Have you heard of water-jet cutting?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382412)
Rockingham, Australia
April 26, 2016 9:05am CST
We went to a small town near us to visit the Railway Museum there. The theme for the day was 'Traditional Trades' and there were a number of interesting exhibitions. One was book-binding. We watched a book being trimmed and talked to the guy about the blade he was using to cut the pages. The blade had to be sharp and inflexible.
He had adapted a chisel blade which was attached to the framework with a countersunk screw. What was especially interesting was his comment that the best blades were made of such hard material that they could only be cut with a water cutter.
I'd never heard of this but a water cutter is a tool which uses a jet of water to cut through particularly hard materials. A water cutter is the ultimate tool of choice when lasers and drills cannot cope. Our informant said water is forced through the cutter faster than the speed of sound. Sometimes carbide is added but that results in water which cannot be recycled.
According to Wikipedia, waterjet cutting is especially useful when the material being cut is sensitive to the high temperatures which occur when other methods are used. It is often used in the manufacture of machine parts. I love learning stuff like this. It just about blows my mind that water of all things can be utilised to cut metals that other methods can't touch. Have you ever heard of water cutting?
21 people like this
21 responses
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
26 Apr 16
Yes. I knew this, but then I'm into tools and how things work.
5 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
28 Apr 16
@JudyEv We really should be teaching this stuff to young people who are not college material, but our stubborn legislators are snobs and think college is perfect for everyone. Whom do they think is going to do everything else?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 16
@ElizabethWallace True. I think our kids have to go to school till they're 18 now - certainly at least 17 but some aren't cut out for schools. They'd be much better off being given an apprenticeship at 14 and 15 and being allowed to get on with their life.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
27 Apr 16
I have not but it doesn't surprise me with enough power I imagine it could cut through just about anything.
4 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
27 Apr 16
i always wanted to learn how to bind a book, that by itself would'a been fascinatin' to me. i've ne'er heard'f a water cutter - how interestin' is that?? what a great trip 'n thanks fer takin' me 'long with ya fer a wee bit. sounds well worth the travelin' to get there :) big hugs!
3 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
28 Apr 16
@JudyEv don't they? i'd love to do such fer memory books fer the young'uns'n grands. alas, i'm useless fer such. oh my, bet that was most disappointin'. i fear i'd been requestin' a refund.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Apr 16
@crazyhorseladycx It was a great shame. I'd gathered together my best short stories etc and hoped to have them all bound by the end of the weekend but it wasn't to be.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
26 Apr 16
No, I never knew that water could be used to cut metal.What a surprise that is!
4 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
29 Apr 16
@JudyEv I knew about this for ages. Funny that it isn't common knowledge.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Apr 16
@ElizabethWallace I keep getting caught out because I'll think something is common knowledge then find out it isn't at all. A lot of it probably has to do with the era you grew up in and your interests.
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Apr 16
@sueznewz2 @Lucky15 You must see a lot of neat stuff on the Discovery Channel.
2 people like this
@GreatMartin (23670)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
27 Apr 16
I don't want to know how something is made just that it works right!
3 people like this
@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Apr 16
Fair enough but don't you ever wonder how something works in the first place?
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
26 Apr 16
that actually sounds pretty cool, and no had not heard of it
3 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
29 Apr 16
@JudyEv they do use water for cleaning teeth, (water pick) and I knew of that, just not other uses
@Dragonairy1 (1722)
• Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
26 Apr 16
That's interesting Ive never heard of it, the book binding sounds interesting as well.
3 people like this
@Daljinder (23193)
• Bangalore, India
26 Apr 16
I have known about the possibility of it. But never heard of it used practically.
3 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43655)
• Denver, Colorado
26 Apr 16
This is the first I've heard of it. Very interesting, though.
3 people like this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
27 Apr 16
I did know you can use water in this way... and sand too... I watch discovery channel sometimes... lol's but it was amazing to me too at the time.... 
3 people like this
@sabashekh (1218)
• Bhopal, India
30 Apr 16
Something new for me ....
Thanks fr sharing
1 person likes this
