Maybe a lot of years of doing lapidary work on semi-precious stones like agate, Tiger Eye, and various other materials for making cabochon jewelry helped me avoid all the dreadful consequences
Probably. I gave it a try with a good bench grinder (not good enough for real work) on black powder and small pieces so I didn't ruin anything important, and it's all technique in keeping the edges sharp and the flats wave free. Much like the dreaded Dremel. A marvelously handy tool for gunsmithing but if you don't know the tool it lets you screw up equally marvelously and at high speed.
And to pass on a rumor, it's been said that polishing on a buffer closes the pores of the metal and it won't take the browning solution properly. I don't quite believe that but hell, I don't know. For the price of a basic buffing setup you can buy a hellofalot of sandpaper.
