heat gun
#5
I was answering a different question so Ii thought I would offer a suggestions here.

I use a heat gun to help remove sanding discs from my disc sander. Usually it comes off easily, cleanly, and leaves no glue or sandpaper on the disc itself. Notice I said usually.

Second is when using a diamond plate. They sell a little bottle of liquid that one is supposed to  be added to water for use on a diamond plate so the plate won't rust. If my memory is correct the bottle is about $15. The problem with it is when the water evaporates the gelled coolant is left behind. Most of my experience with the coolant is on manual surface grinders, Tool makers are to expensive and hard to come by  to be put on CNC or production machines where the coolant is supposedly be check periodically. The only experience I have with production machines is in building tooling for them. When the grinder is turned on the first thing I do is flood the table with coolant.  The fresh coolant will dissolve any of the residue in about 5 minutes. If the coolant is older and the magnetic chuck is not properly cleaned before the machine is turned off or the shut off valve leaks a little,  it takes a lot of scrubbing to get all the residue off. Gelled coolant is not like fresh coolant that is to be added. It is hard time consuming work.

Third, sometime in smaller tool rooms the grinder may set for a week to a month without being used and when that happens the water in the tank evaporated and there is not enough coolant so more premixed coolant is added. And now the proper coolant water ratio is out of wacke and about the third time people have skin problems and so on.

Forth, If the water is saved, you have steel shaving mixed with the coolant which can problems. And if the coolant is left to dry because the additive is supposed to stop rust from happening, the dried coolant will fill the valleys'  and the diamond partials cant cut properly.

So why am I writing all this? Water, is not only a great coolant but also a good lubricant for sharpening stones. Water helps speed up the rusting process but if the diamond plat was properly dried, lets say with a heat gun or even a hot air gun the wife may use for her hair and properly stored then the rusting would not be a problem. A once over with a fine bass brush to get any left over steel particles won't hurt either.

In other words I use plain water on my diamond plate and dry it it with my heat gun and after 2 years I have not seen a problem what so ever.

And last but not least, the hot air gun helps finish dry if used properly and I said properly. 

A heat gun is an inexpensive tool to have in the shop and worth its weight in gold if only for that one time it is needed. When you need it is not the time to go buy one. Something to consider

Tom
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#6
Thnaks for the background information, Tom.


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#7
Another use for a heat gun:

Adapters to connect a shopvac to various hoses and tools are sometimes hard to find.  A heat gun allows you to make one easily.  Warming PVC pipe allows you to stretch it over another fitting, or a turned wooden mandrel.  Shrinking it is trickier but possible -- it works to connect but tends to not look as good.  A PET bottle or jar can be shrunk with heat to less than half the size, so couplers to attach two hoses can easily be made from them.
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#8
Had to replace front wheel brgs on my Ranger. Pressing out (arbor press) was easy, pressing in, not so easy as the cast aluminum housing is odd shaped.

About 20 minutes per side with the heat gun on max and the bearings slipped right in.
Yes Think I got .003 expansion on the bore.

Ed
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