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.

"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.

Box cutter? How about a "real" utility knife and some coated blades?
http://www.coastaltool.com/a/lenox/utilityknives.htm

"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.

================================================== =============

Yeah, you can sharpen them to an edge. But it's kind of a waste. It sounds
like what you want is something like a Murphy shop knife. I make them out of
old power-hacksaw blades, which are generally made of HSS.

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com...info/910-0744/

However, my experience with grinding the teeth off of a HSS power-hacksaw
blade, and then shaping it, is that I eat up so much of the grinding wheel
that I would have been better off buying one.

I just happen to have a box of unused Sandvik power-hacksaw blades and some
old grinding wheels.

--
Ed Huntress

Searcher7 wrote:

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.

You can certainly sharpen to a knife edge, but I'm not getting how this
would make a less tedious process??

What about tin shears?





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.

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 11:10:26 -0700 (PDT)
Searcher7 wrote:

snip
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.

A few other ideas...

Carpet knife (has replaceable blades):

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-10-525.../dp/B00002N5V8

Roofer's knife (has replaceable blades):

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-MS40-Ro.../dp/B000BU70KC

There are also several varieties of carbide scrapers. Maybe just the
replacement blade could be used. Should be a lot tougher than what you
have been using, but don't know if it would be sharp enough (shrug):

http://www.amazon.com/Bahco-449XXX-1.../dp/B0001P0PG8

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

Leon Fisk Inscribed thus:

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 11:10:26 -0700 (PDT)
Searcher7 wrote:

snip
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.

A few other ideas...

Carpet knife (has replaceable blades):


http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-10-525.../dp/B00002N5V8

Roofer's knife (has replaceable blades):

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-MS40-Ro.../dp/B000BU70KC

There are also several varieties of carbide scrapers. Maybe just the
replacement blade could be used. Should be a lot tougher than what you
have been using, but don't know if it would be sharp enough (shrug):


http://www.amazon.com/Bahco-449XXX-1.../dp/B0001P0PG8


Whats wrong with a chop type paper guillotine ? I often cut 1mm sheet
aluminum with mine !

--
Best Regards:
Baron.

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 14:33:40 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:



"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.

================================================= ==============

Yeah, you can sharpen them to an edge. But it's kind of a waste. It sounds
like what you want is something like a Murphy shop knife. I make them out of
old power-hacksaw blades, which are generally made of HSS.

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com...info/910-0744/

However, my experience with grinding the teeth off of a HSS power-hacksaw
blade, and then shaping it, is that I eat up so much of the grinding wheel
that I would have been better off buying one.

I just happen to have a box of unused Sandvik power-hacksaw blades and some
old grinding wheels.

Use a 4" angle grinder to rough out the blades and the bench/pedestal
grinder only to finish the blade. Ot just finish them with a flap
wheel.


--
John B.

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 11:10:26 -0700 (PDT), Searcher7
wrote:

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.

Sure, why not? We used to use them to make "chisels" to bust screws in
the skin of airplanes loose.

Don't think of them as "parting tools" just think of them as a chunk
of steel and make anything you want.


--
John B.

Searcher was searching...

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.

Searcher, there's a much easier way to score shim stock and thin sheet
stock. It's fast and effective, because instead of just impressing a
knive edge into the material, this method actually removes a thin line of
stock.

Get thyself down to a good glass shop or plastics dealer, and buy a
plastics scoring knife. I use one all the time to cut thin stuff,
although the blades aren't usually hard enough to handle high-carbon
steel.

However, once you use one and see how it's made, you'll be quick to make
a "permanent" one yourself -- and a parting blade would be just the
ticket.

Lloyd

"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.


SEE:

"skrawker"...

http://preview.tinyurl.com/3lq9qoz


Thanks.


Your welcome.

"John B." wrote in message
...

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 14:33:40 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:



"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.

