Slick Stick, part 2, maybe.....

[robo hippy]

The discussion was cut off before I got a chance to respond.... Well, I picked up 2 of the slick sticks. Can't remember if I read instructions or watched a video. You do not apply it directly to your grinding wheels because it goes on too thick. I applied it to the bevels of my tools. Thus far, I haven't noticed any real difference. I haven't been turning a lot lately, doing other stuff.... I will give it a good testing on my bandsaw blades this spring when, hopefully, I will have fresh Madrone logs which really love to gunk up the wheels and the bandsaw blades. Started up the circle cutting bandsaw one morning after prepping a bunch of blanks the day before. Got a lot of squealing. The gunk had frozen on the blade and wheels and guides. Had to scrape off the blade.

Several years back, I took to using the Trend Lapping fluid to help clean my CBN wheels. If I put it on the wheel directly, I would get a racing stripe down my front side. I took to putting a drop on the bevel of the tool to be sharpened. That did a lot to keep the wheels cleaner when turning lots of sloppy wet Madrone. If I notice any big differences of any sort, I will post here.

I did have one set of CBN wheels that I retired. They just wouldn't cut any more, but left a beautiful polished bevel surface. Maybe I can dig them out and see if the slick stick can make them cut again. My old DMT diamond hones, some thing like 25 years old, pretty much stopped cutting. Some of the lapping fluid and they cut very well again. Not quite like new though....

robo hippy

 

[Karl Loeblein]

I was surprised to see the previous discussion getting cut off because I also had similar issues using the Slick Stick. Got on this morning to see what others might have tried or suggested. I even appreciated Odie‘s point of view which made me want to try honing more often which would lower the amount of metal dust in the air from grinding. Anyway, thanks for the tip about applying the stick to the tool bevel instead of the cbn wheel.

As for the bandsaw, I use a wire wheel on a my blades to remove the gunk and then use a light coat of paste wax on a paper towel to coat the blade before cutting green wood. The wax seems to last a little longer than using lighter oils Like PAM or WD40.

 

[Tom De Winter]

I’ve all but quit using the Slick Stik. I too found it gunked up the wheels no matter how judicially it was applied.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

I think I mentioned it on the now-closed thread that looking around the shop for something to clean an old CBN wheel that I was taking to Argentina, as a donation. I found a can of paint stripper. What the heck, I'll try it... Darn, I was second-guessing myself about donating it after I soaked it and brushed it clean! It was by far the best cleaning solution so far. Better than the Blaster spray. I have 2 8 inch bench grinders, with 4 CBN wheels. I make sure that I clean every tool before I sharpen it. Yes, that adds some time throughout a working day, but I just hate to see the hardened sap and any other junk stuck to the bevel going into my wheels. What I use to clean the tools is a big 3M pad that I buy from my welding supply store.

 

[Dave Fritz]

I soaked my wheel in Simple Green and it cleaned up nicely with a wire brush and blue paper towels. I think my original post was hijacked and thus became unacceptable to the moderator. I never know when to add to an old post or start a new fresh one. Happy Holiday.

 

[Karl Loeblein]

I think I mentioned it on the now-closed thread that looking around the shop for something to clean an old CBN wheel that I was taking to Argentina, as a donation. I found a can of paint stripper. What the heck, I'll try it... Darn, I was second-guessing myself about donating it after I soaked it and brushed it clean! It was by far the best cleaning solution so far. Better than the Blaster spray. I have 2 8 inch bench grinders, with 4 CBN wheels. I make sure that I clean every tool before I sharpen it. Yes, that adds some time throughout a working day, but I just hate to see the hardened sap and any other junk stuck to the bevel going into my wheels. What I use to clean the tools is a big 3M pad that I buy from my welding supply store.

Wonder if oven cleaner might work as well as paint stripper? I use inexpensive oven cleaner to remove gunk from chainsaw blades which does a great job. Also, many woodworkers use oven cleaner to clean up gunk on saw blades. It’d be nice to have two options depending on what we have around the house or a nearby Dollar General.

 

[robo hippy]

Oven cleaner is another method that can be used. It doesn't bother the CBN abrasive bond to the wheels. There are or were pieces of hard aluminum oxide that can be used, but it doesn't get the deep down gunk, and it sends a lot of dust into the air.

robo hippy

 

[Doug Freeman]

Dont have cbn wheels, but sap and gunk on chainsaws, lathe tools, saw blades were. For all of those + router bits, drill bits - anything that cuts wood - plain house hold ammonia strips it right off.

 

[Dean Center]

Is there a direct correlation between odor and effectiveness? The worse something smells the better it cleans? Or an adhesive sticks?

 

[robo hippy]

Well, that is supposed to be true with cat fish bait. Not sure about woods and solvents and cleaners....

robo hippy