In a message dated 1/30/2007 10:15:24 A.M. Central Standard Time,
stefan_trethan@... writes:
Does carbide lose hardness if it gets too hot like hardened steel? I didn't
bother to cool it much and it got
orange hot quite quickly.<<
ST! No, WC does not anneal like steel does. Getting it "red" does no harm.
It is back to just as hard when new, once cooled, again. The ONLY way to
properly sharpen WC is with a DIAMOND GRIT. Some will tell you a "green
wheel" will work (silicone grit), but this is only SLIGHTLY better than
aluminum-oxide (cheap grit). The edge will be "rounded" if you attempt to grind with
ANYthing other than diamond grit! Too, you must not try to grind-off any more
than 0.02-0.03 mm per pass. Else, you WASTE the grit on the diamond wheel.
Takes some experience; perhaps best if an old, skilled machinist (Schlosser)
demonstrates, once or twice! You MUST have a fixture to hold the bit being
sharpened, to adjust each pass! Jan Rowland
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