Grain tool sharpening...

[Gemsetterchris]

Grain/beading tools call em what you will..they go blunt fast & you want to extend their lifespan..
Get yourself some brass rod that fits your drill chuck & set an "8-cut" diamond upside down. (must be this cut of stone).
Slow speed & voila, a nicely re-sharpened & polished grain tool !

It works great, however the size will no doubt be abit different so bear that in mind.

Thanks to whoever thought this trick up.

[ps_bond]

I've not tried this, what's the difference in result between reshaping with a ffion and this method?

And why an 8-cut? I've not handled any yet, is the pavillion angle any different or is it just the angle between the pavillion facets that makes for a better cutting edge?

[Gemsetterchris]

I've not tried this, what's the difference in result between reshaping with a ffion and this method?

And why an 8-cut? I've not handled any yet, is the pavillion angle any different or is it just the angle between the pavillion facets that makes for a better cutting edge?

Can you get a ffion to work ?? i know i can`t & this is alot quicker.
8 cut.. no idea why exactly why but my guess is the number of facets has something to do with it.

[ps_bond]

I can, but only if I've done an OK job of the annealing first. Stuff the anneal and no joy; I anneal on a bit of firebrick then cover them with another bit once they've hit critical temp. to slow the cooling.
I could anneal them on a thicker bit of heated steel too, that would work.

[Gemsetterchris]

I can, but only if I've done an OK job of the annealing first. Stuff the anneal and no joy; I anneal on a bit of firebrick then cover them with another bit once they've hit critical temp. to slow the cooling.
I could anneal them on a thicker bit of heated steel too, that would work.

Seems like alot of faffing about & time wasted for the price of them..give the trick a bash i think you`ll like it.

[trialuser]

Being a novice I have no idea what you are both discussing, but I typed ffion into google images and got pleasantly distracted.
Do you rotate the tool in the drill and allow the edges of the facets to scrape away at the tool to sharpen it or something like that?

[ps_bond]

At around £1 per, you're probably right - I don't anneal any of mine singly though, so there's a fractional time saving, but still I'm not sure about the cost effectiveness.

[ps_bond]

I'm at odds on the spelling - I was sure it had 2 f's.



You belt an annealed grain tool onto the sized spikes on the plate to reform the cavity in it. That's the traditional way anyway...
A similar method is used to create the tool to do fish roe pattern (nanako IIRC) on Japanese metalwork (e.g. tsubas) - you use a single-point punch to set a cavity in the end of another punch, then refine it with another dome-shaped punch.

[trialuser]

blimey - one 'f' got me even dodgier pictures, perhaps I should switch safe search back on.
How is the tool you pictured used Peter - I just can't fathom it.

[ps_bond]

Lay it on the bench, position your grain tool on top of the appropriate size spike, wallop the end of the grain tool to shape, then reharden (if you can be bothered) and repolish. Usually ends up with a bulge near the tip of the grain tool that needs to be sanded off too.