Diamond for grinding hard chrome?

Anyone have any experience with this? I can't seem to find any info on the subject.

I have never tried Diamond but have ground thousands of Hard Chrome plated parts using just standard Aluminium Oxide wheels, both internal and external. I have used diamond wheels and honing stones on Tungsten Carbide with great results.

bad luck here.
They have not played so well together in my tries.
Some success on a Blanchard with a very soft diamond wheel but lots of wheel lost.
Bob

Thanks guys, i see from the lack of replies it's not a good plan, I'll stick with CBN...

Terry Keeley said:

Thanks guys, i see from the lack of replies it's not a good plan, I'll stick with CBN...

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If it is hard chrome the diamond may be with a try.

How hard might the chrome be 40 to 65?

If a CBN or AO wheel won't take stock with not wasting the whole wheel, then diamond may be worth a try.

Trying a very hard CBN or AO wheel may be worth a try.

michiganbuck said:

If it is hard chrome the diamond may be with a try.

How hard might the chrome be 40 to 65?

If a CBN or AO wheel won't take stock with not wasting the whole wheel, then diamond may be worth a try.

Trying a very hard CBN or AO wheel may be worth a try.

Click to expand...

I ask because a grinder hand friend of my toolmaker buddy recommended it and I couldn't find info about it, only CBN.

The plater I'm using uses the "fluoride" chroming process which is supposed to be 68-70Rc, I believe it as I ground some other hard chrome 20 years ago that cut very easily with AO.

Chromium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and iron are all solvents for carbon. The high temperatures developed at the grinding wheel contact area will cause rapid wear of the diamond grains when grinding these metals.

My toolmaker buddy just lent me a couple of diamond mounted points, two looked vitrified and another two were just electroplated cheapies.

They all cut like a hot knife through butter, dry in just a Dremel tool.

Hmmm...

That solubility is real, but it's probably pretty heavily dependent on the speed and depth of cut you're running. If there's little heat and pressure, it's unlikely to cause a huge problem very quickly.

Grinding a couple of thow of very hard chrome diamond may be your best bet, well worth a try. Point mounted wheel better with a 1/4 or better shank. Really good if the inside grind does not stop in the ID taper but has a come-off the grind in the ID so the grind dresses the wheel straight.

Grinding to a dead end is a bugger because that tapers the wheel the wrong way. With AO or CBN the diamond should be set-mounted only a short distance from the job/work.

A thin wall part is a bugger because it wants to bend or distort away from the wheel so may need special fixturing to support the integrity of the part.

The diamond grit that is used to form plated wheels or to mold the abrasive used in Norton " armored" grinding wheels is coated with a nickel bonding layer.

The nickel adheres to the diamond grit and acts as a primer for the brazing operation that forms the plated wheel.

It also slows down the chemical erosion of the diamond when grinding reactive metals or when grinding without coolant.

The diamond grinding wheel life will still be too short for production work but will be adequate for grinding a few parts. There is one exception. Diamond plated wheels are used to grind grey cast iron The combination of the nickel "armor" and the graphite in the cast iron reduce the diamond wheel wear sufficiently that the grinding operation may be more cost effective than using CBN or aluminum oxide abrasives.

CBN grinding wheels .also have restricted applications due to chemical reaction with metals such as titanium.
Boron nitride reacts with water to form boric acid and nitrogen at temperatures above 900 deg C..

These abrasives can also have a short working life due to thermal shock.

Point mounted diamond wheel perhaps 1/2 x 1/2 with 1/4 shank, parts per dollar is the question. it might prove worth the try.

The trick would/might be infeed inside the part and grind on the way out.

Re: If one does not like the performance, anything is worth a try.

This guy seems a lead seller on eBay..might give him a call and ask for what fits your Try.
Grinding Wheels Diamond, Type DWS, carbide Shank Mounted, Regal .500X1/4 - 3/8X3 | eBay