================================================= ==============

Yeah, you can sharpen them to an edge. But it's kind of a waste. It sounds
like what you want is something like a Murphy shop knife. I make them out
of
old power-hacksaw blades, which are generally made of HSS.

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com...info/910-0744/

However, my experience with grinding the teeth off of a HSS power-hacksaw
blade, and then shaping it, is that I eat up so much of the grinding wheel
that I would have been better off buying one.

I just happen to have a box of unused Sandvik power-hacksaw blades and some
old grinding wheels.

Use a 4" angle grinder to rough out the blades and the bench/pedestal
grinder only to finish the blade. Ot just finish them with a flap
wheel.


--
John B.

That's a good tip, and, in fact, that's exactly what I did the last time,
except that I already had a wheel on my 6" Milwaukee angle-head, which made
fairly quick work of it.

I also used one of those blades to make a drawknife. Man, those teeth are
tough to grind off.

--
Ed Huntress

"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.

How thick is the sheet? If you are cutting straight lines could you use a
paper guillotine?

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.

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 23:21:33 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:



"John B." wrote in message
.. .

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 14:33:40 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:



"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.

================================================ ===============

Yeah, you can sharpen them to an edge. But it's kind of a waste. It sounds
like what you want is something like a Murphy shop knife. I make them out
of
old power-hacksaw blades, which are generally made of HSS.

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com...info/910-0744/

However, my experience with grinding the teeth off of a HSS power-hacksaw
blade, and then shaping it, is that I eat up so much of the grinding wheel
that I would have been better off buying one.

I just happen to have a box of unused Sandvik power-hacksaw blades and some
old grinding wheels.

Use a 4" angle grinder to rough out the blades and the bench/pedestal
grinder only to finish the blade. Ot just finish them with a flap
wheel.


--
John B.

That's a good tip, and, in fact, that's exactly what I did the last time,
except that I already had a wheel on my 6" Milwaukee angle-head, which made
fairly quick work of it.

I also used one of those blades to make a drawknife. Man, those teeth are
tough to grind off.


I don't do it that way. I rough cut them to shape with a 4 ",1mm
cutting wheel. A bit of touch up on the edges for shape and grind the
tapered edge and hit 'em a lick with a flap wheel and Bobs your uncle.


--
John B.

"John B." wrote in message
...

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 23:21:33 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:



"John B." wrote in message
.. .

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 14:33:40 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:



"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.

================================================ ===============

Yeah, you can sharpen them to an edge. But it's kind of a waste. It sounds
like what you want is something like a Murphy shop knife. I make them out
of
old power-hacksaw blades, which are generally made of HSS.

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com...info/910-0744/

However, my experience with grinding the teeth off of a HSS power-hacksaw
blade, and then shaping it, is that I eat up so much of the grinding wheel
that I would have been better off buying one.

I just happen to have a box of unused Sandvik power-hacksaw blades and
some
old grinding wheels.

Use a 4" angle grinder to rough out the blades and the bench/pedestal
grinder only to finish the blade. Ot just finish them with a flap
wheel.


--
John B.

That's a good tip, and, in fact, that's exactly what I did the last time,
except that I already had a wheel on my 6" Milwaukee angle-head, which made
fairly quick work of it.

I also used one of those blades to make a drawknife. Man, those teeth are
tough to grind off.


I don't do it that way. I rough cut them to shape with a 4 ",1mm
cutting wheel. A bit of touch up on the edges for shape and grind the
tapered edge and hit 'em a lick with a flap wheel and Bobs your uncle.


--
John B.

================================================== =========

Aha. I'll have to try that. I have used those tiny silicon carbide wheels on
a Dremel to cut off bits of hand hacksaw blades, but I've never tried a
bigger one on the power blades.

--
Ed Huntress

Several of the guys in my high school machine shop class would anxiously
await the changing of the power hacksaw blade, so they could get the
discarded one to make a throwing knife.. by grinding away a lot of the blade
on the honkin bigass pedestal grinder.

Mmmmm.. sparks

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


"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...

