Pipe Threading Die Sharpening

[WHPES]

I need a company which can sharpen the cutters in my threading dies by post without charging ridiculous prices. Any suggestions?

 

[SimonG]

Didn't know it could be done. That's my new thing for today then

 

[WHPES]

I'm on about the REMS / Presto ratchet / electric dies, yes of course they are meant to be sharpened routinely when they go blunt or they will be hard work and not cut cleanly, but it used to cost me £5 per set but the guy retired and the other local company is asking £20 per set. Where does everyone else get theirs done and how much do you pay?

 

[SimonG]

As an apprentice the company I was with just binned them and bought more.

 

[WHPES]

At a company I once worked for you could get a new pair of boots every month and unlimited tape measures, pens, stanley knives etc and some people couldn't bother walking back to the workshop and booked new ones out each time. You used to see spare ones lying around all over the place, used only once or twice. Needless to say the company in question almost went bust.

When you're working for yourself you tend not to throw out expensive tools which can easily be repaired or resharpened for a fraction of the cost of replacement. You wouldn't throw out a wood chisel when it lost its sharpness.

 

[nicro3]

Always hire my threading machines. Did not know dies could be over hauled

 

[tamz]

I really didn't know this could be done cheaply. I've always ,bought new ones at about £80 a set i think the last ones were

 

[WHPES]

Like I said it was costing £5 per set. If you take the top off the die you will see 4 cutters. These come out and are sharpened on a lapping wheel with diamond paste like one would do for hair trimmers, a fairly routine procedure. A machine tool sharpening company will do it, just I am miles away from any major engineering centre. When I worked for a pipeline company, they had a central stores which had a maintenance section and we handed the dies and big masonry drill bits back to them for resharpening.

BTW my local power tool company resharpens all my masonry drills larger than 7mm when they get blunt. It costs £2 per drill to resharpen and they come back like new, also my 18mm long reach masonry drill as opposed to £40 to buy a new one.

 

[SimonG]

Like I said it was costing £5 per set. If you take the top off the die you will see 4 cutters. These come out and are sharpened on a lapping wheel with diamond paste like one would do for hair trimmers, a fairly routine procedure. A machine tool sharpening company will do it, just I am miles away from any major engineering centre. When I worked for a pipeline company, they had a central stores which had a maintenance section and we handed the dies and big masonry drill bits back to them for resharpening.

BTW my local power tool company resharpens all my masonry drills larger than 7mm when they get blunt. It costs £2 per drill to resharpen and they come back like new, also my 18mm long reach masonry drill as opposed to £40 to buy a new one.

Who do you use for your drill bit sharpening?

 

[Dotty]

Think you may have to go with the £20 per set place, it's the cheapest I've heard. I think we get charged 30+p&p.

 

[WHPES]

Who do you use for your drill bit sharpening?

Powerpoint at Thirsk. Not had any done for a while so not 100% sure of 2012 prices.

Just google search tool sharpening services, grinding services etc to find someone near you, or phone a local engineering workshop to ask who they use to sharpen their milling cutters etc.

Just had an email from a company near Hull which will resharpen a set of pipe dies for £12

 

[Gmaservices]

I'm sure we used to send ours to fwb to be sharpened, that was quite a while ago so not sure in price etc.