wet belt sander by Covington. The water source is a sponge. It couldn't be much simpler. It will do all the work of a big wet belt sander, the belts just don't last as long.