Elastic honing material

Abstract

An abrasive elastic material composed of an abrasive fixedly bonded to an elastic substrate and the process for producing this material and conforming it into the various shapes needed for its use with power tools and the like. The material can be used on any of a wide variety of mechanical abrading devices, and has the advantages of conforming to irregular surfaces, resisting ripping and tearing, reducing vibration, allowing more subtlety in the application of pressure with the abrading surface and prolonged useful life. It differs from the material making up traditional abrading elements, such as honing belts, in its elasticity

Description

[0001] 1. Field of Invention[0002] The present invention relates to the field of abrading, sanding, buffing, polishing, deburring, honing and other procedures used in the preparation of material surfaces. More particularly the present invention relates to the field of abrasive surfaces used on power tools to carry out such procedures and to the means for producing and using such surfaces. More particularly yet, the present invention relates to such surfaces, to specific applications of such surfaces, and to the means for producing such surfaces where such surfaces display a significant elasticity and resilience not found in abrasive surfaces produced and used heretofore.[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art[0004] Abrading, sanding, buffing, polishing, deburring, and honing (hereinafter "honing") of material surfaces has been an integral part of carpentry and metalwork for centuries. For at least 100 years, these procedures have been carried out with the benefit of power tools used to r...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

In spite of this long history, there continue to be certain types of irregular surfaces that present significant problems to the persons and equipment seeking to hone them, problems inherent in the nature of the abrasive object sought to be used in the honing procedure.

These objects are generally flexible, though not resilient or elastic; it is in the lack of resilience / elasticity that the problem lies, the applications where it shows up being the honing of corners, edges, highly irregular surfaces and the interior of small or irregularly-shaped enclosures.

These traditional abrasive materials rip, tear, and by other means reach a premature end when used to hone sharp or, in other ways irregular, surfaces.

This difficulty is aggravated by the means by which the abrasive object is affixed to the abrading implement.

This rigid mounting surface also induces vibration in the device when applied to the surface to be abraded, thereby hindering the user's control of the device.

This means that the abrading material still is prone to ripping and tearing when used on irregular or jagged surfaces.

The device of Pangburn is specifically for personal cosmetic uses, particularly the etching of fingernails, rather than industrial use; it is incompatible with industrial abrading needs because the silicone polymer substrate is not sufficiently durable to withstand the abrasion of most industrial applications.

Furthermore, the nature of the bond between the substrate and the abrasive grit in this invention is apparently such that it would not hold fast in industrial uses, in part because the significant stretching of the silicone polymer substrate would tend to weaken the substrate-abrasive bond.

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