How about an Aluminum Kanaban?

[dan sherman]

I was thinking about this today, and wanted to see what others thought. I'm tired of flattening chisel and plane backs on sandpaper, and have been looking into a better method. It sounds like a Kanaban with loose grit is a better option. One of my other hobbies is metal working, and I have a lot of aluminum plate laying around, and wondered if it would work as a Kanaban, so I did a little digging. It seems like most Kanabans are mild steel so most likely 1018 that has a hardness of Rb 71.

Common aluminum is:
6061-T6 Rb 60
2024-T351 Rb 75
7075-T6 Rb 87

I have a 2024 plate that's about the right size, do you guys think it would work as a Kanaban, it's only slightly harder than mild steel?

[Johnny Kleso]

I would guess as long as you keep checking it for flatness any of them will work..
If I remember right the T# is the temper and 2024 is the best machining but not sure which would wear the best..

I start with the 6061 and see how that goes and save the 2024

[Bruce Page]

Keep in mind that the Rockwell b hardness scale does not directly relate to the Rockwell c scale that is commonly used for steel.
7075 T6 Rb 87 machines fairly easily with high speed cutters. Any steel alloy heat treated to Rc 87 would not be machinable except for electro-discharge-machining or grinding.

[Stuart Tierney]

If you've got a piece the right shape and it's flat enough, it'll do. Maybe.

I don't think it's got anything to do with hardness as much as it has to do with the properties of mild steel vs. aluminium. I fear that aluminium might not hold the grit well enough to get the job done, but there's only one way to find out! (Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge!)

If it doesn't work, maybe you can glue a piece of steel or stainless steel as a working surface on the aluminium? Just make sure the aluminium surface is quite flat, the layer of glue is thin and the steel is of a constant thickness and it doesn't need to be very thick at all either.

I've thought about it often enough myself, but never hard enough to go past the thinking stage.

Good luck,

Stu.

[Trevor Walsh]

I'd try the 6061, I think it would be soft enough to catch the grit and hold them. Lead might even be a good choice provided you could make a flat plane of it, that's the material used for round laps for internal lapping.

Just check flat often until you know how it wears.

[dan sherman]

If you've got a piece the right shape and it's flat enough, it'll do. Maybe.

I don't think it's got anything to do with hardness as much as it has to do with the properties of mild steel vs. aluminium. I fear that aluminium might not hold the grit well enough to get the job done, but there's only one way to find out! (Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge!)

If it doesn't work, maybe you can glue a piece of steel or stainless steel as a working surface on the aluminium? Just make sure the aluminium surface is quite flat, the layer of glue is thin and the steel is of a constant thickness and it doesn't need to be very thick at all either.

I've thought about it often enough myself, but never hard enough to go past the thinking stage.


If anything, I was concerned it would hold the diamonds to well. Aluminum can be a pain to machine because it can be gummy, and stuff can get embedded in it. If it doesn't work, I'll just buy some iron bar and ask my buddy who teaches machining at the local community college to throw it in the HASS mill and clean it up.

[Bob Strawn]

If anything, I was concerned it would hold the diamonds to well. Aluminum can be a pain to machine because it can be gummy, and stuff can get embedded in it. If it doesn't work, I'll just buy some iron bar and ask my buddy who teaches machining at the local community college to throw it in the HASS mill and clean it up.

If you have three plates dedicated to this job, you can keep them flat by wearing them against each other. Aluminum has been used as a substrate for grinding. Copper and steel are more common, I think because they will work harden. Just be careful of galling.

Bob

[Richard Cauman]

This is a year later, but did Dan or anyone end up using 6061 for a kanaban? And if so, how did it work out? I'd love to hear.

Richard

[dan sherman]

I didn't I got a 240 grit Sigma Select II instead.

[Richard Cauman]

Oh.

I've now found the 6061 aluminum to be very inexpensive on ebay (diamond paste too), so I think I'll go ahead and give it a shot in any event.

Richard

[dan sherman]

Oh.

I've now found the 6061 aluminum to be very inexpensive on ebay (diamond paste too), so I think I'll go ahead and give it a shot in any event.

Richard

let us know how it goes, I for one would be interested in how it works out.