However, my experience with grinding the teeth off of a HSS power-hacksaw
blade, and then shaping it, is that I eat up so much of the grinding wheel
that I would have been better off buying one.

I just happen to have a box of unused Sandvik power-hacksaw blades and
some old grinding wheels.

--
Ed Huntress

"Wild_Bill" wrote in message
...

Several of the guys in my high school machine shop class would anxiously
await the changing of the power hacksaw blade, so they could get the
discarded one to make a throwing knife.. by grinding away a lot of the blade
on the honkin bigass pedestal grinder.

Mmmmm.. sparks

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

================================================== ====================

....and a cloud of grinding dust. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress





"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...

However, my experience with grinding the teeth off of a HSS power-hacksaw
blade, and then shaping it, is that I eat up so much of the grinding wheel
that I would have been better off buying one.

I just happen to have a box of unused Sandvik power-hacksaw blades and
some old grinding wheels.

--
Ed Huntress

Thanks everyone.

I'll have to give a couple of those ideas a try.

And speaking of hacksaw blades, I have to cut some down for use as
backing springs for some leaf switches similar to the one shown he
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...LeafSwitch.jpg

(I assume snips of some sort are the best tool for that job).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

On Nov 3, 11:05*pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"Wild_Bill" *wrote in message

...

Several of the guys in my high school machine shop class would anxiously
await the changing of the power hacksaw blade, so they could get the
discarded one to make a throwing knife.. by grinding away a lot of the blade
on the honkin bigass pedestal grinder.

Mmmmm.. sparks

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

================================================== ====================

...and a cloud of grinding dust. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message

...









However, my experience with grinding the teeth off of a HSS power-hacksaw
blade, and then shaping it, is that I eat up so much of the grinding wheel
that I would have been better off buying one.

I just happen to have a box of unused Sandvik power-hacksaw blades and
some old grinding wheels.

--
Ed Huntress

"Searcher7" wrote in message
...

Thanks everyone.

I'll have to give a couple of those ideas a try.

And speaking of hacksaw blades, I have to cut some down for use as
backing springs for some leaf switches similar to the one shown he
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...LeafSwitch.jpg

(I assume snips of some sort are the best tool for that job).

A hacksaw blade will wreck your snips. It's too hard.

My favorite tool for cutting hand hacksaw blades is a silicon-carbide cutoff
wheel in a Dremel. You will want to use some kind of abrasive cutter to
avoid damage to good steel cutters, and a little cutoff wheel is easy and
faster than most other methods.

If you're just cutting them off square, you can hold the blade in a vise and
break it off, and then grind off the rough edge on a bench grinder.

--
Ed Huntress



Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

On Nov 3, 11:05 pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"Wild_Bill" wrote in message

...

Several of the guys in my high school machine shop class would anxiously
await the changing of the power hacksaw blade, so they could get the
discarded one to make a throwing knife.. by grinding away a lot of the
blade
on the honkin bigass pedestal grinder.

Mmmmm.. sparks

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

================================================== ====================

...and a cloud of grinding dust. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message

...









However, my experience with grinding the teeth off of a HSS
power-hacksaw
blade, and then shaping it, is that I eat up so much of the grinding
wheel
that I would have been better off buying one.

I just happen to have a box of unused Sandvik power-hacksaw blades and
some old grinding wheels.

--
Ed Huntress

On Nov 11, 11:33*am, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"Searcher7" *wrote in message

...

Thanks everyone.
I'll have to give a couple of those ideas a try.
And speaking of hacksaw blades, I have to cut some down for use as
backing springs for some leaf switches similar to the one shown he
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l.../Arcade%20Stuf...
(I assume snips of some sort are the best tool for that job).

A hacksaw blade will wreck your snips. It's too hard.

My favorite tool for cutting hand hacksaw blades is a silicon-carbide cutoff
wheel in a Dremel. You will want to use some kind of abrasive cutter to
avoid damage to good steel cutters, and a little cutoff wheel is easy and
faster than most other methods.

