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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default Why rubber wheels ?

    I know it must seem I am this blokes agent, but truly I am not.

    He makes good stuff and I like good stuff.

    I receive a 84 Engineering emails periodically and this time its about wheels.


    https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ta...rvpzttPJvggPTp


    Grahame

  2. #2
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    7,182

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post
    I know it must seem I am this blokes agent, but truly I am not.

    He makes good stuff and I like good stuff.

    I receive a 84 Engineering emails periodically and this time its about wheels.


    https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ta...rvpzttPJvggPTp


    Grahame
    Link doesn't work Grahame, maybe just copy and past the message into a Forum post?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Thank you Bob.

    Grahame

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Trying again,

    https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ta...rvpzttPJvggPTp


    Works this time. Some may not see it as mine came up in Google Workspace.

    G

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    North Brisbane. Qld. Australia
    Age
    70
    Posts
    1,511

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post
    Works this time.
    No.
    Nev.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default third try

    If you have been around the knife making scene for a while, there is a good chance you've heard about the 'rubber vs solid aluminium' belt grinder wheel debate.

    The point often made in favour of aluminium wheels is that 'rubber wheels simply do not last'.

    In this blog post we will discuss why there is sometimes a negative connotation around rubber wheels, and explain how we have resolved the wear issues and why we still go the effort and expense of rubber coating the wheels on all 84 Engineering belt grinders.

    ALUMINIUM VS RUBBER WHEELS

    Rubberising belt grinder wheels is an expensive and time consuming process, so why do all 84 Engineering products use rubberised wheels?
    SMOOTHER GRINDING, HIGHER QUALITY FINISH - Urethane grinding wheels flex or deform slightly under pressure, acting as a 'shock absorber' when grinding. Belt discrepancies (i.e. a thick glue joint) are less noticeable - less 'bumpy'. This not only makes for a smoother grinding experience, but actually leaves a higher quality finish on the workpiece.

    BETTER TRACTION - Urethane wheels offer far superior traction when compared to aluminium wheels. We guarantee that a drive wheel will never slip on an 84 Engineering belt grinder - even during high pressure, slow speed grinding. The rubberised wheels also enable features such as the fully adjustable belt tension found on the Gibson 2x72" - very low belt tension can be run for slack belts etc. without slipping the drive wheel.

    QUIET - Grinders with rubberised wheels tend to be far more quiet than grinders with aluminium wheels as the urethane effectively isolates the belt from the grinder frame. Less vibrations, less rattles, less belt noise.

    So there are benefits to grinding with rubber wheels, but what about the wear issues? Aluminium wheels last longer right?...

    EXCESSIVE WEAR - A BAD BATCH

    For a period of time 84 Engineering utilised a nitrile rubber coating on grinder wheels - a process we out-sourced to another Australian business specialising in rubber.


    After a year or so, we started receiving reports that some customers were having problems with wheels wearing excessively. We later discovered that this may be partially due to the nitrile softening at the high temperatures the wheels can reach during heavy and extended grinding.

    CHANGING THE FORMULA

    Once the issues with nitrile rubber became clear, 84 Engineering underwent the process of bringing wheel coating in-house.

    Dozens of mould design iterations and extensive product testing has resulted in changing to a new polyurethane formula and creating a proprietary rubberising process.

    The new wheels are highly resistant to heat and abrasion, resulting in a grinder wheel that provides excellent longevity whilst offering all of the benefits of rubber grinder wheels.

    PROPERTIES OF POLYURETHANE

    All 84 Engineering wheels are now coated with a 'Polytetramethylene Ether Glycol' (Polyurethane) polymer.


    This is a high-quality product used primarily in heavy industry, and is ideal for grinder wheels for many reasons:
    -Great shape retention / recovery properties

    -Minimal flex fatigue

    -High tensile strength - resistant to tearing

    -Abrasion & impact resistant

    -Water / chemical resistant

    -Temperature resistant
    A polyurethane Wheel with over 5 years of use!

    Since June 2022, all 84 Engineering wheels have been coated with the new polyurethane formula (discernible by the engraved aluminium hub). We are confident that wheel wear issues are a problem of the past and haven't seen wear on polyurethane wheels even after 7 years of heavy use! (the first 84 Engineering grinders were equipped with cold-poured polyurethane wheels).

