On Sat, 15 May 2004 21:48:26 -0700, "Harold & Susan Vordos"
wrote:


"Ted Edwards" wrote in message
...
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:
snip-------

I'm not sure I know enough about Stellite cutting tools to answer that, Ted.
The only thing I know is that at one time I had a piece that was used as a
parting tool and I was shocked at the performance. This was MANY years
ago, when I was employed in a large shop, where I got my training. I
recall leaving the tool in a setup that was being run on both shifts and
never seeing it again, nor any other like it.

Only recently did I run across more Stellite in the way of cutting tools,
when I bid on, and was successful, on eBay. The only problem was that the
guy listing the short pieces, ends left after a custom tool had been made,
said they were longer by 1/2" than they were. The pieces I received are
still long enough to be used, but certainly not long enough to make a good
parting tool, which would have been one of my choices.

On the shanks that I received, which are 1/2" square and 2-7/16" long on the
average, all are marked "Haynes Stellite Alloy 98M2". Means nothing to
me, but apparently they had more than one alloy.

A point of interest. Included in the Stellite lot were a couple other
pieces, same size, remnants that had also been cut with a parting wheel on a
cutter grinder, both marked Vascoloy-Ramet Tantung G. Leads one to
believe that it shares similar, if not equal, qualities. I have yet to
use any of the toolbits for lack of need, so I can't report further.

Sorry to be so late getting back to this, Ted. I had apparently removed
the mark I had left on the thread and stumbled across your post strictly by
accident tonight when I was checking to see if I had missed anything.

Harold



Stellite is wonderful stuff - it grinds to a razor edge, it
happily cuts at red heat and has extreme wear resistance. The few bits
I own get more use than all the rest of my sizeable collection of
carbide and HSS lathe tools.

The sad news is that the usual cutting tool grade is
stellite 100 (Rockwell C62). Stellite 6 (Rockwell C42) is a hard
facing grade for applications like guillotine blades where some
hardness is sacrificed for more toughness and wear resistance. I've no
information on the 98M2 grade.

In sorting thru junk piles Stellite is easily distinguished
from HSS because it is totally non magnetic.

If you're lucky enough to find some stellite 100, Deloro
recommend WA46J at 3,500 to 4,500 FPM for tool and cutter grinding.
8 deg front and side clearance, 12 to 20 deg top rake, nose radius 1/2
to 1/3 depth of cut. Grinding is slow because of the extreme wear
resistance.

It is not bothered by brazing temperatures so small chunks
can be silver brazed to steel carriers to make stellite tipped boring
tools or parting off cutters. EDM is the best way of slicing off
custom sized chunks.

Jim