I have a situation where there is a need to polish on a low torque almost hobby type lathe for the contours of the parts,  The lathe is too small for a tool post, and I have stopped the use of emery cloth polishing by hand near the rotating wheel.  They are saying that if they cannot polish the contours there will be a lot of scrap parts.  What would be the alternative?  Someone suggested using a strip of emery/sand paper approx 12 inches long - not looped around the fingers but held at each end and use the strip at a right angle to the tool needing polishing - that way if caught, the operator lets go.  

I have orderd the smallest tool on the market but think still think it is too big for this type of lathe and I need to do a tool box talk on safe use of this practice.  HSE states metal working or CNC lathers and not the smaller "hobby" type, however, this still goes at a speed that could cause a significant hand injury if contact made.