Harold & Susan Vordos wrote:

I tried grinding a 1/2 inch square
stellite toolbit and it was taking forever to reshape a used toolbit.

Where did you locate Stellite toolbits? The only ones I've found in years
were on ebay. If you're not familiar with them, you're in for a treat.
They perform at a level near that of carbide. Haynes Stellite is tougher
at red heat than at room temp.

Which Stellite are you refering to here, Harold? I ask because I
snagged a bunch of Stellite #6 TIG rods. I have yet to try them for
lathe bits but that sounds like a deficiency I should correct. :-)
However, I have used them for some interesting apps. I'll list three:

Build up a blob on the end of a piece of re-bar and shape it to a
center punch point in the lathe with a carbide cutter. After a little
use it has dulled but since the stuff work hardens, I just re-point it
(gently) and that point lasts ages in hard use. I have used it as one
usually uses a center punch but also for hot work and center punching
concrete for anchor bolt holes.

I made a cold/hot chisel by the above procedure. Works very well.
Loaned it to a friend to knock knobs off concrete. When he returned it,
it was still quite sharp and has no chipping on the edge.

I have an older but perfectly serviceable (except for one problem)
electric stove. The contacts on the plug-in elements are a bullet
shaped
copper cylinder molded onto the end of the wire that sticks out of the
connector end of the elements. The copper corodes slightly, contact
resistance increases, more heat is generated, corrosion rate increases,
even more heat is generated, ..., connector mounted on stove top fails.
I managed to score one of the last stove top connectors for this model
in
captivity - mfr wants you to replace element AND connector with "new"
expensive style. My fix: melt off copper "bullet", build up Stellite
#6
bullet, grind to final shape. Clean contacts on stove top connectors
and
re-install all. Fix was done in '96 - all contacts are still bright and
clean.

Ted