sfriedberg
Diamond
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2010
- Location
- Oregon, USA
I've recently started helping out a high school robotics team, and came across a really revolting situation with their 7" bench grinder today. Despite clear labels "DO NOT GRIND ALUMINUM" on both windows/guards, some clueless student spent a long time smearing globs of aluminum into both wheels. Not talking specks of metal in the voids between the grains. Talking protruding blobs 1/8" wide by 1/4 to 1/2" long spanning over the tops of the grains. The noob must have been "grinding" with enough pressure to friction melt/smear the aluminum.
I immediately asked one of the responsible students to post the grinder as altogether off-limits until we get this cleaned up. Unfortunately, they have no suitable wheel dressers. That's going on their shop shopping list.
In the meantime, I will bring in my dresser and full face shield and try to salvage the wheels. I have NEVER seen loading like this, probably because I didn't previously hang around high school shops. So my questions:
I immediately asked one of the responsible students to post the grinder as altogether off-limits until we get this cleaned up. Unfortunately, they have no suitable wheel dressers. That's going on their shop shopping list.
In the meantime, I will bring in my dresser and full face shield and try to salvage the wheels. I have NEVER seen loading like this, probably because I didn't previously hang around high school shops. So my questions:
- Is it safe to use a Huntington-style (star cutter) dresser on this mess? Will it be effective, or just skid over the aluminum surface deposits?
- Is there a better approach? I have single point diamond dressers, but no bulk/mass diamond dressers. Soak the wheels in lye?
- Should I advise the shop that the wheels are unsalvagable? I would really prefer to clean them up, but not if I'm likely to explode a wheel or eat a diamond dresser doing it.