ECLIPSE No 39 Drill Bit Sharpener

[Deleted AccountParticipant @deletedaccount69088]

Hello,

I was wondering if anybody has used a ECLIPSE No 39 Drill Bit Sharpener?

I would like to know if it can really sharpen say a common 6mm jobber drill for example on a bit of sand paper (right grade of coarse).

It seems like it would it take hours to sharped anything.

Any hands on experience would be welcome.

 

Edited By one pound on 09/04/2019 20:56:06

[Deleted AccountParticipant @deletedaccount69088]

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Just found mine whilst packing up to move house; not used it for years.

Essentially, I found it works, sort of.
Clearly the wheels are eccentric on an axle to provide the relief for the cutting edge.
In that sense it works,but I found that, in order to allow the wheels to rotate without skidding on the emery paper, a coarse grade of paper was needed. Too coarse, in my opinion, for a decent sharp edge on the drill bit.

With a finer paper, more appropriate to smaller drill bits, to get a decent finish, the wheels skidded on the abrasive rather than fully rotating.
I think it may work better, if one could add rubber tyres to the white hard plastic wheels, maybe short cross sections of bicycle inner tubes to increase the friction twixt wheels and emery paper.

There's probably a good reason why Eclipse stopped making them.

Look up Reliance or Picador jigs to use with a bench grinder, or if you're feeling a bit more flush with cash, maybe the Sealey SMS2008

Bill

[Deleted AccountParticipant @deletedaccount69088]

There's probably a good reason why Eclipse stopped making them.

Look up Reliance or Picador jigs to use with a bench grinder, or if you're feeling a bit more flush with cash, maybe the Sealey SMS2008

Bill

Bill thanks for taking the time to look at the Eclipse. I will look at those other options – at least the Sealey SMS2008 has a replacement wheel available though £13!

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Got one, found it again last week, it was dads, he had a bit of board about 2ft long with a strip of emery cloth along the centre narrow enough that the wheels ran on the board. Seemed to work ok, I read that it won an industrial design award the year it came on the market, must have been in the 1960/70s.

Ian S C

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

Many moons ago,I bought a Martex Drill Sharpening kit and despite my best efforts,could not get it to work. Tried it every way,was kind to it,cursed it,still no use,so, dumped it on the back shelf.

Time passed,blunt drills built up in huge numbers and my skill with the bench grinder was sadly lacking. I was losing the battle. While looking for something else,I came across the Martex once again. Set it up,read the instructions again,seemed clear enough,so gave it a try. Result ?a drill as good as new ! How come ? No idea,but to be sure I tried another one. Again Success !!!!. No idea what I did wrong first time around,but I now have a box of sharp drills from 3mm to 12mm. My skill with the grinder has improved somewhat,so if the drill is chipped or angle is wrong,I correct that as best I can,then check it with the Martex,which will show where it need to be reground [The Martex sharpens drills,it does not grind them to shape ] Between both machines,I get good results.

The Martex was not cheap at the time but neither are good drills,8mm upwards. I spend about three days,on and off,on the job and regard it as time well spent

Regarding those jigs which are supposed to work with a bench grinder,do you know anyone who has got any of them to work? I dont.

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

That should read "I spent about three days on and off"",now,a few minuets serves to touch them up,and they cut with a clean hiss.

Old Age,failing eyes= bad spelling !

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Larry,

Graham Meek has looked at the "Picador" type sharpeners with a view to improving them.

Have a look here: http://www.modelengineeringwebsite.com/Drill_grinding_jig_1.html

Regards,

IanT

[Deleted AccountParticipant @deletedaccount69088]

What about these at least there is a spare stone included:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-5-10mm-HSS-DRILL-BIT-SHARPENER-REPLACEMENT-GRINDING-STONE-SHARPENING-MACHINE/361521431396?hash=item542c5b4364:g:mpkAAOSwBRVbrQII

at this guy seems to have sharped a blunt drill:

[thomas oliver 2Participant @thomasoliver2]

I have been sharpening drills for eight decades ( believe it or not) I have the Eclipse, the Picador, and various other drill sharpening devices and they mostly require setting one edge then the other. I bought the sharpener from Lidl store for about £15 a year ago and all my troubles ended. The drill is mounted in a carrier and set to a gauge, one edge sharpened on the diamond wheel then the carrier is reversed and the other edge sharpened without need for resetting. It works fine and my local store has them in stock right now and gets them in regularly. It is also a multi sharpener and can sharpen chisels, garden shears, planes, and knives.