If you're just cutting them off square, you can hold the blade in a vise and
break it off, and then grind off the rough edge on a bench grinder.

--
Ed Huntress

I'll pick up some silicon carbide cutting wheels for one of my Dremel
XPR 400 tools. The springs blades I have to make will be about 1/4"
wide and 3" long.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

"Searcher7" wrote in message
...

On Nov 11, 11:33 am, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"Searcher7" wrote in message

...

Thanks everyone.
I'll have to give a couple of those ideas a try.
And speaking of hacksaw blades, I have to cut some down for use as
backing springs for some leaf switches similar to the one shown he
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l.../Arcade%20Stuf...
(I assume snips of some sort are the best tool for that job).

A hacksaw blade will wreck your snips. It's too hard.

My favorite tool for cutting hand hacksaw blades is a silicon-carbide
cutoff
wheel in a Dremel. You will want to use some kind of abrasive cutter to
avoid damage to good steel cutters, and a little cutoff wheel is easy and
faster than most other methods.

If you're just cutting them off square, you can hold the blade in a vise
and
break it off, and then grind off the rough edge on a bench grinder.

--
Ed Huntress

I'll pick up some silicon carbide cutting wheels for one of my Dremel
XPR 400 tools. The springs blades I have to make will be about 1/4"
wide and 3" long.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Aha. A 3" cut is a long one to do with a Dremel. If you're just doing a few,
and if you're patient, no problem. But if you have to do a lot of them, you
may find that method to be too slow and tedious for such cuts. For jobs like
that, I use my die grinder and bigger wheels.

Or, if the cut is straight, I'll cut part way through with the Dremel, put
the blade in a vise, and whack off the waste part at the cut line, using a
big chisel to break it. Then I grind the edge smooth with a bench grinder.

If you haven't used those little SiC Dremel wheels, please observe this
caution: The wheels shatter easily, if you twist the Dremel out of line even
slightly. WEAR EYE PROTECTION! Those little bits can do serious damage to
your eyes.

But for short cuts, they're awfully handy. I use those little wheels a lot.
They're pretty cheap and very effective.

Good luck!

--
Ed Huntress

On Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:03:53 -0800 (PST)
Searcher7 wrote:

snip
The springs blades I have to make will be about 1/4"
wide and 3" long.

I've re-purposed old hacksaw blades for other uses too. Noticed that
the back of the blade is sometimes different acting material than the
front (toothed side):

"Bimetal blades are made with a high-speed steel cutting edge that is
welded to a spring steel blade back."

Some blades (carbon?) seem to be softer, less springy on the back side.
May just have been the particular blade I was using, but you may want
to keep this in mind if you get unexpected results...

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

On Nov 11, 12:36*pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"Searcher7" *wrote in message

...

On Nov 11, 11:33 am, "Ed Huntress" wrote:









"Searcher7" *wrote in message

...

Thanks everyone.
I'll have to give a couple of those ideas a try.
And speaking of hacksaw blades, I have to cut some down for use as
backing springs for some leaf switches similar to the one shown he
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l.../Arcade%20Stuf....
(I assume snips of some sort are the best tool for that job).

A hacksaw blade will wreck your snips. It's too hard.

My favorite tool for cutting hand hacksaw blades is a silicon-carbide
cutoff
wheel in aDremel. You will want to use some kind of abrasive cutter to
avoid damage to good steel cutters, and a little cutoff wheel is easy and
faster than most other methods.

If you're just cutting them off square, you can hold the blade in a vise
and
break it off, and then grind off the rough edge on a bench grinder.

--
Ed Huntress
I'll pick up some silicon carbide cutting wheels for one of myDremel
XPR 400 tools. The springs blades I have to make will be about 1/4"
wide and 3" long.
Thanks a lot.
Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Aha. A 3" cut is a long one to do with aDremel. If you're just doing a few,
and if you're patient, no problem. But if you have to do a lot of them, you
may find that method to be too slow and tedious for such cuts. For jobs like
that, I use my die grinder and bigger wheels.

