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Wild_Bill Wild_Bill is offline
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Default Sharpening HSS Parting Blades

Scoring blades are the ticket for using a hand tool to cut sheet materials.
Stanley markets them in long and short versions for their utility knives.
I've used these scoring blades for decades to cut sheet brass, aluminum,
plastics and thin mild steel.
They also serve to make a clean break line for bending or folding most sheet
materials.

Have a look around at the location of acrylic sheet materials (window
replacement clear stuff) in the home improvement stores, and you might see a
scoring tool which is just a thin steel tool with a hooked/notched cutter at
the end.

These are used by pulling them across the sheet material, and it's helpful
to start with a few light cuts before pressing hard for deeper cuts.
I generally start at the end of the cut nearest to me, with a few passes,
then continue by making several longer passes until I get to the full length
of the cut.. this is especially useful in soft materials where the cutting
tip may wander away from the guide/straightedge if attempting a deep cut at
the full length of the cut on the first pass.

A HSS cutoff/parting blade would make a very good cutter, or even a carbide
paint scraper blade.
The tip just needs to be a thin V with the cutting face tilted away from the
operator, so it cuts and lifts a curl of the material on the pull stroke.
A tiny carbide scribe tip with a flat ground on it (like a D
engraving/cutting tool) or a chipped carbide insert cutter could be brazed
to a suitable handle (or possibly clamped).

--
WB
..........


"Searcher7" wrote in message
...
I've been using box cutters to score thin sheets of Phosphor-Bronze so
I can break off strips, but it is a tedious process, and as a result
I'm looking for a better way.

Is it plausible to pick up so parting blades and sharpen them top a
knifes edge on a grinder? I thought perhaps I could then make some
sort of handle to hold them while I used them on the Phosphor-Bronze.

I know this would be an unconventional use for parting blades and any
better ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island,New York.