Cutting raw carbide stock into usable blanks

[justin1]

I was at work today and found a chunk of carbide that probably fell off a belt scrapper was curious how you guys would go about cutting it without just blowing it into pieces.

I'm probably gonna try using diamond wheel on grinder see how that works out. I have 2 pieces of this stuff as I found another piece while back in rougher shape.

I would also be interested in if I could use it for something else that could come in handy down the road as this piece is in way better shape then the other one i got.

About 2"x6"x3/8" below avg banana for scale

 

[Chip Maker]

I was at work today and found a chunk of carbide that probably fell off a belt scrapper was curious how you guys would go about cutting it without just blowing it into pieces.

I'm probably gonna try using diamond wheel on grinder see how that works out. I have 2 pieces of this stuff as I found another piece while back in rougher shape.

I would also be interested in if I could use it for something else that could come in handy down the road as this piece is in way better shape then the other one i got.

About 2"x6"x3/8" below avg banana for scale

Wire EDM

 

[justin1]

Wire EDM

Haha would be sweet but probably not gonna have one of those anytime soon

 

[Dan Dubeau]

lol, I was going to say WEDM too.

A diamond tile cutting saw would probably slice it. Depends how patient and picky you are about the cut edge.....

 

[Former Member]

I have a special ultra thin diamond wheel to cut carbide end mills.

 

[Susquatch]

Don't cut it till you have a need.

 

[Stellrammer]

If it was a wear plate of some sort it’s unlikely it will be useful as a cutting tool, too fine of a grain and little binder for strength.

 

[justin1]

@Dan Dubeau @Degen
Not too picky as long as it can be ground into a shape I may just take the broken one and sharpen a cutting edge on it and test if keeps it very long as @Stellrammer makes a good point and I know from the other piece it didn't take much to take a chip out of it.

It's off one of these style belt scrappers

DT2H XHD - Tungsten carbide secondary conveyor belt cleaner by Martin Engineering | DirectIndustry

The Martin® DT2H Reversing Cleaner XHD secondary conveyor belt scraper features rugged blades installed on a track that slides into cleaning position on a rigid steel mandrel. Features and Benefits: • Reduces plant cleanup chores and prolongs life of conveyor components • Mandrel allows quick-...

www.directindustry.com

 

[Janger]

Plasma torch? Would that just wreck the carbide though?

 

[justin1]

Plasma torch? Would that just wreck the carbide though?

Hmm we cut chrome carbide overlaid pipe at work all the time so probably work ok I think. Probably can test that out in 2 weeks ish when I'm done at work.

I was think maybe if lathe tools don't work out I could maybe use for scraper for new to me lathe experiment

 

[Former Member]

The cutter I have is expensive and breaks really easy, don't ask.

 

[Stellrammer]

Plasma torch? Would that just wreck the carbide though?

Yes, even edm affects the immediate area, though some tooling companies used it to make formed blanks. Ground blanks had more consistent wear and better finishing and tool life.
I doubt that this compound would hold a sharp edge in anything other than cast iron, it’s alloying is not intended for impact or chip resistance at a cutting edge, it’s more for wear resistance at a blunt edge.

 

[Ironman]

I have made machining tools out of rockdrill carbides. Very good for interrupted cuts like removing welds. The finish was crappy and it was not the best cutting tool.

 

[Arbutus]

Waterjet - cost prohibitive, I know but it will cut through that like butter.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

You could braze it to the bottom of your snowplow shoes. Would last a lifetime lol

There's is probably some decent scrap value there if you wanted to turn it into cash. As for repurposing it into something useful, if might be a fun exercise to play around with it, but net nothing.

 

[justin1]

Waterjet - cost prohibitive, I know but it will cut through that like butter.

Ye would probably be cheaper to buy pre made stuff at that rate but it wouldn't have any heat effected zone

You could braze it to the bottom of your snowplow shoes. Would last a lifetime lol

There's is probably some decent scrap value there if you wanted to turn it into cash. As for repurposing it into something useful, if might be a fun exercise to play around with it, but net nothing.

I'm not sure if it would be worth much as scrap I was talking to one machine shops locally trying to get my hands of few worn out Inserts to braze to stuff and they just toss broken carbide in metal bin I would of thought they maybe put it in a bucket and cash in when bucket is full for pizza party type stuff

As far as snow shoes go I did grab couple tungcote rods from work and did my uncle's snow plow shoes for his push blower. Probly the most expensive shoes available after I was finished lol