A valve seat wheel, also called grinding valve seats, has been used since the invention of the combustion engine. Today, with the range of materials, sizes, and compounds available, it can be hard to know which is the best for your purposes. Whether you own an automotive shop or are just tinkering in your garage at home, it's important to find the best quality for the job you need to get done.

Purpose of the Different Types of Seat Materials

Your options range from the traditional general-purpose and finishing stones to the new and improved compounds like Stellite, Nickel Chrome, Cool Blue, Ruby, and Magnum. We'll go over the specs of each one briefly, but the purpose of each of them is to use the one that best fits whatever material you will be using it against. For instance, not all flywheel stones and other clutch parts are made of the same metals. So, for each metal, a different grinding stone would work best.

Valve Seat Wheel Alloys and Combinations

Stellite, a compound of Cobalt and Chromium (usually with around 75% Cobalt and often smaller amounts of other added metals) is a hard, durable material and is used mainly for very hard steel valve seats. Nickel is a stainless steel that is resistant to chemical wear, and is designed for application on nickel-chrome valve seats. Can be especially good for roughing. Cool Blue (a combination of Copper Beryllium, with other added alloying materials) is used for high-end projects and specialized applications. Ruby is a high-quality wheel meant for materials that fall between general purpose and stellite wheels, or as a finishing stone. And finally, Magnum Valve Seat Wheels, a new high-end compound, is meant to grind extremely hard seats (such as the lates Cummins models).

Valve Seat Wheel Care

Upkeep of your machines is just as important as buying the right tools. Whether your drive tool is electric or air powered, you need to keep them from the everyday wear and tear to keep your investment working. It's important to buy the best tools for the job including grinding coolant, honing oil, and a carbon removal brush. Cleaning the air hoses from the buildup of dirt and gunk, and lubricating the gears to keep from wearing them down are both important maintenance steps to take to protect your expensive machines.

Whether you own a successful mechanic shop or are just learning how to tinker on your own car's engine, it's important to trust the parts and tools you buy for your projects. Since the year 2016, the Machine Shop Services industry has grown nearly 1.9% on average (per year) in the US alone. With so many new mechanics entering the industry, and so much information floating around on the internet, it can be hard to know where to go for reliable information. So do your research, ask the experts for help, and be sure to order the best quality automotive machine shop tools.