Or, if the cut is straight, I'll cut part way through with theDremel, put
the blade in a vise, and whack off the waste part at the cut line, using a
big chisel to break it. Then I grind the edge smooth with a bench grinder..

If you haven't used those little SiCDremelwheels, please observe this
caution: The wheels shatter easily, if you twist theDremelout of line even
slightly. WEAR EYE PROTECTION! Those little bits can do serious damage to
your eyes.

But for short cuts, they're awfully handy. I use those little wheels a lot.

"Searcher7" wrote in message
...

On Nov 11, 12:36 pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"Searcher7" wrote in message

...

On Nov 11, 11:33 am, "Ed Huntress" wrote:









"Searcher7" wrote in message

...

Thanks everyone.
I'll have to give a couple of those ideas a try.
And speaking of hacksaw blades, I have to cut some down for use as
backing springs for some leaf switches similar to the one shown he
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l.../Arcade%20Stuf...
(I assume snips of some sort are the best tool for that job).

A hacksaw blade will wreck your snips. It's too hard.

My favorite tool for cutting hand hacksaw blades is a silicon-carbide
cutoff
wheel in aDremel. You will want to use some kind of abrasive cutter to
avoid damage to good steel cutters, and a little cutoff wheel is easy
and
faster than most other methods.

If you're just cutting them off square, you can hold the blade in a vise
and
break it off, and then grind off the rough edge on a bench grinder.

--
Ed Huntress
I'll pick up some silicon carbide cutting wheels for one of myDremel
XPR 400 tools. The springs blades I have to make will be about 1/4"
wide and 3" long.
Thanks a lot.
Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Aha. A 3" cut is a long one to do with aDremel. If you're just doing a
few,
and if you're patient, no problem. But if you have to do a lot of them,
you
may find that method to be too slow and tedious for such cuts. For jobs
like
that, I use my die grinder and bigger wheels.

Or, if the cut is straight, I'll cut part way through with theDremel, put
the blade in a vise, and whack off the waste part at the cut line, using a
big chisel to break it. Then I grind the edge smooth with a bench grinder.

If you haven't used those little SiCDremelwheels, please observe this
caution: The wheels shatter easily, if you twist theDremelout of line even
slightly. WEAR EYE PROTECTION! Those little bits can do serious damage to
your eyes.

But for short cuts, they're awfully handy. I use those little wheels a
lot.
They're pretty cheap and very effective.

Good luck!

--
Ed Huntress

I've not been able to find the silicon-carbide cutoff wheels you
mentioned. Only grinding stones.

================================================== ============

[reply]

Hmm. I think they have them at the local Home Depot, here in Edison. Do you
ever cross the bridge to shop over here? A lot of Staten Islanders seem to.
(The toll on the Outerbridge Crossing is now a killer, however.)

I'll check at HD tomorrow and see if they still have them. They' a little
over 1" in diameter, if my memory is correct. You get a whole stack of them
in a little plastic tube.

================================================== ===================

Perhaps an angle grinder is better for this?

================================================== ===================

[reply]

Personally, I wouldn't use one for that job, but maybe someone else knows
about using thin cutoff wheels in an angle-head grinder.

--
Ed Huntress

================================================== ===================

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island New York.

"Searcher7" wrote
...
-I've not been able to find the silicon-carbide cutoff wheels you
-mentioned. Only grinding stones.
-Perhaps an angle grinder is better for this?
-Darren Harris

I just break the blade. Clamp the section you want to use in the vise
horizontally, hold a steel block against the vise jaw and protruding part at
a small angle and hit the block with a hammer. The block concentrates the
force at the edge of the jaws and more or less shears off the blade.

jsw

"Winston" wrote in message ...

Ed Huntress wrote:

(...)

