Sharpening tungsten carbide chisels and scraper blades

Yes, the blades are around a tenner each. But I suspect my Interdeck is a lot harder than your hull paint, and I do notice quite a difference between a new blade and an old one after 3 hours work. A different activity (like sharpening a blade, even it it gets not much sharper) will be a welcome relief.
 
PuffTheMagicDragon said:
What you are after is a straight and sharp edge with the corners rounded off so as to prevent damage.
What I use for plane irons and (wood) chisels is Wet or Dry Silicon Carbide paper. Get a thick piece of glass and lay it on a flat surface. Spray some cutting oil on it and then apply a half sheet of W&D onto it. The oil will hold it in place. Some more cutting oil on the paper and start whetting, applying more oil as necessary. Perhaps not as fast as the 'proper' way but no danger from over-heating, certainly much cheaper and definitely less dangerous to yourself or to your blades.
Click to expand...

Agree completly. Straightforward, satisfying , effective and cheap.
 
FairweatherDave said:
Very happy to run away from the angle grinder idea. I like the idea of diamond whetstones but was initially put off by the price on the Axminster tools website. Has anyone gone for the ones on e bay at between say £16 and £30? That's much closer to my budget.
Click to expand...
HWMO came up with this little "jem"
https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product...023969265469-Diamond-Sharpening-Stone-4-Sided
4 grits in one block , each 2" X 6" grinding area and a bench holder all for under 15 beer tokens. Fit your budget? Should be able to get a nice edge on your carbide blades and with the proper jig sharpen carbide drill bits.
 
NormanS said:
While I wouldn't for choice use an angle grinder for sharpening anything, it's not correct to say that side pressure is necessarily bad. Angle grinders are primarily used for preparing metal, and are normally used at an angle to the work, which puts side pressure onto the disc. The clue is in the name.
Click to expand...

NO totally wrong
a linisher pad is used to prep metal
An Angle grinder is a "cut-off" tool for metal or used to cut masonry & chases in walls
 
NormanS said:
While I wouldn't for choice use an angle grinder for sharpening anything, it's not correct to say that side pressure is necessarily bad. Angle grinders are primarily used for preparing metal, and are normally used at an angle to the work, which puts side pressure onto the disc. The clue is in the name.
Click to expand...

With respeck.... Angle means "Right angle" i.e the axis of the motor and the disc are at 90degs. Lateral pressure on especially cutting discs must be avoided like the plague.

Here's the beef in the sandwich -

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg17.htm
 
sailorman said:
NO totally wrong
a linisher pad is used to prep metal
An Angle grinder is a "cut-off" tool for metal or used to cut masonry & chases in walls
Click to expand...

I first started using angle grinders in the early 1960's when I started my engineering apprenticeship and then we only had the 230mm big angle grinder and was mainly used for grind and smooth welds on steel.

There was no cutting disks and used gas cutting followed by cleaning up with and angle grinder or straight shaft grinder like a big die grinder that used a 4 - 6 inch dia grinding wheel.

Angle grinders generally use reinforced discs and make the disk much tougher the a grinding wheel as used on a bench grinder.

I use mine both small and large for grinding on the face of a disc. cutting using a cutting disc and polishing using a linishing /sanding disc. I have even attached polishing mops to allow me to polish to mirror finish stainless steel.

I also have cut and ground concrete with the correct disc with my angle grinders.

I also have a concrete "planer" which had a diamond blade used in the same way as a sander,

I also have a disc with a chain saw chain around the edge for cutting small trees.

You can also fit wire brushes to angle grinders which are also loaded as a sanding pad

IMGP2577_zps67392154.jpg


Angle grinders for polishing stainless steel.

https://abrasivessafety.com/en-us/grinding/angle-grinder

this shows grinding with angle grinders

https://abrasivessafety.com/en-us/cutting-off/angle-grinder/reinforced-wheel

This shows cutting off with and angle grinder

https://www.google.co.za/search?q=a...RAhXDDpAKHe13CQoQsAQINA#imgrc=2Bz7HQTOp-SBKM:

This shows all kinds of discs that can be attached to an angle grinder including cup wheels.

http://www.abtec4abrasives.com/resin-bonded-grinding-cup-stones-for-angle-grinders-2213-p.asp
 
Rogershaw said:
I first started using angle grinders in the early 1960's when I started my engineering apprenticeship and then we only had the 230mm big angle grinder and was mainly used for grind and smooth welds on steel.

There was no cutting disks and used gas cutting followed by cleaning up with and angle grinder or straight shaft grinder like a big die grinder that used a 4 - 6 inch dia grinding wheel.

Angle grinders generally use reinforced discs and make the disk much tougher the a grinding wheel as used on a bench grinder.

I use mine both small and large for grinding on the face of a disc. cutting using a cutting disc and polishing using a linishing /sanding disc. I have even attached polishing mops to allow me to polish to mirror finish stainless steel.

I also have cut and ground concrete with the correct disc with my angle grinders.

I also have a concrete "planer" which had a diamond blade used in the same way as a sander,

I also have a disc with a chain saw chain around the edge for cutting small trees.

