Thread: Carbatec 'economy diamond whetstones'

Originally Posted by Article99

You'll also find that Diamond has a habit of producing a chemical reaction with iron. (Under heat, the two meld together.)

So, as was mentioned earlier, use water and take your time.

Silicon carbide wheels (usually green), can be used to dress forms, radii etc onto diamond wheels, albeit quite slowly.

Thanks mate. I can use that advice.

Clinton
having now read your other post about blacksmithing and how the local carpenter buys his plane blades from Indonesia because the local blacksmith can't make a flat blade, I think I have some answers for you.

In addition to additional blacksmith training and a good flat anvil your blacksmith needs a pecking hammer (sorry I can't find an image, but it's shaped a bit like a geologists pick but with a narrow chisel point about 5mm wide rather than a point)

The pecking hammer is used to "peck" a blade in all the right places to take out any bends and warps. The process is somewhat akin to getting a steel square using a hammer and nail punch.

I've seen pecking done to flatten a blade, but I don't profess any skill at doing it. Done well the finished blade will be flat. Paul Williams of Academy Saw Works and Jim Davey are pretty good at it though.




ian

Thanks Ian,
Pecking hammer - I know what they look like.
pro's - one time only purchase, long life of tool
con's - considerable skill level to gain, no-one to learn from, still need to lap the blade.

Diamond plate -
pro's - quick, agressive, little skill needed, medium life of tool, wide range of tools that it can be applied to, opens opportunity to sharpen and lap.
con's - price and availability.

Whats your opinion on my por's/con's list?

Originally Posted by Clinton1

Pecking hammer
pro's - one time only purchase, long life of tool
con's - considerable skill level to gain, no-one to learn from, still need to lap the blade.

Diamond plate -
pro's - quick, agressive, little skill needed, medium life of tool, wide range of tools that it can be applied to, opens opportunity to sharpen and lap.
con's - price and availability.

Whats your opinion on my pro's/con's list?

We're talking East Timor, a country with a largely subsistance agricultural economy and almost no development potential (unless it's a casino) and very weak social, government and administrative institutions. I'm not counting the potential gas revenue (from Greater Sunrise or other potential Timor Sea fields) because by the time it materialises
a) the country is likely to be so far in debt that the gas royalties do nothing more than pay off the debt, or
b) the political elite pocket most of the "profits"

the immediate needs, from this distance, appear appear to be lifting indiginous skills (e.g. home grown nurses, doctors, tradesmen, etc) rather than the import of expensive and/or hard to replace technology.
The carpenter buys his plane blades from Indonesia because the local iron/steel workers don't have the skills to make or repair blades. Provide these skills and you open up export opportunities using the one resource the country has a lot of — cheap labour


ian