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Fabricating a diamond polishing scaife by plating




⇦ (tip: readers rarely show interest in abstract questions, but people's actual situations usually prompt responses)   smiley face

Density of February electrolyte.

Fareed Shaik
Scaife maintenance - Bhopal, India
September 10, 2021



A. Hi Fareed. Sorry, I've never heard of February Electrolyte. And if it is a typo or auto-correct, I can't figure it out :-( Please take 2 or 3 paragraphs and fully describe your situation.

Luck & Regards,

pic of Ted Mooney
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 2021




⇩ Closely related postings, oldest first ⇩



Q. Sir, My name is Nitin Somkuwar, Working with a diamond cutting and polishing company. We use Scaife (20 mm thick and 330 mm dia., CI or steel plate) for polishing the diamonds. Diamond powder along with gluing liquid is used to prepare the polishing surface on the scaife. I want to use the method of electroplating to plate the Diamond powder on the surface.
Some other ingredients can also be used to make diamond powder stick to the surface of the scaife.

Regards,
Nitin

Nitin Somkuwar
Employee - Mumbai, India
January 16, 2010


A. Hi, Nitin. Cutting/grinding tools are frequently manufactured by occluding diamonds into an electroplated nickel or chrome matrix or an electroless nickel one. I don't know whether they can be used for a scaife or if the nature of polishing diamonds with diamond dust would be spoiled by holding the diamond dust so rigidly in position.

In essence the diamond dust is held in suspension by a simple fluidized bed and/or thixotropic ingredients in the plating solution, and the dust is occluded as the metal plates out. However, it's not particularly easy, and some of the better tricks of the trade are patented or trade secret, so it may be best to farm out the work to those who already know how to do it, or to obtain a process license and consequent guidance from specialists in the field of composite plating.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
January 18, 2010



First of two simultaneous responses --

A. Well that's a novel idea but I'm afraid about a hundred companies already do that. I use just such a wheel for sharpening carbide tool bits. I just looked at it and it is a Norton B99 diamond cup wheel. If memory serves it cost me around $200. It is made from aluminum and the diamond dust can be had in varying weights - course, medium, fine, ultra fine and pack a tent and a lunch fine. They don't seem to be plated though. The diamond dust seams to go all the way through and is suspended in the aluminum as it never seams to wear out. Or maybe I'm just too careful with it. They come with some funny black dressing sticks. I have to dress the wheel once in a while but I have probably made a pound of carbide dust with it over the years and as long as I re-dress it once in a blue moon it cuts like new. I have seen the same thing made by various manufactures in other gun shops and machine shops over the years. I have also seen them in every configuration and size imaginable. Probably what you want is already being made for half the price and hassle of doing it yourself.

rod henrickson
Rod Henrickson
gunsmith - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
January 20, 2010



Second of two simultaneous responses -- January 21, 2010

thumbs up signDear Ted,

Thanks for your response.I will check out for the expert, and will return.

Regards,
Nitin

Nitin Somkuwar
- Mumbai, India




Q. I would like to talk to anybody in the "Black Scaife" making?
I am having problems with my tubs. I would like to compare notes with someone.
Thanks,

Alex L [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Newcastle, South Africa
June 6, 2012


A. Hi Alex. Finishing.com is for public discussion where all readers can all learn something ... and where no one will be cut adrift in the middle of an interesting discussion because it went private :-)

Please describe one of the problems you are having and let the learning begin!

My understanding is that a scaife is the turntable or horizontal wheel that a diamond is pressed against for polishing? What is it that makes it a 'black' scaife? Is there a difference between a generic scaife and a black scaife? Must nano diamonds be impregnated into the scaife, or is a larger grit-size diamond dust sometimes used? Thanks!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
June 6, 2012



A. Dear sir,
We are doing this black scaife since 2004.
If you have any query I can support.
Thanks

Hk Poshiya
- Surat, Gujarat, India
June 19, 2012


Q. Thanks Hk Poshiya.

There is an open question on the table ... mine. So please tell me what a "black scaife" is, as opposed to a plain(?) "scaife". What does "black" mean in this context; why do we call it a "black scaife"? Personally I don't feel comfortable discussing this stuff until I at least learn the vernacular. Thanks!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
June 19, 2012



A. Dear sir,
"Black scaife" name is derived because final scaife is black in colour. Always scaife or all product of diamond sintered or bonded when open (polish, rub) become black. So it's black; nothing else. I can send photo.
Thanks.

Hk Poshiya
- Surat, Gujarat, India
June 20, 2012




thumbs up signThanks Hk!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey




Q. I would like to know why you add Potassium iodide to ferric chloride [on eBay or Amazon] mixture?
I plate cast iron disks "scaifes" with Nickel then with Iron. When I prep my ferric mixture it becomes green from yellow. So when I filter my chemicals after use to clean once every 2 weeks, it is said I must add Potassium Iodide to the mixture. The mixture will become red, yellow, why is it showing how much Iron is in the mixture? Why?
Thanks,

Alex L [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Newcastle, South Africa
September 12, 2012




Q. I need immediate help on a situation where I want a steel strip to be coated with diamonds, alumina or carbide grit under a layer of nickel. Just as you see with diamond coated hand files. I have searched google, but not finding any satisfactory information. Please please please someone help me who knows.
I am waiting please.

