Hey guys, I need some advice on cleaning carbide burs (bits for die grinder). Specifically, is there a way to clean aluminum from these burs? Since aluminum is a soft metal it is cloging up the burs and doing the same with grinding stones. Anyone have a good way to clean these?
Both of these fine folks have given you great info! I use both their methods. Also.....while your using your burrs, attach a y-fitting into your airline with a valve, so you can regulate it........get a magnetic base with indicator clamp on it.....while you use your burrs......use this to blow the chips out....with the light oil usace there......you'll be suprised how clean they'll stay.....plus you can keep them from piling up on your hands and arms and impaling yourself!
I use a indicator base without the indicator with a piece of rubber line attached, and a old zerk grease fitting that lost its ball......in a barbed fitting clamped to the arm on the indicator base. You can get these plastic coolant lines too which work good for this. What I personally use is a small, cheap Cool-Mist system.
PLEASE BE SURE TO WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AND DON"T BLOW TOWARD ANY DOORS WHERE SOME UNSUSPECTING PERSON CAN WALK IN ON YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, I graduated from the school of Hard Knocks......so-to-speak, probably the same is true for Ron and Rooster.......I'm just glad to help some. Well Ya'll.....I just finished up a Ford 9" for my bucket....new bearings and gears,etc. Yea....I know its overkill....but so is the motor..........
Go to the Hardware store ( used to be able to get it at the grocery store too...still can as DRAINO) and get some LYE.....
Mix a little bit of lye or Draino into a Jar (this is a chemicle reaction and it will build a little heat !! ) So carefull using cheapo plastic containers....
Use a couple table spoons of the lye and a little water.
Add your Burrs that have the Aluminum build up and they will create a FOAMING action...As the LYE eats away the Aluminum...
CAUTION !!!! WEAR YOU SAFETY GOGGLES AND RUBBER GLOVES !! Do this outside....
I'm not sure if the Liquid Draino will work, you can try it.......I use the crystal type with the Aluminum Chips in it...
Only takes a few minutes and they are clean as a whissle !.... "BH"
BE VERY CARE FULL!!!I was using ZEP a degreser last week and my rubber glove sprung a leak and filled the glove and my hand started burnig like mad.I washed it off with water(big mistake)and it got worse.The next day i had sores on my fingers then holes.I'm still healing but the experience will stay with me.The reason i mention this is oven cleaner and zep are sodium hydroxide.Zep is more concentrated.Water makes it worse you have to use vinegar to clean your hands or face off or it will start to disolve your skin.Read this. Sodium hydroxide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For taking off Aluminum on a burr or hone I have used EZ-Off oven cleaner. When using a chemical that is caustic, be sure to oil the metal after cleaning because the Caustic takes the oil out of the metal. It will rust very fast if you don't.
I ran into this this past weekend port matching my tunnelram/blower intake and aluminum heads. Started on the intake and holy crap them burs load up fast. I have a diamond point disc cleaner that got the aluminum out but it is a real pain having to stop every 5 minutes to clean it out. I did notice the smaller 1/4" straight shaft double cut burs did not load as fast as the bigger 3/8" and 1/2" burs.
I went online and bought some aluminum cut carbide burs I will try on the heads when they get here. The flutes are wider spaced on them and will see if they do any better. Sure hope so.
How about trying it from the other end? Before starting to grind the aluminum, take a piece of chalk (as in the blackboard stuff) and touch it to the spinning burr. You will have to do it fairly often, but it might save a lot of fooling around with chemicals. I has worked for me.
I ran into this this past weekend port matching my tunnelram/blower intake and aluminum heads. Started on the intake and holy crap them burs load up fast. I have a diamond point disc cleaner that got the aluminum out but it is a real pain having to stop every 5 minutes to clean it out. I did notice the smaller 1/4" straight shaft double cut burs did not load as fast as the bigger 3/8" and 1/2" burs.
I went online and bought some aluminum cut carbide burs I will try on the heads when they get here. The flutes are wider spaced on them and will see if they do any better. Sure hope so.
The WD40 method worked great and it really cut the aluminum quick. Anyone have any ideas for grinding stones with the same problem (aluminum cloging up)?
I think you would be better off on the finish surface to get you some sanding rolls. They will fit on any Dotco this is what they look like. They come with a arbor that looks like a 1/8 shaft with a tapered sheetmetal screw thread in the end .When its loades twist it off and toss it and install another. Full Taper Cartridge Rolls (Superior) at Wholesale Tool Company | Industrial Machinery + Tool Supply_
Use a piece of 1/4 rod, non threaded about 4" long. Take hacksaw and saw down one end of it about 1/2" a split. We used a cloth roll abrasive, it comes in different grits. we have from 40-320 grit. Put the unsplit in a high speed grinder and put a strip of cloth in the split end and wrap it around there about 8-12 turns. Hold the abasive against what you want to smooth out and then turn the grinder on. This will allow you to get into long ports on heads if that is what you are doing. This is very dusty way but it works very well. I know of a lot of pro porters that do it this way.
Man do I have the HOT TIP for grinding/trimming aluminum. Last weekend it took over 2 hours to port match the tunnelram/blower intake to the gaskets. Using regular double-cut carbide burs they would load up after a few minutes of use. Then I would spend 5 minutes cleaning out the aluminum from the flutes. After I finished the grinding with the burs I used sanding rolls and finished it up all nice and smooth.
I later went inside and did a search for aluminum cut carbide bur. What I found was this place:
I ordered 3 burs and they came Tuesday. Wednesday night I tried them out on one of my AFR alum heads. MAN, talk about a WORLD of difference. You just BARELY touch the aluminum and it is like cutting butter with a warm knife. The aluminum slivers just fly off and NO loading up on the bur. I did one port in about 5 minutes. I had the whole head ported and smoothed as well as the front water passage in about 30 minutes.
By all means if you plan on grinding any aluminum get some aluminum cut carbide burs. They FLY thru aluminum like nothing.
Any time you want to grind or cut Alum, use plain old wax, both to the cutters or grinding disks or wheels first, then every now and then when it stops cutting fast, just touch it to the wax bar, no stick and Alum, cuts like steel, no cloging of anything, I also keep wax at the drill press... :crap:
you can use wax if ya want to but with these alum cut carbide burs it ain't needed. When trying to grind aluminum there ain't no comparison between a standard carbide bur and these made for cutting non ferrous metals. I did spray on some WD40 but its really not needed. Like I said, it was like cutting thru butter with a warm knife. Ate away at that alum like nothing. But it is alot more messy and DEFINENTLY wear safety glasses or goggles. Them slivers FLY with these new burs.
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