Platen Steel Type

B

buckaroo

Well-Known Member
I am using a piece of 1/4 x 2 mild steel for my platen. It wears fast so I can get maybe 5 blades with a good finish before it needs resurfacing. I want to make a hardened platen for it. What would a good steel be for this application? I can HT and temper the 10x steels in my shop but would have to send others out. It will also be surfaced after HT at a machine shop. I also have an arc welder and could hard face the mild steel and have it surface ground. Any help or suggestions?
 
Some are made of D2 & A2 being tool steels but if you can do 10xx series, I am sure it will last much longer than mild steel and you could tact some 10xx series on some mild for thickness and then HT it and when you can't get it flat anymore you can just make another one.
 
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Ceramic Glass can also be another option. I will be ordering one when I get back from Blade.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I will be going with the glass.
Bush monkey. How do you attach the marble. How much service do you get out of it.

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I use a ceramic tile. I used a heavy epoxy, JB Weld. It is an overnite cure, but have been using for almost a year with no issues. A decent tile store may have granite tile in 2" wide pieces.
 
buckaroo said:
Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I will be going with the glass.
Bush monkey. How do you attach the marble. How much service do you get out of it.

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Buck,
I use Ceramic on top of my hardened steel for the blade finish grinding and have another plain steel for tapering tang and roughing out blanks etc. Buy Double sided 3M carpet tape to attach the Pyro glass. That way I can use both sides of the glass because it does marr up after a while. Scott's suggestion is another good one and I have used the tape on that too.
 
I don't see how your platen is ground away if it is just plain steel like A 36. The platen I use I made from A36, which is a very common steel. It is 2.5" wide, 8" long, .375" thick, and has been on the grinder for 2 years. It has not lost any of the flat since I put it on. I flat grind on it every day for blades and for grinding the edges on parts. I radius the edge on a .5" radius to get the blade shoulders ground on the edge of the platen. I grind with DC variable speed motors at 1800 to 2200 rpm and I grind a lot during a normal day. Why are platens wearing down that fast knowing I grind as much as anybody in a day. And the majority of my grinding is using new 60 grit ceramic belts. The majority of my blades are finished flat ground, and hand rubbed to 600.
 
Not many things are more stable and tougher than granite. JB weld will secure it. Easy to find, cheap and simple.

Jeff
 
buckaroo said:
Rhinoknives
Are you using counter top type ceramics or something else

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Buck,
A few years back I came across a bunch of ugly yellowish tile in the alley and just grabbed two pieces. It appeared to be a hard glaze smooth bathroom or kitchen tile. I ran out of it and came across some Pyro glass so that's what I have currently. If you have any contractor buddies ask them if they have a few pieces left over from a job?

Home Depot or maybe an alley by you? LOL At the price, if it works for a few knives its fine.
 
I've got a piece of marble on mine ,ran it for month now with no sighn of ware.I think I pade 7 bucks for it at Lowe's and got a piece 2 inches wide 3/4 inch thick by 38 inches long and used epoxy with a self tapping screw ran in below it to act as a support .
 
i used a ceramic tile from Lowes that had one edge rounded. the tile was less than a dollar. i guess I could cut one of out of the 1/4" AR500(armor plate) we have at the office.
 
I had the same problem, especially when I ground from a rest. I made myself a platen from heat treated D2. It wears much better. I affixed it with JB weld. When it gets worn, I will anneal it, surface it with the mill, and re-harden.

JB weld can take the heat, but I am hoping I can get it to let go with a propane torch, when the time comes.

Tom - I found that I have a lot more wear when using a rest because it causes the work to push in at the same spot each time. Especially when grinding billets clean for pattern welding. Lots of pressure, lots of grinding. Mild steel just wears like crazy. I was filing it true every few days, but that was a lot of work, too.
 
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