Gooey rollers again. - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

29 Aug 2007

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Subject: Re: Gooey rollers again.
   From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell)
   Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:15:58 +0100 (BST)
     To: cctalk at classiccmp.org

  and not
end up the size or shape you expect.  
 Actually is fairly easy once you know how.  You need a lathe and a rotary 
 grinder with the right wheel (correct abrasive).  Rather than using the  
What you're describing is known as a 'toolpost grinder' over here. It's a

fairly standard (if expensive) lathe add-on. 
My description was for the non-machinist amoung us.

...

  usual tool (cutting edge) you apply the grinder
mounted on the cross peice
 so than you abrade away the urethane, silicone rubber or whatever flexible 
 material is used.  The process is slow but with care you get excellent 
 results.  Learned than from a machinest that was really good. 
It works very well (and it's usef for getting very accurate results on 
metal too, you can take a much finer cut with a toolpost grinder than you 
can with a normal lathe tool).  
Yep, I used to use that for post finishing oil hardend stainless 
steel parts. Heat can distort parts so some post finishing is needed
for precision work.

...
 Apart from the cost, the other disadvantage is that
abrasive dust goes 
everyway, including into the 'ways' of the lathe. If you don't clean it 
out very carefully, you will do a lot of damage. 
If the roller (machined part) is rubber it can make a mess as well.
When doing metals coolent was always used and that tended to wash 
abrasives down but rubber tended to clog the pumps and tubes.  Major
cleanup job.  I used to get the opportunity to use the big Monarch 
lathe for that job as the head machinist knew if I wanted to use the 
vertical mill or anything for my projects I'd clean it to his 
specifications without complaint before and after.  I rigged a 
vacuum setup to pick up the waste for him that worked well.  Fair 
trade in my mind!

Allison