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2023
    Location
    prestons nsw
    Age
    76
    Posts
    20

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post
    If you have been around the knife making scene for a while, there is a good chance you've heard about the 'rubber vs solid aluminium' belt grinder wheel debate.

    The point often made in favour of aluminium wheels is that 'rubber wheels simply do not last'.

    In this blog post we will discuss why there is sometimes a negative connotation around rubber wheels, and explain how we have resolved the wear issues and why we still go the effort and expense of rubber coating the wheels on all 84 Engineering belt grinders.

    ALUMINIUM VS RUBBER WHEELS

    Rubberising belt grinder wheels is an expensive and time consuming process, so why do all 84 Engineering products use rubberised wheels?
    SMOOTHER GRINDING, HIGHER QUALITY FINISH - Urethane grinding wheels flex or deform slightly under pressure, acting as a 'shock absorber' when grinding. Belt discrepancies (i.e. a thick glue joint) are less noticeable - less 'bumpy'. This not only makes for a smoother grinding experience, but actually leaves a higher quality finish on the workpiece.

    BETTER TRACTION - Urethane wheels offer far superior traction when compared to aluminium wheels. We guarantee that a drive wheel will never slip on an 84 Engineering belt grinder - even during high pressure, slow speed grinding. The rubberised wheels also enable features such as the fully adjustable belt tension found on the Gibson 2x72" - very low belt tension can be run for slack belts etc. without slipping the drive wheel.

    QUIET - Grinders with rubberised wheels tend to be far more quiet than grinders with aluminium wheels as the urethane effectively isolates the belt from the grinder frame. Less vibrations, less rattles, less belt noise.

    So there are benefits to grinding with rubber wheels, but what about the wear issues? Aluminium wheels last longer right?...

    EXCESSIVE WEAR - A BAD BATCH

    For a period of time 84 Engineering utilised a nitrile rubber coating on grinder wheels - a process we out-sourced to another Australian business specialising in rubber.


    After a year or so, we started receiving reports that some customers were having problems with wheels wearing excessively. We later discovered that this may be partially due to the nitrile softening at the high temperatures the wheels can reach during heavy and extended grinding.

    CHANGING THE FORMULA

    Once the issues with nitrile rubber became clear, 84 Engineering underwent the process of bringing wheel coating in-house.

    Dozens of mould design iterations and extensive product testing has resulted in changing to a new polyurethane formula and creating a proprietary rubberising process.

    The new wheels are highly resistant to heat and abrasion, resulting in a grinder wheel that provides excellent longevity whilst offering all of the benefits of rubber grinder wheels.

    PROPERTIES OF POLYURETHANE

    All 84 Engineering wheels are now coated with a 'Polytetramethylene Ether Glycol' (Polyurethane) polymer.


    This is a high-quality product used primarily in heavy industry, and is ideal for grinder wheels for many reasons:
    -Great shape retention / recovery properties

    -Minimal flex fatigue

    -High tensile strength - resistant to tearing

    -Abrasion & impact resistant

    -Water / chemical resistant

    -Temperature resistant
    A polyurethane Wheel with over 5 years of use!

    Since June 2022, all 84 Engineering wheels have been coated with the new polyurethane formula (discernible by the engraved aluminium hub). We are confident that wheel wear issues are a problem of the past and haven't seen wear on polyurethane wheels even after 7 years of heavy use! (the first 84 Engineering grinders were equipped with cold-poured polyurethane wheels).
    I would agree as a retired engineer with at least 50 years experience. yeah I'm a old bloke Heavily involved several industries that use Polyurethane and Polyurethane wheels in a wide variety of applications as well as being casual knife maker who builds most of his gear. I would in fact shy away from ali wheels for the most part.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    493

    Default

    All 84 Engineering wheels are now coated with a 'Polytetramethylene Ether Glycol' (Polyurethane) polymer.
    That's all they have? 84 wheels?
    Civilized man is the only animal clever enough to manufacture its own food,
    and the only animal stupid enough to eat it.
    Barry Groves

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