[reply]

Hmm. I think they have them at the local Home Depot, here in Edison. Do
you ever cross the bridge to shop over here? A lot of Staten Islanders
seem to. (The toll on the Outerbridge Crossing is now a killer, however.)

I'll check at HD tomorrow and see if they still have them. They' a
little over 1" in diameter, if my memory is correct. You get a whole
stack of them in a little plastic tube.

http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/...ss-wheel/BCP09

I prefer these EZ-Lock style abrasive disks.
They take little time to mount and dismount.

================================================== ===================

Perhaps an angle grinder is better for this?

================================================== ===================

[reply]

Personally, I wouldn't use one for that job, but maybe someone else
knows about using thin cutoff wheels in an angle-head grinder.

I do that all the time. It works great!
Use lots of ventilation though. The grit flying off the
wheel is nasty stuff.

http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of...tal-45430.html

--Winston

================================================== =================

The EZ-Lock looks pretty slick. How do they perform compared to the regular
cheapies?

--
Ed Huntress

Ed Huntress wrote:

(...)

The EZ-Lock looks pretty slick. How do they perform compared to the
regular cheapies?

They perform about as well as the plain-arbor discs.

One caveat for those of us that are um. economically
oriented is that one cannot use the EZ Lock discs
down to the same tiny diameter to which one can use the
less expensive plain-arbor style.

Rumor has it that if you should happen to (cough)
drop the nose of the tool on to the floor, the
dented EZ Lock can be time-consuming to remove.

--Winston

On Nov 19, 11:47*pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"Searcher7" *wrote in message

...

On Nov 11, 12:36 pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:









"Searcher7" *wrote in message

....

On Nov 11, 11:33 am, "Ed Huntress" wrote:

"Searcher7" *wrote in message

....

Thanks everyone.
I'll have to give a couple of those ideas a try.
And speaking of hacksaw blades, I have to cut some down for use as
backing springs for some leaf switches similar to the one shown he
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l.../Arcade%20Stuf...
(I assume snips of some sort are the best tool for that job).

A hacksaw blade will wreck your snips. It's too hard.

My favorite tool for cutting hand hacksaw blades is a silicon-carbide
cutoff
wheel in aDremel. You will want to use some kind of abrasive cutter to
avoid damage to good steel cutters, and a little cutoff wheel is easy
and
faster than most other methods.

If you're just cutting them off square, you can hold the blade in a vise
and
break it off, and then grind off the rough edge on a bench grinder.

--
Ed Huntress
I'll pick up some silicon carbide cutting wheels for one of myDremel
XPR 400 tools. The springs blades I have to make will be about 1/4"
wide and 3" long.
Thanks a lot.
Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Aha. A 3" cut is a long one to do with aDremel. If you're just doing a
few,
and if you're patient, no problem. But if you have to do a lot of them,
you
may find that method to be too slow and tedious for such cuts. For jobs
like
that, I use my die grinder and bigger wheels.

Or, if the cut is straight, I'll cut part way through with theDremel, put
the blade in a vise, and whack off the waste part at the cut line, using a
big chisel to break it. Then I grind the edge smooth with a bench grinder.

If you haven't used those little SiCDremelwheels, please observe this
caution: The wheels shatter easily, if you twist theDremelout of line even
slightly. WEAR EYE PROTECTION! Those little bits can do serious damage to
your eyes.

But for short cuts, they're awfully handy. I use those little wheels a
lot.
They're pretty cheap and very effective.

Good luck!

--
Ed Huntress

I've not been able to find the silicon-carbide cutoff wheels you
mentioned. Only grinding stones.

================================================== ============

[reply]

Hmm. I think they have them at the local Home Depot, here in Edison. Do you
ever cross the bridge to shop over here? A lot of Staten Islanders seem to.
(The toll on the Outerbridge Crossing is now a killer, however.)

I'll check at HD tomorrow and see if they still have them. They' a little
over 1" in diameter, if my memory is correct. You get a whole stack of them
in a little plastic tube.

