Ebonite flaws?

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PremalChheda
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Re: Ebonite flaws?

Post by PremalChheda »

Sasquatch wrote:Cleaning them with sandpaper seems suspect to me. I wouldn't put anything with grit near my wheels.

Is it possible that these are wounds inflicted at an earlier stage, by a file or something, and that don't become apparent until you are polishing?
I am not sure how I would clean a wheel properly without sandpaper. I do go through a process to ensure any grit gets removed from the wheel after the sanding.
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Sasquatch
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Re: Ebonite flaws?

Post by Sasquatch »

A clean piece of wood with a 90 degree edge will scrape all the crap off my wheels, no danger of imbedding grit. One of those metal dog-hair brushes with the zig-zag teeth would work but using metal tends to leave the wheels dirty with metal... unsurprising given that we are essentially using sharpening compounds.
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Re: Ebonite flaws?

Post by The Smoking Yeti »

Sasquatch wrote:A clean piece of wood with a 90 degree edge will scrape all the crap off my wheels, no danger of imbedding grit. One of those metal dog-hair brushes with the zig-zag teeth would work but using metal tends to leave the wheels dirty with metal... unsurprising given that we are essentially using sharpening compounds.
I'll use part of a 36 grit fiber back disc to clean off large amounts of compound. I also do this when I prep a new wheel. I follow it up with a scrap of briar though. I never have issues of grit in my wheels.
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PremalChheda
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Re: Ebonite flaws?

Post by PremalChheda »

Sasquatch wrote:A clean piece of wood with a 90 degree edge will scrape all the crap off my wheels, no danger of imbedding grit. One of those metal dog-hair brushes with the zig-zag teeth would work but using metal tends to leave the wheels dirty with metal... unsurprising given that we are essentially using sharpening compounds.
I do use a piece of scrap to clean the wheel on a regular basis, but since the buffing wheels I use get very heavy use with at least 10 estate pipes a day, further cleaning is needed, and the sanding allows for the shape of the wheel to be corrected from time to time.

It is possible I would not need to sand the wheel as often if I were only making a few pipes per week. The scrap piece may be enough to clean along with application of extra compound.
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Gainey Pipes
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Re: Ebonite flaws?

Post by Gainey Pipes »

Sasquatch wrote:Cleaning them with sandpaper seems suspect to me. I wouldn't put anything with grit near my wheels.

Is it possible that these are wounds inflicted at an earlier stage, by a file or something, and that don't become apparent until you are polishing?
I have considered that it could be something that is already there but I don't see it until it gets shiny. After sanding is finished on my last few stems I hold them directly under a light and examine them very closely for any flaws, but have not seen anything. I can literally see them appear as I am buffing. I'm really thinking it has to be something with my buffing process. It is hard to narrow it down because I have replaced everything in my buffing setup, and even with the new wheels they get cleaned often. I use sandpaper but follow with a scrap piece of briar.
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PremalChheda
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Re: Ebonite flaws?

Post by PremalChheda »

The heat from buffing may be bringing up dents in the vulcanite from earlier work on it. This happens with scratches when heated after buffing.

The flaws in the picture look like little bubbles or inclusions. Rod Vulcanite from all three sources can have this issue. It is just something that we have to deal with from time to time.
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andrew
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Re: Ebonite flaws?

Post by andrew »

Just to double check, are you finding a small void, or a little chunk of something that you have to sand out?

andrew
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Sasquatch
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Re: Ebonite flaws?

Post by Sasquatch »

PremalChheda wrote:The heat from buffing may be bringing up dents in the vulcanite from earlier work on it. This happens with scratches when heated after buffing.

.
Was kind of thinking the same...
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Gainey Pipes
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Re: Ebonite flaws?

Post by Gainey Pipes »

andrew wrote:Just to double check, are you finding a small void, or a little chunk of something that you have to sand out?

andrew
Sometimes they can be voids, but most of the time it is a tiny bubble of ebonite.. if I run my finger across it I can feel it slightly. Sometimes I can buff them out with green tripoli, but most times I do have to sand them out though.
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Re: Ebonite flaws?

Post by Gainey Pipes »

PremalChheda wrote:The heat from buffing may be bringing up dents in the vulcanite from earlier work on it. This happens with scratches when heated after buffing.

The flaws in the picture look like little bubbles or inclusions. Rod Vulcanite from all three sources can have this issue. It is just something that we have to deal with from time to time.
Maybe I'll try slowing my tripoli wheel to prevent some of the heat build up. Right now I'm running it at about 1600
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