Method for manufacturing abrasively-tipped flexible bristles, and flexible abrasive hones therefrom

A method for quickly and efficiently mass-producing a flexible abrasive hone initially including a plurality of flexible nylon plastic bristles and, after the performance of the following method steps, including a plurality of enlarged-abrasive-globule-carrying modified such flexible nylon plastic bristles, comprising the steps of:

• first assembling a plurality of such flexible nylon plastic bristles and effectively firmly mounting bristle mounting portions with respect to a bristle-holding base, and doing so in a desired relatively evenly-laterally-spaced manner with respect to the base, and with applicatory bristle tip end portions being appropriately similarly longitudinally spaced, along the bristle lengths, from the base such that a corresponding plurality of the bristle tip end portions are correspondingly appropriately positioned at corresponding similar bristle-length-spaced pre-honing locations in closely-laterally-adjacent-to-each-other, but individual and non-interfering positions, together defining an effective multi-element, common-contiguous-surface flexibly supported pre-honing portion which is subsequently to be effectively converted into a flexibly-supported honing surface of such an abrasive-hone-to-be;
• then, as a high-speed, mass-production, composite, multi-bristle-modifying operation, performed compositely with respect to a desired substantial number of the flexible applicatory bristle tip end portions, performing a first coating applicatory step taking the form of applying an at least semi-liquid, but controllably hardenable, effectively adhesive, plastic matrix means and material to each tip end portion of each desired bristle in a first exterior coat and lamina of said matrix means and material of a desired lamina thickness, as determined in part by the natural retention characteristics of each now first-coated bristle tip end portion upon termination of said first-coating applicatory step while said matrix means and material is still at least semi-liquid and before it is later hardened and cured;
• then, further, as a high-speed, mass-production, composite, multi-bristle-modifying operation, performing an effective immobilizing step taking the form of substantially effectively, relatively non-movably fixing and immobilizing each said first exterior coat and lamina of each of said first-applied matrix means and material relative to each said corresponding bristle tip end portion to which said at least semi-liquid matrix means and material has been applied whereby to substantially inhibit and prevent positional displacement of liquid, or partially liquid, excess portions of said matrix means and material from occurring on, and along, each bristle tip end portion carrying same;
• then, further, as a high-speed, mass-production, composite, multi-bristle-modifying operation, performing an abrasive particle supplementary and additive applicatory step taking the form of bringing a quantity of usually initially dry additive abrasive particles of finely-divided particulate abrasive material into relative-non-lateral-displacement-causing insertive and penetrating, temporary, mating and bonding contact thereof with each said exterior coat and lamina of said matrix means and material while it is still in at least partially semi-liquid form and, thereby causing the effective picking-up of said abrasive particles by each said matrix means and material and the effective intermixing thereof into an effective two-phase, composite abrasive-matrix material;
• and
• then, further, as a high-speed, mass-production, composite, multi-bristle-modifying operation, performing a composite-material-hardening and composite-material-curing step taking the form of subjecting each said bristle tip end portion, carrying said coat and lamina, and now comprising said effective two-phase, composite abrasive-matrix material, to the particular required physical conditions needed for hardening and curing same, whereby to cause such hardening and curing of said composite abrasive-matrix material, comprising said exterior coat and lamina on each said desired bristle tip end portions, to a desired extent.

A method for quickly and efficiently mass-producing a flexible abrasive hone initially including a plurality of flexible nylon plastic bristles and, after the performance of the following method steps, including a plurality of enlarged-abrasive-globule-carrying modified such flexible nylon plastic bristles, and wherein each such globule comprises an enlarged, multi-phase, initially-liquid-but-hardened-into-solid plastic abrasive globule firmly and fixedly and virtually non-accidentally-removably and non-detachably carried on the tip end portion of a corresponding different desired one of such flexible nylon plastic bristles, comprising the steps of:

