How do I sharpen carbide tipped chisels?
Katherine Long
I'm making a bird bath in a piece of granite using a right-angle grinder
with diamond blade to make cross-hatches and then carbide tipped chisels
and points to bang out the squares. It is slow going, but I'm having
lots of fun. However, my carbide tips aren't as sharp as they were
new. Can I sharpen them - if so, how? Or does it take professional
equipment? Or does it make more practical sense to buy new ones since
I'm just doing this for fun, not to make money?
I've very much appreciated the advice I've gotten from this group on my
project. I've also started a much easier project of making a vase out
of a piece of marble. Marble is a dream to pound on after granite!
Katherine
Andrew Werby
In article <3522323A...@world.std.com>, Katherine Long
<k...@world.std.com> wrote:
> I'm making a bird bath in a piece of granite using a right-angle grinder
> with diamond blade to make cross-hatches and then carbide tipped chisels
> and points to bang out the squares. It is slow going, but I'm having
> lots of fun. However, my carbide tips aren't as sharp as they were
> new. Can I sharpen them - if so, how? Or does it take professional
> equipment? Or does it make more practical sense to buy new ones since
> I'm just doing this for fun, not to make money?
[You can sharpen tungsten carbide with silicon carbide grinding wheels (do it
wet, or the brazing metal holding the tungsten on will melt), or even silicon
carbide (wet or dry) sandpaper adhered to a flat surface, but it is really
slow. The best thing to use is diamond. The diamond wheels with water-feed used
by lapidaries work really well, but the equipment is a bit expensive to get just
for this. If you have any lapidary pals, they could help you out, but if you
don't, try getting one of those diamond-covered sharpening stones from the
hardware store. Even the coarse version isn't very costly, and they do a great
job on kitchen knives too. I have a DMT brand 2"x 6" blue (they come in
different colors for different grits- this is medium/coarse) and it's lasted
for years.]
>
> I've very much appreciated the advice I've gotten from this group on my
> project. I've also started a much easier project of making a vase out
> of a piece of marble. Marble is a dream to pound on after granite
[I thought you'd come to that conclusion sooner or later. Sharpen the chisels
when you get tired of the birdbath project and want to switch to marble; the
cutting goes much quicker and you have better control with sharp tools.]
UNITED ARTWORKS- Sculpture, Jewelry, and other art stuff
http://unitedartworks.com
Useful Resources, Technical Tips, and Art in Various Media
Gene Olson
Andrew Werby wrote:
>
> In article <3522323A...@world.std.com>, Katherine Long
> <k...@world.std.com> wrote:
>
> > I'm making a bird bath in a piece of granite using a right-angle grinder
> > with diamond blade to make cross-hatches and then carbide tipped chisels
> > and points to bang out the squares. It is slow going, but I'm having
> > lots of fun. However, my carbide tips aren't as sharp as they were
> > new. Can I sharpen them - if so, how? Or does it take professional
> > equipment? Or does it make more practical sense to buy new ones since
> > I'm just doing this for fun, not to make money?
>
> [You can sharpen tungsten carbide with silicon carbide grinding wheels (do it
> wet, or the brazing metal holding the tungsten on will melt), or even silicon
> carbide (wet or dry) sandpaper adhered to a flat surface, but it is really
> slow. The best thing to use is diamond. The diamond wheels with water-feed used
> by lapidaries work really well, but the equipment is a bit expensive to get just
> for this.
I see you already have diamond tools.
mount that dry diamond cutting disk in an arbor that you can feed the
tool slowly and carefully into it, I think your grinder may be spinning
too fast for the carbide. Water mist may help.
I chucked mine up in a mill and cut new grooves in my 16 tooth bush
chisel. With care you should be able to grind the carbide to shape.
You may be able to do this in a drill press if you clamp some sort of
steady rest on the table.
--
Gene Olson,
Resident member of ArtMetal project
http://www.artmetal.com/gene-olson
Webmaster - Guild of Metalsmiths:
http://www.metalsmith.org