1084 Sparks...

M

Mark Redmon

Joined
Nov 7, 2007
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451
Been a while since I posted a truly dumb question (I think), so here it goes..

I bought some 1084 from Aldo a while back to start learning how to forge on, but with temps in the shop being consistently in the 90's lately, I thought maybe I'd do a little stock removal with some of it.

As I started to grind on it, the sparks were accumulating in little piles and starting small fires on the grinder stand... nothing unmanageable, but enough to make me wonder what's going on... is it that the steel needs to be annealed, or is this just the nature of the steel?

To date, all my SR knives have been made of A2, D2, ATS-34 and 440C. (Yes, I realize 1084 is an entirely different animal) Even with heavy hogging, I haven't had this issue with any of those.
 
put some sheet steel over anywhere your grinding dust is collecting while still hot

-Page
 
Thanks Page, I'm going to do that... I guess I was more curious as to whether or not it was typical for that to happen.
 
I've taken to waiting around for a while in the shop to make certain there's no smoldering going on in my dust collector tubing.:eek:
-Mark
 
Thanks guys... just wanted to be sure before I did any more work on it. Jeff, that makes sense, I guess I just didn't expect such a substantial difference.
 
The differences can be HUGE, spark-wise. I believe it depends both on the chemistry of the steel as Mr. Clark noted, and on the state it's in.

When I grind tempered Nicholson files (high-carbon steel, W1 to the best of my knowledge), it looks like the 4th of July. When I grind annealed CPM154, I see few sparks at all, and they have very little "branching".

I love the spark-test, but it's not infallible by any means. If I went strictly by that, I would conclude that annealed CPM154 has very little carbon... which isn't the case at all.
 
Mark,
I have a big hole burnt into the bench below the grinder. I used to worry about it, but now just let it accumulate and burn. At the end of a grinding session, I lift out the lump of slag (often still burning red) and drop it into the slack tub.

Another way to deal with it is to put a shallow pan with a little water in it below the grinder.

My new grinding bench will have a stainless steel top.

Stacy
 
This is going to take some getting used to, but it's working. The trick seems to be working in shorter bursts. I made a little chute to direct the sparks into a coffee can with water in it. I don't have a brake, but as soon as I find someone that can work sheet metal better, I'll make something a little more elegant. Stacy, I like your idea about a SS top for the grinding bench. We have a storm rolling through right now so I'm taking advantage of the cooler breeze to get some work done. the thermometer still reads about 90, but it feels better than that. I decided to wear my leather apron and I definitely felt a reduction in heat building up around my midsection. Thanks again guys!
 
Depending on your grinder, try this: my little Craftsman is set up on the right end of my bench, so there's nothing underneath the belt but a 5-gallon pail of water on the floor. Reduces the amount of sweeping I have to do a LOT.
 
I was profiling a 1080 blade today and burned a hole about 3" in diameter in my apron. I was on fire! First time that has happened.

Milt
 
I have burned through many shirts when Just giving it a quick grind....no need to put on the apron. I have a leather grinding apron and have to patch the middle of it occasionally with a piece of leather. Funny how that hole keeps burning back into it.
Stacy
 
Last edited:
Mark Redmon said:
This is going to take some getting used to, but it's working. The trick seems to be working in shorter bursts. I made a little chute to direct the sparks into a coffee can with water in it. I don't have a brake, but as soon as I find someone that can work sheet metal better, I'll make something a little more elegant. Stacy, I like your idea about a SS top for the grinding bench. We have a storm rolling through right now so I'm taking advantage of the cooler breeze to get some work done. the thermometer still reads about 90, but it feels better than that. I decided to wear my leather apron and I definitely felt a reduction in heat building up around my midsection. Thanks again guys!
Click to expand...

I bought a couple magnetic hangers that has a 3" diameter magnet like the ones that are on magnetic car antennas, I put one on the bench directly in the path of the sparks and the other on the other side of the wheel (2 wheel grinder) and they collect at least 95% of the grindings.
 
My father used to use a heavy duty mat thrown down where the majority of the sparks accumulate from the grinder. Now that I think of it I can't remember for sure but, I think it was extremely thick rubber (about 1/2" thick). Like stacy said it would accumulate in thick chunks of hot slag, if he did alot of grinding. Which makes me think it may have not been rubber but maybe a composite like an old conveyer belt. Too long ago now that was when I was just a tadpole but, it made it much easier to clean the shop!
 
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