Thread: How to sharpen tungsten carbide --home made tool tips ---

Diamond is definitely the way to go with carbide.

Maybe a folding sharpener like this will be suitable?

A 6" diamond lapping wheel will cost you about $10 from THK.hk (Hong Kong Diamonds) thk.hk
They are so cheap you can buy a couple of different grits while you are att it

I nicked one of the coarser grit wheels from SWMBO's lapidary work stash (she almost has the full grit range) and mounted it on the side of a CBN wheel like this.
It can't be seen but the wheel has a 3" diameter x 20 mm thick steel backing plate to stiffen the wheel as the wheel is quite thin.
I though the backing plate might be a bit too small but it has proved more than adequate
When sharpening TC on diamond you don't use much pressure anyway.
Aside from TC lathe tooling I sharpen old masonry bits and use these to drill holes in chainsaw bars.

BTW that is a variable speed (3 phase) grinder but I typically run the diamond wheel anywhere between 3000 to 3600 RPM

Originally Posted by ACACIA

Anyone have a simple /economical idea ----how to sharpen tungsten tipped tool( diy)

I am told ---Diamond ???? diamond coated file ? or diamond stone ?

as l live in the African bush ---- I would welcome a method of sharpening n old tungsten
tipped drll bit ----I have mounted on along wood handle-----to bore out these xtraordinarily
tough Zulu hardwoods---they defy all hi-carbonsteel / spindle gouges----blunt or burnt rapildly

when hollowing bowls etc

appreciate-------no idea ----diamond grinders? never seen such luxuries!
thankyou------ACACIA

There a couple of ways. This one is probably the cheapest Cutting Tools - Abrasives & Grinding - Millers Tooling, Brisbane, Australia
Fairly coarse you can use the this green wheel for the major work and then go to What BobL has mentioned to get the best edge.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

Diamond is definitely the way to go with carbide.

Maybe a folding sharpener like this will be suitable?

I use one similar and it works a treat. Just 3-4 passes in the top held flat does the trick.

Originally Posted by hughie

There a couple of ways. This one is probably the cheapest Cutting Tools - Abrasives & Grinding - Millers Tooling, Brisbane, Australia
Fairly coarse you can use the this green wheel for the major work and then go to What BobL has mentioned to get the best edge.

I'm using the 180 grit diamond on the grinder and for some turning tools 600 grit on SWMBO's lapping rig.
For TC drill bits the 180 diamond alone is good enough.

Apologies for sounding ignorant ---but diamonds I am told ----can only be used to grind /reshape
sharpen tungsten carbide ?---correct?

As I live in remote Zululand ---how can I sharpen my DIY tungsten bits

withoutpricy diamond grindstones --??( have noidea what a diamond shpener looks like!!
( I am struggling to type on this forum -----something wrng ??)anyone lelse having typin prbs??

Hi Acadia.
What kind of tungsten carbide tips do you intend sharpening?

It is true that diamond sharpening wheels or files or plates are the best way to sharpen tungsen tips. But there are also "Green silicon carbide" grinding wheels which sharpen/shape tungsten carbide. We find that they are now more expensive than diamond wheels form China.

Here are a couple of links to see what the look like and what they cost:
Green wheel (wear fairly quickly with tungsten): CGW 6"x1"x1" Grinding Wheel Green Silicon Carbide 120 Grit | eBay
For rough/fast shaping: New Bowl Shape Alloy Diamond Electroplated Coated Grinding Wheel 100 10 5 20 35 | eBay there are also MUCH cheaper ones that also work well but don;t last as long.
For fine sharpening: 5" 125mm Durable Diamond Coated Parallel Grinding Wheel Hole 32mm | eBay
Hand filing: Useful Assorted 10 Pcs Set 180mm 7" inch Diamond Coated File Files Grit 120 | eBay
Honing: 1pc Professional Thin Diamond Knife Sharpening Stone Whetstone Grit 400 S3 | eBay or: http://www.ebay.com/itm/261732302350

Hope that helps a little.

Originally Posted by ACACIA

( I am struggling to type on this forum -----something wrng ??)anyone lelse having typin prbs??

London to a brick you are using Internet Explorer - use another browser and you should be ok.