================================================== ===================

Perhaps an angle grinder is better for this?

================================================== ===================

[reply]

Personally, I wouldn't use one for that job, but maybe someone else knows
about using thin cutoff wheels in an angle-head grinder.

--
Ed Huntress

================================================== ===================

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island New York.

Ok, I assume that these are what you are referring to for use in a
Dremel:

www.ebay.com/itm/220736342993
www.ebay.com/itm/110784038017

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York

"Searcher7" wrote in message
...

On Nov 19, 11:47 pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"Searcher7" wrote in message

...

On Nov 11, 12:36 pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:









"Searcher7" wrote in message

...

On Nov 11, 11:33 am, "Ed Huntress" wrote:

"Searcher7" wrote in message

...

Thanks everyone.
I'll have to give a couple of those ideas a try.
And speaking of hacksaw blades, I have to cut some down for use as
backing springs for some leaf switches similar to the one shown he
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l.../Arcade%20Stuf...
(I assume snips of some sort are the best tool for that job).

A hacksaw blade will wreck your snips. It's too hard.

My favorite tool for cutting hand hacksaw blades is a silicon-carbide
cutoff
wheel in aDremel. You will want to use some kind of abrasive cutter to
avoid damage to good steel cutters, and a little cutoff wheel is easy
and
faster than most other methods.

If you're just cutting them off square, you can hold the blade in a
vise
and
break it off, and then grind off the rough edge on a bench grinder.

--
Ed Huntress
I'll pick up some silicon carbide cutting wheels for one of myDremel
XPR 400 tools. The springs blades I have to make will be about 1/4"
wide and 3" long.
Thanks a lot.
Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Aha. A 3" cut is a long one to do with aDremel. If you're just doing a
few,
and if you're patient, no problem. But if you have to do a lot of them,
you
may find that method to be too slow and tedious for such cuts. For jobs
like
that, I use my die grinder and bigger wheels.

Or, if the cut is straight, I'll cut part way through with theDremel,
put
the blade in a vise, and whack off the waste part at the cut line, using
a
big chisel to break it. Then I grind the edge smooth with a bench
grinder.

If you haven't used those little SiCDremelwheels, please observe this
caution: The wheels shatter easily, if you twist theDremelout of line
even
slightly. WEAR EYE PROTECTION! Those little bits can do serious damage
to
your eyes.

But for short cuts, they're awfully handy. I use those little wheels a
lot.
They're pretty cheap and very effective.

Good luck!

--
Ed Huntress

I've not been able to find the silicon-carbide cutoff wheels you
mentioned. Only grinding stones.

================================================== ============

[reply]

Hmm. I think they have them at the local Home Depot, here in Edison. Do
you
ever cross the bridge to shop over here? A lot of Staten Islanders seem
to.
(The toll on the Outerbridge Crossing is now a killer, however.)

I'll check at HD tomorrow and see if they still have them. They' a little
over 1" in diameter, if my memory is correct. You get a whole stack of
them
in a little plastic tube.

================================================== ===================

Perhaps an angle grinder is better for this?

================================================== ===================

[reply]

Personally, I wouldn't use one for that job, but maybe someone else knows
about using thin cutoff wheels in an angle-head grinder.

--
Ed Huntress

================================================== ===================

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island New York.

Ok, I assume that these are what you are referring to for use in a
Dremel:

www.ebay.com/itm/220736342993
www.ebay.com/itm/110784038017

================================================== =====================
[rep;y]

Yup. Those are the ones. You need a mandrel, if you don't already have one.

--
Ed Huntress

"Searcher7" wrote in message
...

On Nov 19, 11:47 pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"Searcher7" wrote in message

...

On Nov 11, 12:36 pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:









"Searcher7" wrote in message

...

On Nov 11, 11:33 am, "Ed Huntress" wrote:

"Searcher7" wrote in message

...

