On Saturday, March 26, 2011 6:32:12 AM UTC-7, N_Cook wrote:
I have some 1.5Kg breaking strain (as it stands) 0.08mm diameter tungsten
wire that would be ideal for passing through a .2mm gap and then a fairly
light action cutting job.
How to load the wire with grit/ source of abrasive grit?

Abrasive? With tungsten wire, why not EDM? Tungsten is
refractory, but not noted for abrasive embedding capability.
Soft iron, or brass, is a more typical wire-saw candidate.
Rockhounds often use coathanger wire...

whit3rd wrote in message

....
On Saturday, March 26, 2011 6:32:12 AM UTC-7, N_Cook wrote:
I have some 1.5Kg breaking strain (as it stands) 0.08mm diameter
tungsten
wire that would be ideal for passing through a .2mm gap and then a
fairly
light action cutting job.
How to load the wire with grit/ source of abrasive grit?

Abrasive? With tungsten wire, why not EDM? Tungsten is
refractory, but not noted for abrasive embedding capability.
Soft iron, or brass, is a more typical wire-saw candidate.
Rockhounds often use coathanger wire...


Skimming Dremmel and parting disc over a sheet of fine grade silicon carbide
wet & dry, in a paper cup, gives a source of fine grit . Now how to sputter
spot weld to wire, whether fine W, Cu , Al or ni-cr that I have around.

"N_Cook" wrote in message
...
whit3rd wrote in message

...
On Saturday, March 26, 2011 6:32:12 AM UTC-7, N_Cook wrote:
I have some 1.5Kg breaking strain (as it stands) 0.08mm diameter
tungsten
wire that would be ideal for passing through a .2mm gap and then a
fairly
light action cutting job.
How to load the wire with grit/ source of abrasive grit?

Abrasive? With tungsten wire, why not EDM? Tungsten is
refractory, but not noted for abrasive embedding capability.
Soft iron, or brass, is a more typical wire-saw candidate.
Rockhounds often use coathanger wire...


Skimming Dremmel and parting disc over a sheet of fine grade silicon
carbide
wet & dry, in a paper cup, gives a source of fine grit . Now how to
sputter
spot weld to wire, whether fine W, Cu , Al or ni-cr that I have around.

FWIW, abrasive-wire cutting machines were being developed in parallel with,
and in competition with, wire EDM up until around 1978. I saw and reported
on two of them at IMTS-78.

They used brass wire -- hard-drawn and not annealed, I think -- and diamond
grit, which was wiped off and recycled as the cut progressed. These were
die-cutting machines, used for cutting hardened or unhardened tool steel,
typically D2 in those days.

By IMTS-80, they were on the way out. Wire EDM had progressed to a point
where its cutting rate and machine cost made the abrasive-wire machines
non-competitive.

--
Ed Huntress