You can also fit wire brushes to angle grinders which are also loaded as a sanding pad

IMGP2577_zps67392154.jpg


Angle grinders for polishing stainless steel.

https://abrasivessafety.com/en-us/grinding/angle-grinder

this shows grinding with angle grinders

https://abrasivessafety.com/en-us/cutting-off/angle-grinder/reinforced-wheel

This shows cutting off with and angle grinder

https://www.google.co.za/search?q=a...RAhXDDpAKHe13CQoQsAQINA#imgrc=2Bz7HQTOp-SBKM:

This shows all kinds of discs that can be attached to an angle grinder including cup wheels.

http://www.abtec4abrasives.com/resin-bonded-grinding-cup-stones-for-angle-grinders-2213-p.asp
Click to expand...

No cutting disc`s i notice
we started work at about the same time , i was using a 3 phase Hafner hand held router to trench out stair strings
 
Yngmar said:
Seems a lot of trouble considering the replacement tungsten carbide blades for the Bahco 665 are under a tenner and last a very long time (used two blades for scraping a 40 ft hull and still have one blade side unused).
Click to expand...
That is the most sensible answer so far for this post.
The only way to put a flat surface back onto the blade is with a surface grinder with a green wheel, you don’t have one so as said already buy replacement blades ok you need a few more than normal so what. It’s got to be more cost effective and safer than any other suggestion here.
 
Sneaky Pete said:
That is the most sensible answer so far for this post.
The only way to put a flat surface back onto the blade is with a surface grinder with a green wheel, you don’t have one so as said already buy replacement blades ok you need a few more than normal so what. It’s got to be more cost effective and safer than any other suggestion here.
Click to expand...
Except I can put a workable edge on most things far quicker than I can get a new blade posted to me.
Depends what you are doing.
Sometimes frequent touching up of the edge is better than using it until it's really blunt then chucking it.
Other times a big box of new tools...
Whatever gets the job done.
 
FairweatherDave said:
In the spirit of spoon feeding :o what grade/s of paper.....?
Click to expand...

Depends on what you start with and where you want to go.
320 is a good grit to start at. Next go down to 500. If you are really intent on getting a 'scary sharp' edge - which I doubt - you can go progressively down to 1,000 and even beyond. The results of the grit size that you use will guide you.
Main requirements are a steady pair of hands and the acquired knack of moving the blade along a figure of eight path while still keeping the blade at a constant angle without 'rocking' it; once mastered it becomes second nature. Try it!
 
Rather than feeding the thread without experience I am going to try the cheap options first. I won't be spending £150 on blades (which is a pure guestimate of the possible rate of replacement based on what I've done so far). But I will update when I've finished the job (hopefully in a month...........). I don't plan on using angle grinders. Thanks to all the contributors!
 
Hand sharpening is a skill that can take years to learn. After 30 years and still not happy with the edge I'd achieve I brought a work sharp
Google it
I was lucky to buy one second hand but hardly used and saved over a £100
Stick on sanding disks are cheap to buy from any where.
In my opinion if you want to do the job right you need the right tools and sticking to a low budget will cost more in time effort and money in the long run
 
mtb said:
Hand sharpening is a skill that can take years to learn. After 30 years and still not happy with the edge I'd achieve I brought a work sharp
Google it
I was lucky to buy one second hand but hardly used and saved over a £100
Stick on sanding disks are cheap to buy from any where.
In my opinion if you want to do the job right you need the right tools and sticking to a low budget will cost more in time effort and money in the long run
Click to expand...

I agree, MTB, that the 'best' answer is to have top class tools and plenty of new blades, but sometimes one has to make do with what is available or what can be bought with a limited amount of cash.

Then the ability to sharpen a chisel, set up a plane, even perhaps re-set a saw may be the difference between half-completing a job badly, and delivering a decently finished product.

On the chain-saw threads, there are always posts from people who replace a chain when it fails to cut, rather than sharpen it. That is an expensive way to produce firewood.

More than anything, it's taking pride in being able to re-use tools properly, rather buying new.
 
Buy a cheap bench grinder for less than 20 sobbs & then get a grinding wheel for tungsten from someone like norton or ARC Eurotrade. You do not need a 150mm one a 100 mm diameter one would do & you do not need a 150mm bench grinder either because a smaller one would let you use smaller diameter wheels easier.
Sharpening tools is not difficult with a bit of practice & you must know someone you can ask or just search youtube

Once you have a bench grinder you will find it handy for other tool sharpening & it will last years. Keep the green grit wheel for tungsten only & it will see you out.
 
sailorman said:
No cutting disc`s i notice
we started work at about the same time , i was using a 3 phase Hafner hand held router to trench out stair strings
Click to expand...

Some of my selection of angle grinders with various discs fitted and a selection of discs I have currently, including cutting discs for steel, stainless steel and concrete.

IMGP2801%202_zpsxfesjdmz.jpg


Just another selection of my other hand power tools.

IMGP2802%202_zpscegmsfwe.jpg


These are just the ones I have at home. I have another took kit, including power tools on my boat. This saves me carting tool back and forth as I an about 600 Km away from my boat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top