Thanks everyone.
I'll have to give a couple of those ideas a try.
And speaking of hacksaw blades, I have to cut some down for use as
backing springs for some leaf switches similar to the one shown he
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l.../Arcade%20Stuf...
(I assume snips of some sort are the best tool for that job).

A hacksaw blade will wreck your snips. It's too hard.

My favorite tool for cutting hand hacksaw blades is a silicon-carbide
cutoff
wheel in aDremel. You will want to use some kind of abrasive cutter to
avoid damage to good steel cutters, and a little cutoff wheel is easy
and
faster than most other methods.

If you're just cutting them off square, you can hold the blade in a
vise
and
break it off, and then grind off the rough edge on a bench grinder.

--
Ed Huntress
I'll pick up some silicon carbide cutting wheels for one of myDremel
XPR 400 tools. The springs blades I have to make will be about 1/4"
wide and 3" long.
Thanks a lot.
Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Aha. A 3" cut is a long one to do with aDremel. If you're just doing a
few,
and if you're patient, no problem. But if you have to do a lot of them,
you
may find that method to be too slow and tedious for such cuts. For jobs
like
that, I use my die grinder and bigger wheels.

Or, if the cut is straight, I'll cut part way through with theDremel,
put
the blade in a vise, and whack off the waste part at the cut line, using
a
big chisel to break it. Then I grind the edge smooth with a bench
grinder.

If you haven't used those little SiCDremelwheels, please observe this
caution: The wheels shatter easily, if you twist theDremelout of line
even
slightly. WEAR EYE PROTECTION! Those little bits can do serious damage
to
your eyes.

But for short cuts, they're awfully handy. I use those little wheels a
lot.
They're pretty cheap and very effective.

Good luck!

--
Ed Huntress

I've not been able to find the silicon-carbide cutoff wheels you
mentioned. Only grinding stones.

================================================== ============

[reply]

Hmm. I think they have them at the local Home Depot, here in Edison. Do
you
ever cross the bridge to shop over here? A lot of Staten Islanders seem
to.
(The toll on the Outerbridge Crossing is now a killer, however.)

I'll check at HD tomorrow and see if they still have them. They' a little
over 1" in diameter, if my memory is correct. You get a whole stack of
them
in a little plastic tube.

================================================== ===================

Perhaps an angle grinder is better for this?

================================================== ===================

[reply]

Personally, I wouldn't use one for that job, but maybe someone else knows
about using thin cutoff wheels in an angle-head grinder.

--
Ed Huntress

================================================== ===================

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island New York.

Ok, I assume that these are what you are referring to for use in a
Dremel:

www.ebay.com/itm/220736342993
www.ebay.com/itm/110784038017

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York

================================================== ==================

BTW, I checked HD for those wheels and they're $10 for a pack of 20. So your
online deals will be better if the shipping doesn't eat up the difference.

--
Ed Huntress

On 11/2/2011 14:10, Searcher7 wrote:
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.


Will this work?


http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Off...Rotary-Trimmer

--
Steve Walker
(remove brain when replying)

On Nov 3, 1:13*am, "Wild_Bill" wrote:
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
.........

I think I have one of those plastic cutting tools somewhere. But I
hated using it on plexiglass because it was difficult getting it to
stay against the straight edge when cutting.

I was at Home Depot today, and couldn't figure out what kind of blade
you were referring to for a Stanley utility knife.

I saw drywall, roofing, hook, carton, snap-off, and utility blades.
What exactly should I be looking for?

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

On Dec 10, 10:08*pm, Searcher7 wrote:
On Nov 3, 1:13*am, "Wild_Bill" wrote:









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
.........

I think I have one of those plastic cutting tools somewhere. But I
hated using it on plexiglass because it was difficult getting it to
stay against the straight edge when cutting.

I was at Home Depot today, and couldn't figure out what kind of blade
you were referring to for a Stanley utility knife.

I saw drywall, roofing, hook, carton, snap-off, and utility blades.
What exactly should I be looking for?

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Ok. I'll just try the "Heavy Duty" blades I saw.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.