Sharpening Blades

[Hammermechanicman]

I have tried a flap wheel and did a horrible job. Would be good for touch ups, not sharpening dull blades.

I switch out grinding wheels frequently. How do you clean a glazed grinding wheel? You may be onto to something here.

What was horrible about it?

 

[slomo]

How do you clean a glazed grinding wheel?

You take a diamond or similar hard device and grind off a layer of your wheel. Starts fresh with new grinding material.

Bad thing about wheels is they grind in one spot only. Blade bevels are flat not rounded.

Most people see shiny metal and call it sharpened.

 

[slomo]

I bought a cone balancer with a bearing on it….mount in a vice so the blade is perpendicular to normal. The old school cone balancer seemed to be difficult to get the blade centered since the blade hole didn’t match up well to the flange on top of the cone.

I used to do the same. Then I got a precision food scale. Weighed each side of the blade. Noticed how far the blade was still out of balance.

 

[mcspeed]

Have you compared a 36 grit flap disk to a grinding wheel?

Burr King Model 760 2 X 60 Three Wheel Belt Grinder 75100 Fixed Speed

Burr King Model 760 2 X 60 Three Wheel Belt Grinder

www.ustooldepot.com

A 36 grit flap wheel is nowhere as nice as a Burr King but it gets the job done at the same speed.

I guess I haven’t. 50 is what I have. Will have to get one and give it a shot.

 

[ILENGINE]

I have tried a flap wheel and did a horrible job. Would be good for touch ups, not sharpening dull blades.

I switch out grinding wheels frequently. How do you clean a glazed grinding wheel? You may be onto to something here.

Cinder blocks \concrete building blocks make a good cleaner for grinding disc.

 

[StarTech]

Strange in 20 yrs I never had stones to clog doing blades. Now doing aluminum is different but that is because I was using the wrong stones. Usually I wear down stones to around 4" (from 6") then have to replace them due to the grinder body inferring with the blades.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

Cinder blocks \concrete building blocks make a good cleaner for grinding disc.

The flap wheels would have taken all day on blades that are very dull. I tried them and they didn’t work.

I have been reading up on grinding wheels getting glazed. The harder the wheel, the easier it is to glaze up. These are cheap wheels I am buying in bulk from online. I will try dressing them on a concrete block and see if that helps.My wheels are glazing up and becoming ineffective fairly quickly. When I put a fresh wheel on, at first it grinds really well and will dig in if you aren’t careful.

 

[slomo]

The flap wheels would have taken all day on blades that are very dull. I tried them and they didn’t work.

I have been reading up on grinding wheels getting glazed. The harder the wheel, the easier it is to glaze up. These are cheap wheels I am buying in bulk from online. I will try dressing them on a concrete block and see if that helps.My wheels are glazing up and becoming ineffective fairly quickly. When I put a fresh wheel on, at first it grinds really well and will dig in if you aren’t careful.

You can't clean a wheel with concrete. You have to remove wheel material. With that comes what clogged the wheel up. Concrete is softer than the grinding wheel. All you will do is gum it up again. You need a piece of carbide steel or a wheel dressing stone.

 

[StarTech]

The flap wheels would have taken all day on blades that are very dull. I tried them and they didn’t work.

I have been reading up on grinding wheels getting glazed. The harder the wheel, the easier it is to glaze up. These are cheap wheels I am buying in bulk from online. I will try dressing them on a concrete block and see if that helps.My wheels are glazing up and becoming ineffective fairly quickly. When I put a fresh wheel on, at first it grinds really well and will dig in if you aren’t careful.

Cheap doesnt means good quality or the right materials. So what are the ones you are buying?

I buy heavy duty Aluminum Oxide bonded with Vitrified Clay and I usually 2-3 years out of them before they shed down to small to use.

 

[Auto Doc's]

Way too much sand in my area, I seldom sharpen blades. Most have the lift area sandblasted badly or they are starting to crack. Even if they could be sharpened, they would not be safe enough to keep using them.

Ebay to the rescue for most of my blade needs unless the customer wants to pay big bucks at the local hardware store.