One little detail. He didn't show you the track before he started, maybe it already looked like that!

 

Interesting. It seems to me, though, that he (or the interested party) would be better off simply buying whatever burnishing disc that is, and running it on one's one grinder. Do you think that's some commonly available abrasive wheel ... like a Scotchbrite pad or something?

I wonder how much care is needed to not abrade off the paint on the crossties?

Thanks for posting, Jim,

TJ

 

It was posted over in the Trains forums, it's a $70 Tyco wheel. I also wondered about the crossties, because I take some paint off them when I wire brush track.

 

Actually John, he does show the pieces in his ad. He's a member of a S-Gauge Club and they do this as a way to raise funds for their club. I'd say that there's a difference between a wire wheel and the pad that he's using, and that if you were to read/look at the ad, you might see that it would be a better way considering what he explains as the added benefits.

TJ, that was my my thought. I'm going to try and order a couple of those pads and see how it turns out. I'm not happy with the results using a wire wheel.

 

I like the idea of the pad, but the $70 that was quoted in another forum kinda' sets me back!

 

Keep us posted, Jim. In concept, I think the somewhat flexible / contouring pad might do a better job on the tubular track than a wire brush. I wonder about the lifespan of the pad, though. My little Dremel pads tend to wear down very quickly ... much more so than a Dremel stainless brush.

Let us know what you find out.

Cheers,

TJ

 

If you could find those pads at a reasonable price, it might be an alternative.

 

I wonder how many send him rail?

It would cost Around $50 bucks for a hundred with shipping.

 

While I don't doubt that's what he rightfully should charge, I have a problem sending out a couple hundred track pieces when I could have the wheel for the price. It's also pretty expensive to ship a lot of track, it's heavy!

 

Your right on that.


It looks like a soft buffing wheel.
You would need a slow speed drill to run it.
Maybe it is a buffing wheel with some kind of polish soaked/penetrated into it.

 

I think it's a pretty solid material, but it must last for a long time for them to get $75-$100 for them!

 

I think that when you take into consideration that not everyone has a shop, or even perhaps the skills to do this, it's not a bad deal. I have over 250 pcs of track that needs cleaning. Since I don't want any of the new style track, or Gargraves, for me, it makes sense.

Did any of you read or watch his video? That pad doesn't look like it some light weight material. If I can get one for $70-80, IMHO, it would be more than adequate to meet all my needs

 

Jim, as you may recall, I used to work in silver---sterling silver, as opposed to nickel silver. Nickel silver is a misnomer, as it contains no silver at all: "The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc." It's also called German Silver. So, if you break it down to a simple metal polishing system, you need a polisher that will handle those three metals and polish, rather than strip them: a soft-metal buffing compound.

Since I was polishing a lot of metal, I went to Walmart and bought a two-wheel grinder. A large screwdriver and a wrench allowed me to remove the wheels in about 5 minutes; the same nuts and washers allowed me to mount buffing wheels in their place. If you mount one of these puppies on one wheel (http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=213585706&sellerid=23032500) and this one on the other (http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch...adv=40010&mr:trackingCode=7A690F9E-782A-E011-B31E-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA), all you'd then need is a polishing compound. I'd recommend this one: http://www.amazon.com/POLISHING-COMPOUND-ZAM-CROCUS-TUBE/dp/tech-data/B000HYKBU8

Zam is a professional polish for silver and soft stones like turquoise. A slightly coarser polish is jewelers rouge for the tough customers: http://www.amazon.com/oz-Jewelers-Rouge-Polishing-Compound/dp/B0009SOB9O

The important thing is to not mix your buffing compounds on the same wheel. If you really get into it, you'll want a tapered arbor for each metal shaft of your grinder: https://www.swmetal.com/cart/search?category=Arbors and Extensions

The arbors need to be left-hand/right hand for opposite sides of the wheel, so as to spin tighter instead of unwinding as the motor spins the shaft. The tapered arbors allow you to grab the buffing wheel and sort of unscrew it from the arbor by hand, negating the need for tools to swap wheels---you might want to use a clean, soft wheel to get all your polishing compount off the rails. At some point, you may decide to run these all through the washer and dryer to renew your wheels. This can be done, and leaves gunk all over the washer tub for you to take out with Googone or similar cleaner!

Best wishes,
Len

 

Well I guess I have to register and give my side as long as I started this information on the Tycro wheel. I used this process for over 20 years in the orthopedic field. It works great on $40,000 artificial legs and $10,000 orthopedic braces, so I guess it would work on a section $4.99 train track. But you can use what ever you want to use. We did this twenty years ago. I'm just trying to give what works for us in the best way. You can E-mail me with any questions. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. My mail box is getting full!

http://sgaugers.blogspot.com/p/burnishing-american-flyer-train-track.html

 

The problem here is the entry price of over $130 for the wheel! It's pretty easy to justify that for $40,000 items, not so much for a pile of cheap train track.

