Hardware oil stone: the right assistant for grinding and polishing

In the process of hardware processing and tool maintenance, there is a seemingly insignificant but crucial tool - the hardware polish stone. It can make rough metal surfaces smooth and dull blades sharp again, making it an indispensable assistant in the hands of craftsmen. Let's take a closer look at hardware whetstones.

What is hardware oil stone

Hardware whetstone is a tool for grinding and polishing, mainly composed of abrasive and binding agent. The principle is to use the hardness of the abrasive, through the friction with the metal surface, to remove the excess part of the material surface, to realize the effect of grinding, polishing, deburring and so on. Different ratios of abrasives and bonding agents create a variety of characteristics of hardware oil stones to meet different processing needs.

Types of Hardware Oil Stones

Natural oil stone: Natural oil stone is made from naturally occurring minerals in nature, such as quartz oil stone, etc. It has fine texture and moderate hardness. It has fine texture and moderate hardness, and the surface finish is extremely high, which is very suitable for fine grinding work with strict requirements on precision and surface quality, such as polishing of precision instrument parts and edge grinding of high-level cutting tools. However, due to limited natural resources, the price of natural oil stone is relatively high, and the performance of each piece of natural oil stone may have certain differences.

Artificial corundum oil stone: made of artificial corundum as abrasive, it has higher hardness and good toughness. The cutting ability of this kind of oil stone is strong, and it is suitable for rough grinding and semi-fine grinding of steel and other metal materials, such as grinding common knives, repairing the rough surface of metal molds and other work, artificial corundum oil stone can be very good at the job. With relatively low cost and stable performance, it is a commonly used type of oil stone in industrial production and daily maintenance.

Silicon Carbide Oil Stone: Silicon Carbide abrasives give this type of oil stone extremely high hardness and good wear resistance. It has a very high grinding efficiency and is commonly used to grind materials with high hardness, such as cemented carbide and ceramics. In the machining industry, when resharpening carbide tools, silicon carbide oil stone comes in handy.

The use of hardware oil stone

When using hardware oil stone, first of all, according to the processing needs to choose the right oil stone. For example, if you want to open the edge of the knife, you can choose some delicate natural oil stone or artificial corundum oil stone; if you want to polish the hard alloy workpiece, silicon carbide oil stone is more suitable. In the grinding process, need to apply the right amount of lubricant on the surface of the oil stone, such as kerosene, motor oil, etc.. The lubricant can play a lubricating role, reduce the friction between the abrasive and the workpiece, reduce the heat generated, but also help to take away the grinding down debris, improve the grinding effect. When operating, maintain uniform pressure and stable moving speed, so that the oil stone and the surface of the workpiece are in full contact to ensure even grinding.

Hardware oil stone maintenance skills

The service life and effect of hardware oil stone are closely related to daily maintenance. After each use, rinse the abrasive chips and oil on the surface of oil stone with water, then dry it with a clean cloth and place it in a dry and ventilated place. Avoid soaking the oil stone in water or in a humid environment for a long time, in order to prevent deterioration of the oil stone, affecting the use of performance. If you find that the surface of the oil stone is uneven, you can use a flat fine sandpaper to repair it and restore the flatness of the oil stone.

Application Scenario of Hardware Oilstone

Hardware oil stone has a wide range of applications. In the field of machinery manufacturing, it is used for fine processing of the surface of parts to improve the surface finish and precision of parts to ensure the normal operation and service life of the machinery; in the tool maintenance industry, it can make the dulled tools sharp again to extend the service life of the tools; for handmade enthusiasts, in the production of metal handicrafts, the hardware oil stone can be used to polish the edges and surfaces of the works to make them more beautiful and delicate. Exquisite.

Although small in size, hardware whetstone plays an irreplaceable role in hardware processing and tool maintenance. Understanding its types, use and maintenance methods will enable us to better utilize its performance to complete a variety of grinding and polishing tasks. I hope this article can let you have a deeper understanding of hardware oil stone, in the future work and life better use it.