Unusual "tool" Steel Use Question

When in doubt, take a file to the metal. It it cuts it's soft. You'll hear if it's hardened. Works for all steel.

You CAN regrind your carbide tipped lathe tools by using a green wheel on a grinder, if diamond wheels too pricey. Just don't breathe the dust and follow what mmcmdl says about clearing the bark from the cemented carbide
 
Thanks for the great tips, TommyD!

I tried your file method & it worked great. With very light strokes of a fine file, I could really tell the difference between the items I thought were tool bits & the real HSS bit I have.

I once scrounged a diamond wheel and motor from an old Drill Doctor. It's certainly not proper for the task, but it let me mess around with some broken carbide tips to see how diamonds grind carbide (fast & surprisingly cool to the touch).

I once thought about using my vintage lapidary grinder's diamond wheels on a tool bit, but my father's spirit looked over my shoulder & smacked me in the back of the head for even thinking about it. (And there's no tool rest. I could really mess up a tool free hand).

At the risk of sounding as uneducated as I really am- What's meant by the 'bark' on the carbide? Is that the missing part that chipped off? (Not that I've got a few of these....)
I tired some Google type searches & came up empty, but I did learn a lot about carbide tools to scrape bark off logs to use as mulch.

Thanks Again for the tips, TommyD
Paul
 
Hi Paul :)

If you look at the last photo from mmcmdl you can see that the bit above the other is a cemented carbide bit. The thin shelf is the carbide piece and you can also see that he has ground away the supporting steel shank of the tool to provide relief at the cutting edge. I believe that is the "bark" he is referring to...

Brian
 
Brian has it. You don't want to grind soft steel with diamond or a green wheel, it'll clog up the open areas around the cutting grains 'loading' up the wheel. You can dip the carbide being ground in water, it'll keep the dust down and keep your fingers cool during heavy grinding
 
Thanks Brian & TommyD!
It's always a good day when I get to learn something new. (I try... Honest I do.) Sometimes, however, when I learn something new, something old falls out.
 
Paul told me there would not be a piece of metal near his place that would be safe from his lathe ! Now that is funny .:grin: Keep us posted on your progress Paul .
 
I'm working away & very much enjoying the tools that Dave sent. And, I'm doing lots of practice grinds on the old shanks that I thought were HSS.
It sure is a pleasure to work with grown up tooling! Now maybe I'll be allowed to get scissors that don't have rounded tips.
 
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