Bilal Z
- Sialkot, Pakistan
October 6, 2012


A. Hi Bilal.

We appended your inquiry to a thread which addresses it for you. This is done by nickel plating the sheet, while having diamond dust suspended in the nickel plating bath so that it is occluded into the deposit. Are you looking for an experienced plating shop to do this for you, or are you looking to retain the assistance of a consultant, or do you wish to license the process and apply it yourself? Any of those approaches can be a fairly quick route to success.

The other alternative, trying to learn how to do it yourself, with only some public help but without paying anyone, is probably possible but it will probably take years of both study and trial-and-error. The people who license this technology have spent decades developing it. Do you already do nickel plating so people can at least skip that whole area in their response?

Luck and Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
October 8, 2012




Q. Yes, I already do nickel plating. I have tried doing it by laying the steel plate horizontally and spread the dust from the top. Let the gravity do its work and the dust sits on the plate and starts to get embedded with the nickel plating. But this is a headache, I want to do it by hanging the work piece like how a normal nickel plating is carried out. I have tried it by hanging the work piece and mechanical agitation to keep the dust in suspended state. But the dust sticks only to the bottom edge of the work piece. What could be the problem?

And if you can name any thixotropic agent? What are these and by what names I would get them in the market?

Thank you.

Bilal Z
- Sialkot
November 10, 2012


A. Hi, Bilal. There are trade secrets involved in this type of plating and I am not privy to them. But thixotropic agents which might be applicable include fumed silica and barium sulphate. Strangely, you probably need wetters (to make sure the diamond dust is wet) as well. Further, simple mechanical agitation will not constitute a fluidized bed. Please google and research that subject, and see if you can accomplish a fluidized bed via either air agitation or pumping solution under the cathode through some sort of dispersion plates. Best of luck.

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 13, 2012



Dear Mooney,

Thanks for your kind reply.

Q. I have googled the internet but could not find any information regarding fluidized bed. Can you please just explain a little bit, general concept and how it works? I would be able to make my own once I know what it is and what it does. How it works. That would be so nice of you.

And if you can name a few wetters for the particles to be wet? I could not find any wetter for the particular topic. Are these the same wetting agent that we use in nickel plating for gas bubbles to escape easily and anti-pitting? Thanking you once again for your help.

Regards,

Bilal Z
- Sialkot
November 16, 2012



November 19, 2012

A. Hi again.

I must repeat myself that I DON'T know how to do it, and that's why I am free to make general suggestions ... I can't blow people's trade secrets because I don't know them :-)

You can license these technologies from people who have spent decades developing the technology and who know how to do it if you wish to go that way.

wikipedia
Fluidized Bed

Please google the term "what is a fluidized bed". Quicksand is an example of a fluidized bed -- an upward flow of water keeps the sand particles in suspension. Similarly, I think you want an agitation system that makes the slurry of diamond dust look like quicksand, with the particles dispersed around the cathode, but relatively quiescent. I believe this can be done with dispersion plates below the cathodes.

Yes, I believe that the same wetting agents used for nickel plating (i.e., sodium lauryl sulphate) are useful for wetting the diamond particles. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey




Q. Dear sir,
We are leading manufacturers of diamond polishing scaifes and wheels. We are using TMP, TC, CR, bronze, brass, tin, fe our product. So my question is no use TMP(tungsten metal powder) free our product diamond scaife and other metal use on ples TMP and TC. Best Regards

Manoj Patel
diamond tools - Surat Gujart(india)
September 9, 2013


A. Hi cousin. Sorry I don't know a lot about scaifes...

So, while I usually edit grammar and spelling, unfortunately I don't know enough to be able to do so, and have little idea what you are saying. You use TMP somewhere in the process and/or the fabrication and want to know how to stop doing so? Please try to send us a few paragraphs, free of abbreviations (Is 'TC' titanium carbide? Is 'CR' cold rolled steel or chrome plating? Is 'fe' iron?) so we can understand your question. Thanks!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 2013




Scaife accuracies

Q. We are a manufacturer of soundless, VIBRATIONLESS, maintenance-free diamond polishing mills. Customers / polishers uses their scaife on our machines. If the accuracies of that is not good our machine is at risk.

We would like to know what should be the accuracies of a good scaife to produce xxx diamonds?
Bore? Roundness and ovality?
Flatness of top and resting faces?
Parallelity of top and resting faces?
Balancing level?

Pankaj Trivedi
Product designer and manufacturer - VADODARA, GUJARAT, India
April 13, 2014




Q. Please help me. What is the pH level and voltage/ amp to be maintained while electroplating of scaife.

Yogesh Panchal
- Mumbai, India
November 17, 2016



thumbs up signHi Yogesh. If you're doing nickel plating of your scaifes, my understanding is that you would use the same pH, Amperage, and Voltage as normal. But please don't keep it so abstract, asking for numerical data points; it can kill off interest, with your questions left unanswered by the people who might actually know :-)

Who are you, what other plating experience do you have, what have you tried and what were the results? Are you using nickel plating or hard chrome plating for the scaifes? Please try to address some of the other readers' questions if you can, too. Thanks!

Regards,

pic of Ted Mooney
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
December 2016




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