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Diamonds for OD grinding?

I have never used an eBay diamond pen;
The diamond pen is a new type of grinding wheel tool
-Using powder metallurgy hot pressing process, the
matrix alloy has good abrasion resistance and high strength.

A used real diamond can sometimes be found on eBay. They last for years so buying a real diamond is likely the best choice. A short stick-out from the holder and double set screw in the holder is likely best..but I do have single-set screw holders. A larger diamond is better 1/4 CT or better. turning the diamond often allows a sharp/fresh facet to dress the wheel.
* Somebody who has used the eBay new type diamond should chime in and tell how the work compared to a real diamond.

Here is a real diamond $177.
sale price $60,

looks like BC and BCSG Nortons are non-resettable / and NS type are resettable
 
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I suspect the resettable are real diamonds
and non-resettable are not real diamonds.

RE:(Cleaners have a diamond abrasive, which is extremely hard and wear resistan
I have no idea what that means.
Perhaps diamond grit in a very hard bond, if so I would think it is not as good as a real diamond.
 
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What's everyone using for dressing diamonds and where are you getting them?
Are you speaking of dressing a diamond wheel true? There's a few threads, including a recent one on the process. It also matters whether you're using a plated wheel or a thicker, "bulk" bond like vitrified.

 
The alternative ones are still real diamonds, they're just not organically grown, they're made in a lab. I have always used Nortons, but I got a huge box of resettables with my Monoset that are super old school, set in copper shanks. Also, I suggest downloading the Norton dressing manual in the sticky if you don't already have a copy.
 
I suspect the non-resettable diamonds are imperfect macles. The resettable I have reset are a 4 cornered pyramid, and can be reset to another corner.
 
Are you speaking of dressing a diamond wheel true? There's a few threads, including a recent one on the process. It also matters whether you're using a plated wheel or a thicker, "bulk" bond like vitrified.

I am talking about dressing a 30"aluminum oxide wheel with a diamond point. we are grinding on heat treated 4150, 3" to 6" dia. mostly.

The alternative ones are still real diamonds, they're just not organically grown, they're made in a lab. I have always used Nortons, but I got a huge box of resettables with my Monoset that are super old school, set in copper shanks. Also, I suggest downloading the Norton dressing manual in the sticky if you don't already have a copy.

I in the past we used a Norton 2ct diamond. I tried to go with a cheaper "no name" diamond and it breaks down way too fast for what they cost. we then switched to a cluster diamond. the cluster dresses well for a fine finish but they don't work to open the wheel up for roughing.
 
I suspect the non-resettable diamonds are imperfect macles. The resettable I have reset are a 4 cornered pyramid, and can be reset to another corner.

Thanks gbent!! until right now i never thought or realized that i could probably reset the diamond. That would save a lot of $$ by doing so as the points wear down.
 
I am talking about dressing a 30"aluminum oxide wheel with a diamond point. we are grinding on heat treated 4150, 3" to 6" dia. mostly.



I in the past we used a Norton 2ct diamond. I tried to go with a cheaper "no name" diamond and it breaks down way too fast for what they cost. we then switched to a cluster diamond. the cluster dresses well for a fine finish but they don't work to open the wheel up for roughing.

Are you running the cluster across the wheel at the same speed as the single point diamond when dressing? You need to haul ass with a cluster if you want an open wheel. Like possibly rapid traverse across rather than feed.
 
Are you running the cluster across the wheel at the same speed as the single point diamond when dressing? You need to haul ass with a cluster if you want an open wheel. Like possibly rapid traverse across rather than feed.
good point. I will try dressing faster with the cluster next time.
 
and then a light rub across with a piece of wood, a sack of wooden clothes pins will last a coon age. That knocks out/off loose grits that can mess up the surface finish at the beginning use of an AO (or the like ) wheel.
30" wheel I would like a 1/3 to 1/2 Ct or better
 
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What's everyone using for dressing diamonds and where are you getting them?

we are grinding on heat treated 4150, 3" to 6" dia. mostly.
Another important parameter is what kind of roughness do you need and what is the grit size of your grinding wheels?
The same diamond with which I dress the same grinding wheel can help me grind a lot of material with poor roughness, or grind 0.0008 inches with a very good roughness.
 
$180 is a bit high, (more than a bit) but the cheaper ones usually don't last near as long. Worth a little extra if you grind a lot. Not so much if you don't.
 
I am surprised that good size dressings diamonds can be had at $2.50 on eBay and
under $20 at KBC...

*Are there any old-time grinder hands using these who could give a report?

Are these low-price ones a manufactured-diamond, or a vitrified composite of diamond powder/grits?
I visited the GE diamond lab on 9-mile road in warren mi and those had much the same attributes as real diamonds..but they were not so cheap to produce that you could sell them for 1/10 of the price of a real diamond.
The story back then was that an agreement was made with De Beers about how they would be called and sold.

When I was a kid they could not make margins yellow because it would be phony butter it came in a plastic squeeze container and you had to break an orange food coloring die to make it yellow.
Any not dug-up diamonds should be only called "Manufactured diamonds".
 
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I am surprised that good size dressings diamonds can be had at $2.50 on eBay and
under $20 at KBC...

*Are there any old-time grinder hands using these who could give a report?

Are these low-price ones a manufactured-diamond, or a vitrified composite of diamond powder/grits?
I visited the GE diamond lab on 9-mile road in warren mi and those had much the same attributes as real diamonds..but they were not so cheap to produce that you could sell them for 1/10 of the price of a real diamond.
The story back then was that an agreement was made with De Beers about how they would be called and sold.
I was asking myself the same questions. The Chinese have (big surprise) put a lot of effort into synthetic diamond manufacture, and they may have the process cheap enough that single(ish) crystal diamonds large enough for dressers are practical, which would explain the low cost.

I'd hope that if they are compacts there would be verbiage to that extent, but...
 
I heard of a vapor layering process to make MDs , but I don't know much about it.
I have a 7" 220 natural diamond wheel and it cuts/grinds carbide better than an MD wheel, it even sounds better.

The process you're thinking of is CVD. Chemical Vapor Deposition IIRC. The other one is HPHT High Pressure High Temperature or something like that. High heat while squeezing at extreme pressure in a die of some sort. Interesting stuff. Not sure which manufactured diamond would wear better or how far off a natural diamond they are.
 
MD wheels seem as tough as real (natural) diamond wheels as far as wheel life..I used to test diamond wheels for a number of manufacturers like Clipper, Norton, Bay State, ect.
I thought that the natural diamond wheel gave a better surface finish, sounded better and stalled the wheel less, but not to a high or significant amount/difference. Most of my testing was spec attributes to longer wheel life, or make spec at the lowest costs.
Some I would test for the vendor and some for the wheel company.
 
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