Rocklinizer user? have a question for you.

[oldgoaly]

Looking for some guidance on carbide impregnating a power hacksaw blade, what works better? what to avoid? Thanks! tt

[Russ Hanscom]

I think that such devices are typically made by brazing carbide grit onto the item of interest.

[jpfalt]

The rocklinizer is a pretty crude way to make a surface more wear resistant. What it does is take a carbide electrode and when touched to the workpiece, strike a brief arc that melts off a little of the carbide and stick it to the melted workpiece surface. It's a little bit like an arc strike when welding where the electrode sticks to the work and the arc stops and then you have to break the electrode loose.

The problem is that if the workpiece is high carbon or tool steel, you have a little spot of surface what was heated to melting and quenched very quickly. The spot is untempered and many times has small cracks in the area from expansion, contraction and material phase changes. In the middle is a little chunk of carbide that may be welded to the surface or may just be mechanically captured by the workpiece metal. In any case it is a prime spot for fatigue cracks to grow from. The surface also usually really rough and usually thin, so grinding or polishing to a cutting edge is hit or miss.

I wouldn't try Rocklinizing a bandsaw blade, but would instead invest in a bimetal or carbide tipped blade if you are independently wealthy. The Rocklinizer is most suitable for a wear surface or an edge that is simple geometry that you can touch up with a diamond hone.

[oldgoaly]

update, I took a old worn (well worn out) blade to try it out on, applying the carbide easy! real easy! cuts not bad for a worn out blade!. So did the better blade, cuts the same 1 3/4" cut in just over 1/2 the time, does not appear to be losing it new coating after 6 cuts. We will see how long it lasts, but in 5 minutes it can have another coating. Might just dig out a new blade strip the paint just to see how it may with a new one rather than one with some 50-100 cuts on it. tt

[spro]

I don't quite follow this. Somehow the topic of "friction sawing" comes up. The history of that is interesting also for it cannot work but does. It was explained well on this board years ago. The accepted principles of root, rake,gullets are thrown out the window. The metal sees a blade of unholy speed and the heat generated at the cut releases it. The blade is cooled by pass around the machine at the freezing temperatures where this was used.
I'm getting a little out now but consider a situation where the back is pressed against the wall. The "masters" are doing everything to retain position and a slowup is the cutting of large slabs. The POWs or political prisoners are working themselves to death running machinery. Many are experienced in machine work or they would already be ..gone. So the "person" with a pistol struts up and says "make this go faster". The machinist tries to reply that it cannot for it will ruin the blade. It will dull the edges of the rake. It is wholely against accepted principles- and he is shot right there. Then another in his place is told to increase the speed to where eventually it is running so fast and so hot that other dynamics come in. stuff happened. I'm not saying it wasn't discovered before.