Polishing metal on a lathe

The_Apprentice

The_Apprentice

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Well I don't know... I have always been told (and read) to NEVER let your hands/fingers come in contact with material on a lathe in operation. But I'm seeing this all over youtube, particularly with those who use mini-lathes for making jewelry, or other small items.

I just don't know. Am I a little too cautious at times? For example, this procedure I just saw was making me just cringe--


Thanks in advance. I'm still going to assume it's quite possible to lose fingers on a Mini, even with ones that have plastic gears & belts if the chuck is rotating fast enough...
 
I polish Aluminum on my lathe, finish with Simichrome polish. I apply it and polish it with a cloth, not my fingers, haven't lost a cloth yet. Yes, I am careful.
 
There are those on YouTube who professes to be machinist . The real ones you can tell , they try to never get there hands or fingers near revolving work . There are some ways to polish without getting close to the point of getting hurt. Watch doubleboost , he gets close but tries not too. He gets cut often but always tries to show the right way. As long as you don't have jewelry or loose clothing and long hair it's very hard to get caught , you must be mindful of what your doing , don't blame anybody else if you go beyond the comfort range you must set.
I see these guys feel the finish on a mill with the endmill still running NOT GOOD , One guy scares the crap out of me at times Keith Fenner , his tied up goat tee is a disaster just waiting to happen. Others no SAFTEY glasses , long sleeves loosely hanging , life's to long to be crippled for the length of it. I've mentioned politely to many of the SAFTEY issues. Some are congenial others ignore. But it's ok my shop teachers taught us to practise SAFTEY for everyone.
 
Plenty of people put stock into and finished work out of collets on the lathe with the machine running at speed. You have to touch it more than gingerly to do that. Others test the surface finish with their bare fingers, and seem to know what they are doing. I certainly would not try those operations with my skill level, but people with lots of experience certainly do so, and hopefully understand the risks. The most dangerous things are the ones you do not know are waiting to bite you. Especially in a hobby shop, there is no good reason for not being as careful as possible, which also includes learning, studying, and filing information away in our brains to keep us from getting hurt. Being safe is by no means being a sissy...

I used to have the chuck key to my drill press attached to a strong chain attached to the head. One day it occurred to me what would happen if I ever started the spindle with the chuck key in the chuck. I immediately removed the chain and found a new place for the chuck key, with no tether. I was ignorant, not my fault, but it could still have hurt me badly. I will give myself credit for thinking about the possible danger and immediately mitigating it. There are always more gotchas out there waiting to bite you.

Y'all be careful out there...
 
There is a guy on u tube that works on the lathe and mill with gloves. Not latex but real gloves. Seem to finish his project with fingers intact. Amazing.
 
You mean everything I see on the net, isn't 100% the truth, first it was no dragons, then no unicorns, now its questionable information on the net, my faith in the world has been completely shattered.............<sigh>
 
I just use a buffing wheel with compound to do that.

The youtube guy was taking a chance on severe injury.

It would be possible to make a simple wooden jig with a handle to hold the green and white abrasive pads in a sling and hold that with your hand away for safety. Put same pressure on the fabric in a sling. With a soft cloth instead of paper for the final buffing.
 
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