Cutting pyrite - easy w/ diamond Dremel discs

[Flint62Smoothie]

Got (30) diamond cutting discs 1" in diameter, with arbors, and (5) diamond burrs 3/8" in diameter, that fit Dremel tools, for only $15 from eBay. I recommend that you wear a mask, where I have an NIOSH rated mask for VOCs. You don't want to inhale the dust.

And dipping the blade in the water helped to keep the cutting edge cool (should last longer too) and reduced the dust to be more like a sludge. I taped leather to the vice grip jaws to hold the piece ... it cut apart in seconds with a clean cut.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

FYI, I cut some more. These diamond Dremel disks (eBay) cut right through, but it is freakin’ amazing in the HUGE amount of dust generated!

TIPS:

• ONLY cut them outside!
• Wear a NIOSH rated 3M mask
• If I did not have a mask, the only way I would cut these would be in a strong wind with the dust effluent going down wind
• Wear a glove of some type, my hands were incredibly filthy after cutting but ONE piece

 

[emmagee]

A retired lapidary friend lent me a small diamond wetsaw but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet. He assured me though that pyrite was soft and would be easy to cut.

We'll see.

 

[PhDBrewer]

Use A small stream of water over the cutting blade. Cools the blade and eliminates all the dust.
I have a piece of plexiglass to keep the water contained.
Be safe!
William

 

[Henry Elwood]

Greetings,
I know this won't be for everybody but one of my other interests is Stained Gass so I've had an occasional overlap of tool usage. This is my Taurus II Ring Saw for cutting Glass. It uses a Diamond Saw Blade with a Water Bath underneath. The cuts are clean. I take the Cuboid Pyrite into Rectangulars I taper the Nose as needed later. I hope this is helpful. Later,Hank

 

[Canute Rex]

Great work!

I welded up a plate with a slot and a right angle holder to make my 4" angle grinder into a little table saw with an adjustable fence. I zip tied window screen over the end of a shop vac pipe and fastened it right where the dust kicks out. Installed a diamond blade. Then I put the pyrite into taped vice grip jaws and ran it through. Lost a lot of kerf because of the blade thickness.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

My blade thickness of the kerf is only 1/32nd of inch, woo hoo!

 

[William Sublette]

Why do we need to cut pyrite?

 

[BillinOregon]

Because these gentlemen are shooting wheellocks and pyrite makes the best and most traditional "flint" for this mechanism.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Because these gentlemen are shooting wheellocks and pyrite makes the best and most traditional "flint" for this mechanism.

Thanks. I was wondering the same thing.

 

[Crown_Pointer]

Got (30) diamond cutting discs 1" in diameter, with arbors, and (5) diamond burrs 3/8" in diameter, that fit Dremel tools, for only $15 from eBay. I recommend that you wear a mask, where I have an NIOSH rated mask for VOCs. You don't want to inhale the dust.

And dipping the blade in the water helped to keep the cutting edge cool (should last longer too) and reduced the dust to be more like a sludge. I taped leather to the vice grip jaws to hold the piece ... it cut apart in seconds with a clean cut.



Where do you get your pyrite?

View attachment 260617

 

[Crown_Pointer]

Where do you get your pyrite?

 

[Henry Elwood]

Greetings,
I found my high quality Cuboidal Pyrite in Quartzite Arizona. Quartzite is like Mecca for Rockhounds the largest gathering is in February. I stop there whenever I go to Phoenix or Green Valley. BTW the examples in my photos came from Spain which according to my research was the location of the best Pyrite during the time of the Wheellock. It's nice to be able to see what you're buying. There are other sources out there this is just where I found it. Later,Hank

 

[Crown_Pointer]

Thanks so much! Do you find much variation in "sparkability"?

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Where do you get your pyrite?

This is a great source, from Amazon.