Acacia,

A "green wheel" has been used for sharpening carbide for years before diamond wheels were available.

https://www.google.com/search?client...utf-8&oe=utf-8

When you get to a town with a machine shop, talk to them about what is needed.

A credit card sized diamond sharpener would work but would be slow.

I have one of these, which I prefer over the ones with the perforations.

https://www.pennstateind.com/store/DIAMOND26.html

The dust from grinding carbide is bad for your lungs. This is more for industrial use, but will give you an idea of the risks.

Health and Safety Risks of Grinding Tungsten Carbide and Other Tool Tipping Materials.



I have used Firefox for years for a browser with no trouble:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

So very grateful---
will follow your sage advice ----
many thanks ---now I have options --diamond stones /green wheels
--even diamond coated --- hand files! --finally I can attempt to hollow this ironwood!--without further injury--!!
appreciate -------the research / help----awesome!
ACACIA

Many thanks for the info /research

my tool tips are sadly rather primitive ----home made lathe --DIY turningtools

all made from old files --truck spring vanadium steel cut /ground /heated forged to various shapes

( don't have the luxury of hi tech tools --living very isolated on a pension )
but great pleasure ---Is derived from primitive tools ---I get results that are surprising --and pretty
dangerous ---!
but --its this forum that gets my standards back to civilised norms-

carbide tipped ? --made from large twist masonary drill bits ---mounted on sturdy handles
-- yes ---very crude --but ffective --till this African Leadwood/ Iron wood /E bony ETC
renders all very blunt!

but now I can access any diamond sharpening appliances ----thanks to this forum
really appreciate ---
here ,s FOTO I managed to attach ---
regards
ACACIA

Acacia

Good to see you improvising and making something useful from nothing. Looks like you are producing wonderful stuff.

I have used diamond cup wheels for sharpening tungsten. I will try to take some pix tomorrow, but this is the type of device. You have to make up a crude arbour (I use bolts and two nuts with the head of the bolt cut off) so you can mount it in a drill of drill press. Consequently it is advantageous to select a cup disc that has a hole to suit a bolt you already have.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/125mm-Sid...cAAOSw1S9WcQoR

4'' Precision Resin 180 Grit Diamond Rotary Grinding Round Wheel Disc CUP BW1 | eBay

I have sharpened masonry bits and circular saw blades with these contraptions, but only rip blades. The multi angles for crosscut blades were a bit beyond my capabilities. You would be able to sharpen router bits too, although I just do those by hand on a diamond plate.

These type of cutting discs need a cleaning stick to remove the clogged particles. It looks like a pencil eraser but is harder and a different material.

Regards
Paul

If ya talking quick and dirty, carbide masonry drills can quite sucessfully be sharpened on ordinary grinding wheels ...... it is tough on the wheels though.

Most people don't realise that masonry bits require sharpening for their intended purpose.

I have also in the past sparpened masonry bits to get thru hardened steels or to drill thru mixed materials.

Looking down the local tool shop .... they are now selling factory made sharp carbide drill bits .... they are targeted the the biluder boys as a universal drill bit.

I sharpen my carbide drill bits when my grinder wheel needs cleaning or flattening ...... two birds with one stone.

cheers

Acacia

I may be going off on a tangent here as I know you have made reference to home made cutting tools, but this is the way in which have sharpened saw blades. Very simple indeed: Crude even:

Diamond cup discs 002.jpgDiamond cup discs 001.jpg

The flat disc is 80mm diametre and the cup disc 100mm. The flat disc is easier to fit in tight spaces where there are more teeth on smaller blades.

The saw needs to spin (make that turn as spin infers speed) so a block of wood is used with vaguely circular depressions to allow the blade to sit flat and a suitable spindle to hold the blade in place. This one was set up to accommodate three different sizes.

Diamond cup discs 003.jpgDiamond cup discs 004.jpg

You need to hold the drill in position and be able to move the drill in and out of the cutting position as the blade is rotated between each tooth.

Diamond cup discs 006.jpgDiamond cup discs 007.jpg

The clamps looks like these. I have acquired two of them over the years, but I don't really know where they came from.

Diamond cup discs 008.jpgDiamond cup discs 009.jpgDiamond cup discs 010.jpg

If you are sharpening drills by hand, you don't need any of this and could just clamp the drill in a vice. A rest of some description would of course be helpful too.

Regards
Paul