Green grinder wheels

MontanaLon

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I was at a local resale shop this afternoon and they had a bin of green grinder wheels, 6"x 1/2" with a 5/8" arbor hole with a bushing to 1/2". They are more of a green gray than a true green color. They wanted $2 each so I grabbed one, heck for $2 I can use them as coaster for drinks if they won't grind anything.

Problem is there were no labels on any of the wheels so I am not sure what exactly I have. Is there any way to tell if this is a carbide grinding wheel? I figured for $2 I couldn't go wrong. I rang them all and they all sounded good, but if I can figure out if they are for carbide for sure I will go back and get several more. I don't have a lot of carbide to grind, just a scraper blade and some big inserts that I need to cut some clearance on to use them on the lathe. The inserts are 1/4" thick and 5/8" square and I'd like to turn them into chamfering tools for the lathe just need to put a relief angle into them as cutting edges are square.
 
Try to cut one of your inserts with your "green wheel" and see what happens. The green wheel will shed a fair amount of grit when grinding carbide, but should also be removing the carbide pretty well. Aluminum oxide will do nearly nothing to carbide, just polish it a bit. If you are trying to make stuff razor sharp, use a diamond file or a diamond "credit card" to finish the tool and get it razor sharp, if you need to.
 
If You touch a piece of steel to Your green wheel when it is spinning, it will amaze You how fast the steel eats up the wheel, must be seen to be believed.
 
Don't buy any that don't pass the 'ring' test.
 
Generally green wheels do not give a sharp cutting edge to cutting tools, especially scrapers, as Bob noted, a diamond wheel is the tool for that job. Of course, the green wheel's grade of grit will make a difference in it's ability to give a keen edge, they are also used to grind stone. They are silicon carbide type grit.
 
They might be for grinding tungsten electrodes. Be sure to use a paper gasket between the stones and the flanges.
 
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