"...wrong direction"? Just hold your edge the other way. 1750 rpm is just fine. Get some hunks of thick leather from any supplier. Cut three or four pieces to the diameter you want, slap on arbor with a washer and nut. They don't have to be perfectly round, you can finish rounding with a rasp as the wheel turns. Hold your grinding/polishing rouge bar against the wheel and hone away. I have one like this I've been using for many years. Cost is very low. Or go to the catalogs and pay big money for a ready made one.
An alternative is to use light weight leather with more layers. The centrifugal force holds it round. Higher speeds do work better and this is good for curved edges as the leather flexes to the shape being held against it. BTW, some folks don't even use a rouge. I use a red bar, don't even know what grit it is. Same bar about 20 years.