 

Here's a place that has all the buffing wheels and compound you'd ever need, and their prices seem a lot better than some of the other references.

PJ Tool & Supply- Hard to Find Tools. Harder to Beat Prices.

 

CHEAP TRACK???? Sir, I beg to differ! By the time you take that 6' oval and add 50 additional pieces of rolling stock, 5 steamers and 4 diesels, 24 buildings and a series of upgrades in transformers, wiring, lighting, sound, take over the living room for the expanded layout, pay off the now ex-wife for the divorce, remarry with a woman you only recognize by her pin-striped coveralls and install the beer refrigerator, you're up to about $1000/linear foot! Polish those puppies!!! Treat them like royalty!

And AZ-Flyer, welcome to the forum. Please don't feel attacked or the need to defend the service you're offering; we're just DIY addicts and are always looking for cheaper alternatives. It's nice to have you join us!

 

I don't feel attacked, or having to defend my service.
And I'm the first to look for the cheapest way to do something, if it can save me time and money in the long run.:thumbsup:
Like they say in the Service: "There is the Right Way, the Wrong Way and Your Way"

Thanks for the welcome.

Az-Flyer

 

AZ-Flyer,

Thanks for chiming in. You're most welcome here on our forum. Respectful debate and exchange of information is a good thing ... we all can learn from the dialog.

Cheers,

TJ

 

Len I agree 100%
And thanks for the great laugh!:laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

I'm certainly not trying to chase anyone, just pointing out what may be obvious, and maybe not. I'd love to have one of those wheels, but to buy one without actually seeing it in action, $130+ is a bit too rich. I know how buffing wheels work, I already have a bench buffer and polishing compound.

 

This is the problem.......... Everyone is associating the burnishing wheel with buffing wheels. They are completely different. Buffing is old technology, which uses polishing compounds and different wheels.:thumbsdown: Burnishing is just the wheel no compounds or additives needed.:thumbsup:This is new technology which came out of the space age. All you need is time...30 seconds to one minute per track (if you have good hand skills).

 

Well, you also need that $130+ to buy the wheel.

 

$$$$$$$$$$$$$.......$130.00

It seems everyone can come up with the money to buy more trains including me. I would think you would like to run them on your layout with good clean track to start with, but maybe not?

You may want to keep them in the box and leave them to your grand kids. Then you don't need the burnishing or buffing wheel.

Have good week. I have to burnish some old track to sell on eBay. Do you have any old track that I can buy cheap?

AZ-Flyer

 

Well, it's not the $130 or so, but the uncertainty of exactly how well this would actually work. It's easy to get caught up in the moment, but stuff like this I like to actually see before I spend my money. If I buy most other pieces of equipment, I'm sure of exactly what I'm going to get. In this case, I'm not sure how easy or effective it'll actually be, or how long that wheel will last. It's not that I believe it can't work, I just don't know how effective, easy, or cost effective it would end up being. It's not like there aren't other ways to clean track...

 

AZ-Flyer,

Two questions ...

1. Any advice / tips on how to burnish with enough care to avoid degrading the paint on the cross ties?

2. Do you (or the burnishing pad) ever have a hands-on display at any local (large) train shows? (Thinking in New England for my specific interests.)

Thanks,

TJ

 

I'd love to actually see this thing in operation, it could be the next great thing. I just don't want to spend the money and be disappointed.

 

Value?

AZ-Flyer, I couldn't agree more with your statements:thumbsup:

Len, thank you for all that info, as always, you get right to the point!

John, the web site you posted doesn't have a, "Burnishing Wheel" that matches what we've been discussing. I don't agree with your logic. Sometimes, you just have to go with other peoples experiences and trust that someone that has as much love of the hobby wouldn't steer you wrong

Enough said on this topic!!

Regards,
Jim

 

John, the web site you posted doesn't have a, "Burnishing Wheel" that matches what we've been discussing.

The price I quoted was from his reference to an eBay auction of $119 + 12.95 shipping. As far as the site I posted, I didn't say it has burnishing wheels, I was speaking of the alternatives since I can't find such a wheel at a reasonable price.

Sometimes, you just have to go with other peoples experiences and trust that someone that has as much love of the hobby wouldn't steer you wrong

Sometimes I do, but not every time. Do you own one of these wheels? If not, what are you basing your opinion on? Lots of people have opinions on topics, that doesn't necessarily make then correct.

It seems in your eyes, it's not allowed to question a conclusion. I don't see things that way, so we'll have to agree to disagree on this point. :dunno:

 

John, I could write a page long response to your reply and you still wouldn't get it.

I'm done with this topic. Time to move on...........

 

You're right, I probably wouldn't get it. The question is, do you get it?

I agree, time to move on.