I have some alum and iron/steel to do. Any tips on making em last/which types for alum/which for iron/steel. Thank you for your time.

My brother gets his from a couple tool places in town, but he has been chasing them for years as the places either stop stocking them, or go out of business. He spins the cutting ends in some sort of wax stick to keep the aluminum from clogging up the bits. I don't think cast iron sticks to them.

Summit Racing sells them.

https://www.summitracing.com/search?Sort...=porting%20bits

they do have a bunch of em & I do have a candle I got to wick into stuck NPT fittings so I can also use it for the burrs.

Used to get Buckeye carbide, but it seems they got bought out.

Burrs4less and Lehigh Abrasives are both good suppliers IME.

Cast iron seems to work better with fine cut and aluminum with a much larger coarse cut flute. Bees wax works well, soap does OK, for helping prevent load-up. S/F....Ken M

for aluminum just dip burr in ATF fluid every minute or so works great
get burrs with long shafts then cut shafts to length you really need for your heads and what you are doing

Good info/noted/just what I was after/thanks guys!

Do a search for "carbide burrs" and you'll be swamped.
The big industrial supply houses all sell them - McMaster-Carr, Grainger, MSC.

I used grinding bits when I did my 302s. Those were the abrasive on a stem things that came with the die grinder. My favorite by the time I got done was sort of bullet shaped with a rounded end, about 3/4 of an inch length of stone, maybe 3/8" in diameter.

They are also called "burs". The longer shaft ones can bend if you're not careful.

R.

Here is good tip for cheapo grinder
$20 straight grinder from Harbor Freight--add length of pipe for $1.50 from hardware store now you have a decent long grinder you can control with both hands like the pros Cheap and it works like a dream

I have 2 set ups for doing heads.. one is a
electric die grinder with a variable speed
controller and a air powered one.. I like to
keep both set ups light(hours at a time does
get tiring on the hands).. I have about 25
burs for different jobs.. alum heads I use
the course burs and tootsie rolls.. iron I
use the finer burs.. I spray WD40 on the iron
burs and bees wax on the alum burs.. I like
the 1 1/2" long burs for most of my work.. I
have 1.5", 3", 6" and 1 12" long burs the short
ones are easier to control.. dont let the burs
get hot(thats usually a dull bur or its loaded
up)

Good info & I have a straight grinder that I can certainly add a length of NPT pipe to, for better control/leverage. I'm assuming (like anything else) that quality (more $$$) burrs will last much longer than the pkgs of 4-6 I see on eBay (made in china I would assume).

Yes.. buy the good ones.. cheap ones do get
dull.. I quit buying cheap ones years ago

Mr P I will take your advice

Don't get wrapped up in the single cut burrs for aluminum, double cut burrs for cast iron BS. Single cuts burrs dig and bounce and if used especially by someone inexperienced become dull quickly and if its a long shaft, BEND. I use a foot controller to control my grinder speed and when done with a double cut burr doesn't even need sanding rolls to clean up. Bottom line is we aren't doing it for a customer to push out the door so "slow down"



Porting tools 005_zpsjgwy0cgl by John Cadamore, on Flickr


Porting tools 002_zps56hn5i69 by John Cadamore, on Flickr


Porting tools 004_zpslw8s6tvt by John Cadamore, on Flickr

Got my last ones from www.burrs4less.com

OK, double cut burrs it will be & go slow. Brad those are some good prices.

Decent prices and a pretty good selection of sizes, shapes and cutter styles. I picked up some high-helix cutters to try out the last time I bought stuff. They kind of split the difference between the full aluma-cut and single/double-cut style that's more suited to iron & steel.

You can use single/double-cut on aluminum, but absolutely must use grinder's grease (like a wax stick) or some type of fluid that helps resist the clogging issue. Also, keep a stiff wire brush handy to reduce the buildup before re-treating the cutter regularly during use.

I used to get my carbides from the Mondello Technical School before ol' Joe passed away. I don't know what they even sell any more, if anything, since then.

I used to get my carbides from the Mondello Technical School before ol' Joe passed away. I don't know what they even sell any more, if anything, since then.



https://mondelloperformance.com/

I don't know the history, but THAT Mondello business was not owned or run by Joe himself when he started the Mondello Technical School and relocated it to Tennessee. After Joe's death, I think the tech school morphed into an engine-building shop.