Tungsten carbide trimming tool - Mini circle

The Merenok Pottery Tools' trimming instrument features a cutting loop crafted from tungsten carbide, a brass neck, and a wooden handle coated with a protective oil.

Circle loop diameter: 7 mm (0.27 inch)

MATERIALS

* CUTTING HEAD The cutting heads of our tools use tungsten carbide, a seriously hard material—ranking at about 9 on the Mohs' hardness scale or 85 HRC on the Rockwell C scale. Just to put it in perspective, high-speed steel (HSS) is only 63-65 HRC. Effectively, tungsten carbide hardness goes right after diamond on the list of the hardest materials used in industries. 

Being extremely abrasion resistant material tungsten carbide is also very brittle!

* HANDLE The tool handles are hand-made out of noble wood sorts and covered with protective lacquer.

The handle you receive may slightly differ from the handle on the illustrations.

TIPS

Tip #1  THE MOST IMPORTANT! Tungsten carbide loop is very-very brittle. Never let it fall down or hit it against hard objects. Deal with this as if it's made of glass. Once it breaks it can't be glued or welded/soldered any more.

Tip #2  Don't put the tungsten carbide tool just on the throwing wheel when it's not in use - they tend to roll and fall. The best is to make a box with some soft bottom. F.i. It can be a low profile carton box + a piece of soft fabric or a bubble wrap on the bottom. Always put the tool in there.

Tip #3  Tungsten carbide is a very hard and abrasion resistant material. This lets the tools made out of it stay sharp for many months for active potters and years for hobbyists. But nothing lasts forever and one day it needs to be sharpened.

Sharpening can only be made using diamond abrasive tools. You can buy a sharpening diamond tool from our website merenokceramics.com. Or use any other diamond sharpening tool of the correct size.

Tip #4  Sharpen the inner surface of the loop - marked with dots on the figure.  It's much easier - one surface instead of two! And you don't affect the sharpening angle.

Tip #5  Don't sharpen it till it's razor sharp - your clay doesn't need it. Extreme sharpness may cause chattering. Stop when it's just sharp, but not cutting through your finger.

Tip #6  Keep the tools clean and dry when not in use. Tungsten carbide is very corrosion resistant - no rust or whatsoever can chemically affect it, but the handle is hand made out of natural wood and covered with lacquer - being damp for a long time may affect the handle's appearance.

It's a great idea to oil a clean and dry handle from time to time to let the tool look great and be efficient for many years.