Ray,
I'm upstairs here taking a break from spending most of the day polishing the lugs and whatnot on yet ANOTHER in a non-ending line-up of Cinellis. Ray is absolutely right about reversing the process. Actually, most of what I polish is done while the part is being held in my vice somehow. The methods I use to do this are very creative. There is an artform in just inventing ways to hold small awkward parts during polishing. Most of the polishing process is actually done by hand sanding with emory cloth, with or without oil. Only the final one or two steps involve the spinning of the buff. Different metals react differently and require various steps and can also sometimes involve Scotchbright or other wheels, but these generally do not "grab" the work. More care must be taken to not slip off the work or "follow the wheel around a corner", thus rounding something that you would prefer to leave sharp and square.
I only do a few things on the buffing wheel actually, things that are easily and safely accessed; and still extreme care and concentration are required. It's not funny what can happen at the buffing wheel. Traditionally buffing knives is done on the wheel which can be rather dangerous; but I just realized that I should probably switch methods while knifemaking also. Timing is good for the revelation; I just started my first little knife project in about 20 years.
My observation about polishing things. There is something very special and deeply satisfying about making something out of raw steel or other metal and ending up the process by giving it a mirror polish. It may just be a guy thing (unlike the ladies who seem to go for the shiny rocks instead), but bright shiny metal really blows my dress up. Like the ultimate guy thing, the chrome donut (a project of mine that is NOT dead, just in a holding pattern) it's just cool. I like showing people stuff I just polished for plating and say "nice chrome, huh" as they see their distorted face looking back at them from the surface of the lug. Then I crack up as I tell them it hasn't been plated yet. "Really" they say. Yep, most people have never seen what you have to do to get something ready for plating. Anyway, it's a little dangerous at times, but also very exciting.
Brian Baylis La Mesa, CA Man, this typing sure feels good on my fingers compared to what I have to go back to now.
One way to make this situation safer is to reverse the process. Spinning cloth wheels can rip things from your hands no matter how tight you think you are holding on. Instead clamp the item to be polished (protecting it from the clamp of course) then get a hand held buffing wheel and go at it. Also there is a little hand held device that looks just like a small vise. It holds your smaller work firmly, keeps your hands from getting burned or worse. Now all I want is a tool to find those small parts I drop on the floor that somehow leave the planet.
Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