Bench Grinder tips for a virgin pls

[tazdevilia]

I have a vench grinder coming tomorrow! Im so excited!

After trawling the Internet all day for tips for using, I've not really had a very fruitful day.

Then i thought about you guys and realised I only needed to ask the question on here! So here I am!

I love hand filing, it's something it's one of those skills that seems to come naturally to me. But I have recently started using copper and brass to play with (for cost reasons). Trouble is, for something so invaluable (apart from the craft involved), I want to speed things up to justify the what I'm realistically going to be able to potentially sell the piece for.

But I am a virgin, I nearest thing I've used is a table sander with rotating disk, but loved how this filed metals, wood and plastic.

I'm currently making brass and copper 1cm cuffs but my sawing skills are rubbish tbh (probably why my filing skills are so brilliant). I'm spending a LOT of time filing these with mini files, so I've invested in some proper sized files, and a mini grinder with polishing wheel and flex shaft.

Inspire me please guys xxx

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[ps_bond]

Do NOT use grinding wheels with soft metals, please - they're for steel (more expensive ones are needed for carbides). They load up with the softer metals and can cause myriad problems up to and including the wheel bursting at speed. You can get grinders with belt sanders attached - the risk is lower with belt sanding (linishing) but it's quite wasteful of lemel. There are also wheels like Artifex which will fit a tapered spindle that are better suited to soft metals.

Bench grinders unmodified are really just for minor shaping and sharpening of tools.

[tazdevilia]

Oh ****! Thanks!

I was kinda thinking it would be useful for straightening the edge of my sheet after cutting or perfecting band ring width?

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[Dennis]

Dear Tadzevillia,
Traditionally, what is used for perfecting a straight edge after cutting with a saw, is a board with several grades of abrasive paper gued to it.
This would hog the space in a small workshop and is easily damaged, but I find these cheapish diamond sharpening plates do the trick for me. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AUW3MDO?psc=1 Dennis

[Paul Kay]

Do NOT use grinding wheels with soft metals, please - they're for steel (more expensive ones are needed for carbides). They load up with the softer metals and can cause myriad problems up to and including the wheel bursting at speed. You can get grinders with belt sanders attached - the risk is lower with belt sanding (linishing) but it's quite wasteful of lemel. There are also wheels like Artifex which will fit a tapered spindle that are better suited to soft metals.

Bench grinders unmodified are really just for minor shaping and sharpening of tools.

Peter, whilst I am not saying that the uninitiated should attempt to do so, for 30+ years from the 50s through to the 90s my father assembled hundreds of gross of the tubes for the above for Ward Bros of Birmingham from gilding metal and silver stampings (at a ratio of about 90/10). This involved, in part, soldering various forms of the domed cap to the end of the tube, the edges of which he then ground flush with the tube body on a bench grinder. As far as I can remember he used a Carborundum grinding wheel which he frequently dressed with a revolving wheel steel dressing tool. So presumably bench grinders can be used with soft metals with specific wheel types and precautions?

I must admit, I hated that bench grinder, and stayed well away from it! Not always easy when my fathers workshop was at one end of the kitchen.

[ps_bond]

Peter, whilst I am not saying that the uninitiated should attempt to do so, for 30+ years from the 50s through to the 90s my father assembled hundreds of gross of the tubes for the above for Ward Bros of Birmingham from gilding metal and silver stampings (at a ratio of about 90/10). This involved, in part, soldering various forms of the domed cap to the end of the tube, the edges of which he then ground flush with the tube body on a bench grinder. As far as I can remember he used a Carborundum grinding wheel which he frequently dressed with a revolving wheel steel dressing tool. So presumably bench grinders can be used with soft metals with specific wheel types and precautions?

I must admit, I hated that bench grinder, and stayed well away from it! Not always easy when my fathers workshop was at one end of the kitchen.

Back at a keyboard - I hate trying to type detail on a tablet virtual kbd...

There's a key point in there - frequently dressed. Corundum is alox/aluminum oxide and will load up with soft metals regardless, which a) runs the risk of the wheel bursting at speed and b) reduces the effectiveness of the cutting. Repeated dressing will wear down the wheel more quickly (but at the same time alox wheels are much cheaper than the "correct" wheels).

There are specific wheels around for working soft metals, usually silicon carbide; they tend to be spendy.

http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/ch...grinding-wheel has some detail on grinding wheels.

They're still fast and aggressive tools that need a light touch - they'll quickly heat a workpiece too, so it's a good idea to have a pot of water handy. I'd still suggest the rubber abrasives such as Artifex are a better (safer, less fast cutting) alternative for non-ferrous.

Still got the lemel problem though... Oh, and do I need to point out the need for eye protection?

Added - more than you ever wanted to know about grinding wheel selection - http://www.master-abrasives.co.uk/do...g%20Wheels.pdf

[Paul Kay]

... There's a key point in there - frequently dressed.

Cheers Peter, that's all very useful info., and yes he used to produce gilding metal lemel measured by the kilo each year!

[tazdevilia]

Ok so it's not a good idea after all. what about sanding on a bench sander?

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[Goldsmith]

Get yourself a nice large 12 inch smooth flat file, like these from Amazon;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bahco-1-100...ds=bahco+files

Various size files are always a useful addition to your tool kit. Also if you want to you can wrap Emery papers, available in many grades, around the file for finishing edges.

James

[enigma]

I think they are ok with the Artiflex type wheels?
http://www.cooksongold.com/featured/artiflex