[thomas oliver 2Participant @thomasoliver2]

I have been sharpening drills for eight decades ( believe it or not) I have the Eclipse, the Picador, and various other drill sharpening devices and they mostly require setting one edge then the other. I bought the sharpener from Lidl store for about £15 a year ago and all my troubles ended. The drill is mounted in a carrier and set to a gauge, one edge sharpened on the diamond wheel then the carrier is reversed and the other edge sharpened without need for resetting. It works fine and my local store has them in stock right now and gets them in regularly. It is also a multi sharpener and can sharpen chisels, garden shears, planes, and knives.

[Deleted AccountParticipant @deletedaccount69088]

Posted by thomas oliver 2 on 11/04/2019 19:45:09:

I have been sharpening drills for eight decades ( believe it or not) I have the Eclipse, the Picador, and various other drill sharpening devices and they mostly require setting one edge then the other. I bought the sharpener from Lidl store for about £15 a year ago and all my troubles ended. The drill is mounted in a carrier and set to a gauge, one edge sharpened on the diamond wheel then the carrier is reversed and the other edge sharpened without need for resetting. It works fine and my local store has them in stock right now and gets them in regularly. It is also a multi sharpener and can sharpen chisels, garden shears, planes, and knives.

which sharper is that may I ask?

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

one pound

I think Oliver has the one in the top two pictures. Its basically a copy of the original PlasPlugs multi-sharp system.

I've have a PlasPlugs version for many years. It works well but relies on special size grinding wheels and has no compensation for wheel wear. Not that I've had an issue after sharpening, probably, something like 100 drills. I bought a spare wheel when I got it too.

More out of curiosity to see how well the diamond wheel worked than anything else, only £15 after all, I got one of the LiDL ones when they first appeared. Diamond wheel is definitely on the cheap'n cheerful side. Well it would be for that money. One on mine didn't run particularly true. The spacing between wheel and drill pivot point was clearly a little out as it didn't give a properly shaped point. Would cut but not as good as the PlasPlugs original. If you consider the design of the system that pivot point to wheel face spacing is pretty critical. Maybe under 1 mm tolerance zone. I think that's asking lot of economical, mass produced, plastic components.

Bottom line is this sort of system works very well indeed if that spacing is right. But I suspect hitting the price point may require more open tolerances than is desirable. From an engineering viewpoint I'd like to see shims behind the grinding wheel so it can be set just so. But that isn't appropriate to the target market.

The flip over Vee drill carrier and drill projection setting system is excellent. Something of that ilk would sort all the issues with Picador and Spiralux/General swing across the wheel sharpeners whilst avoiding the expense and complexity of the built in gauges on Reliance and Atlas types. I imagine the effective gauging range is limited so you'd probably need two to cover the 1/8" to 1/2" range. Which would probably make the set too expensive. The PlasPlugs and LiDL sharpeners only go to 3/8" and, realistically are struggling by then. I don't go above 1/4", Picador does the larger ones.

Seems to be impossible to market a decent, modestly priced, drill sharpening system. Either they are proper industrial and way too expensive for Home Shop Harry / Harriet. Or they are made too cheap so DIY Doug / Denise will buy without wincing at the price and hence flatter somewhat to deceive.

The Eclipse system mentioned by then OP does work to sharpen drills providing you can keep the abrasive paper flat and the wheels rolling properly. Which is rather harder than the instructions might suggest. A friend struggled with one around about the time I got some thin, one inch wide, diamond "file" blades with a magnetic handle. I suggested that he got one, cut the handle down and sank the blade carrier bit in a wooden block to use the diamond blades with the Eclipse device. I suspect it would have worked very well. But an extra tenner to make it work was too much so it was binned.

Design awards are for making it, apparently, clever and cheaper. Not for working better. Usually evidence of something to be avoided.

Clive

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by one pound on 11/04/2019 20:19:35:

which sharper is that may I ask?

.

Given the range of things it can sharpen … I guess it must be this one: **LINK**

MichaelG.

[Author]

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