Hi Charles,

I dug up acouple ~30 year old 1/4" diameter carbide end mills with enough
shank
exposure to test such today. I don't have a long carbide "cross rod", so, I
used
the same stainless steel cross rod/boom/mass as in other tests.

The carbide is uncoated; i.e., it doesn't have some of the exotic surface
materials
as some of todays cabide milling/lathe bits have today. I sanded it abit in
the
drill press chuck with 600 grit sandpaper to hopefully dispose of whatever
grime
it may have had. Their was no nicks, gouges, or other material
disfigurations I
could see on the round shanks. They had somewhat of a enhanced shine
afterward in sunlight, and a centered reflective light "line" indoors. The
surface
felt fairly smooth; but not as smooth as most steels I've tried.

I oscillated it "dry", with no oil. It was a disaster compared to other
common
steels, or, stainless steels; as it quit after only 1 hour and 29 minutes. =
I
could
tell early on, it wasn't going to oscillate very long.

Being as it is, and without disturbing the cross rod, I added a drop of oil
lubrication to each of the two joints/hinges, to test the oscillation time
with
such. Here, it quit oscillating after 1 hour and 39 minutes. Its not much o=
f
a
time difference, but it seems more friction free with oil. Of course for
other
materials, one can do with or without oil as they wish.

Obviously uncoated carbide isn't a utopia material for this application;
which I
think most of the carbide sold today is probably with the same "rough"
initial surface, and any applied coating wouldn't seem to enhance this use.
The results were rather similiar, where I tried acouple balll bearings to
rest
on flat uncoated carbide milling bits; it didn't work there very well
either. I
suppose it can be lapped finer; but I don't think the time, effort and
expense
is really worth the effort, when other material is much easier to
prepare/use.

I will also try (all 3) rods of stainless steel rods sometime with and
without
oil, to see what happens with that material. We'll find out how that goes.

Take care, Meredith

On 10/30/05, Charles R. Patton  wrote:
>
> My thought is that you either use the carbide sources we discussed
> earlier or go to any good hardware store and buy some stainless steel
> bolts. No corrosion on either, and therefor no need for oil.
> Regards,
> Charles Patton
>
>
Hi Charles,



I dug up acouple ~30 year old 1/4" diameter carbide end mills with eno=
ugh shank

exposure to test such today.  I don't have a long carbide "cross =
rod", so, I used

the same stainless steel cross rod/boom/mass as in other tests.



The carbide is uncoated; i.e., it doesn't have some of the exotic surface m=
aterials

as some of todays cabide milling/lathe bits have today.  I sanded it a=
bit in the

drill press chuck with 600 grit sandpaper to hopefully dispose of whatever =
grime

it may have had.  Their was no nicks, gouges, or other material disfig=
urations I

could see on the round shanks.  They had somewhat of a enhanced shine<=
br>
afterward in sunlight, and a centered reflective light "line" ind=
oors.  The surface

felt fairly smooth; but not as smooth as most steels I've tried.



I oscillated it "dry", with no oil.  It was a disaster compa=
red to other common

steels, or, stainless steels; as it quit after only 1 hour and 29 minutes.&=
nbsp; I could

tell early on, it wasn't going to oscillate very long.



Being as it is, and without disturbing the cross rod, I added a drop of oil=


lubrication to each of the two joints/hinges, to test the oscillation time =
with

such.  Here, it quit oscillating after 1 hour and 39 minutes.  It=
s not much of a

time difference, but it seems more friction free with oil.  Of course =
for other

materials, one can do with or without oil as they wish.



Obviously uncoated carbide isn't a utopia material for this application; wh=
ich I

think most of the carbide sold today is probably with the same "rough&=
quot;

initial surface, and any applied coating wouldn't seem to enhance this use.=
 

The results were rather similiar, where I tried acouple balll bearings to r=
est

on flat uncoated carbide milling bits; it didn't work there very well eithe=
r.  I

suppose it can be lapped finer; but I don't think the time, effort and expe=
nse

is really worth the effort, when other material is much easier to prepare/u=
se.



I will also try (all 3) rods of stainless steel rods sometime with and with=
out

oil, to see what happens with that material.  We'll find out how that =
goes.



Take care, Meredith    

On 10/=
30/05, Charles R. Patton <charles.r.patton@........> wrote:

My thought is that you either use the carbide sources we discussed
earli=
er or go to any good hardware store and buy some stainless steel
bolts.&=
nbsp; No corrosion on either, and therefor no need for oil.
Regards=
,
Charles Patton