• first assembling a plurality of such flexible nylon plastic bristles and effectively firmly mounting bristle mounting portions with respect to a bristle-holding base, and doing so in a desired relatively evenly-laterally-spaced manner with respect to the base, and with the bristle tip end applicatory portions being appropriately similarly longitudinally spaced from the base such that a corresponding plurality of the bristle tip end portions are correspondingly appropriately positioned at corresponding similar bristle-length-spaced pre-housing locations in closely-laterally-adjacent-to-each-other, but individual and non-interfering positions, together defining an effective, multi-element, common-contiguous-surface flexibly supported pre-honing portion which is subsequently to be effectively converted into a flexibly-supported honing surface of such an abrasive-hone-to-be;
• then, as a high-speed, mass-production, composite, multi-bristle-modifying operation, performed compositely with respect to a desired substantial number of the flexible bristle tip end applicatory portions, performing a first coating applicatory step taking the form of applying an at least semi-liquid, but controllably hardenable, effectively adhesive, plastic matrix means and material to each tip end portion of each desired bristle in a first exterior coat and lamina of said matrix means and material of a desired lamina thickness, as determined in part by the natural retention characteristics of each now first-coated bristle tip end portion upon termination of said first-coating applicatory step while said matrix means and material is still at least semi-liquid and before it is later hardened and cured;
• then, further, as a high-speed, mass-production, composite, multi-bristle-modifying operation, performing an effective immobilizing step, wherein each said first exterior coat and lamina is then rotatingly, wipingly, and under pressure, thinned so as to become, and to subsequently be, substantially effectively immobilized against subsequent physical-positional, liquid-running displacement thereof relative to each bristle tip end portion to which said semi-liquid matrix means and material has been applied and which, thus, carries said first exterior coat and lamina thereon;
• said first coating applicatory step and said effective immobilizing step being effectively combined and taking the form of placing each bristle tip end portion in forcibly-biased, bristle-bending, and bristle-tip-end-portion-deflecting engagement with a usually substantially flat, matrix-coated, wiping surface usually of a wiping platform, bearing a thin-layer film of said at least partially semi-liquid matrix means and material thereon and causing relative rotation and rotative movement to occur between each said forcibly deflected bristle tip end portion and said matrix-coated wiping surface until each matrix-coated bristle tip end portion has been effectively wiped therearound to an extent such as to remove any excess liquid, or partially liquid, or semi-liquid matrix means and material from each said coated bristle tip end portion, which excess, otherwise, might tend to flow along each bristle and then to become positionally displaced relative to said bristle;
• performing an abrasive particle, supplementary and additive applicatory step taking the form of bringing a quantity of usually initially dry additive abrasive particles of finely-divided particulate abrasive material into relative-non-lateral-displacement-causing insertive and penetrating, temporary, mating and bonding contact thereof with each said exterior coat and lamina of said matrix means and material while it is still in at least partially semi-liquid form and, thereby causing the effective picking-up of said abrasive particles by each said matrix means and material and the effective intermixing thereof into an effective tow-phase, composite abrasive-matrix material;
• performing an operation-duplication step taking the form of repeating said abrasive particle supplementary and additive applicatory step at desired, time-spaced intervals to maximize the quantity of said additive abrasive particles effectively picked-up by, and effectively intermixed with, said at least partially semi-liquid matrix means and material coating each desired bristle tip end portion;
• performing a composite-material-hardening and composite-material-curing step taking the form of subjecting each said bristle tip end portion, carrying said coat and lamina, and now comprising said effective two-phase, composite abrasive-matrix material, to the particular required physical conditions needed for hardening and curing same, whereby to cause such hardening and curing of said composite abrasive-matrix material, comprising said exterior coat and lamina on each of said desired bristle tip end portions, to a desired extent;
• and
• performing, for each desired bristle tip end portion, a globule-size-increasing, multiple-lamination-producing step taking the form of repeating said first coating applicatory step, said immobilizing step, said abrasive-particle applicatory step, said operation-duplication step and said composite-material-hardening step a desired number of repetitions corresponding to a desired number of layer-on-layer laminations, produced thereby and, together, comprising a corresponding plurality of desired enlarged forms of abrasive globules, each virtually non-removably mounted upon a different tip end portion of a different one of said desired flexible bristles.

A method for quickly and efficiently mass-producing a flexible abrasive hone initially including a plurality of flexible bristles and, after the performance of the following method steps, including a plurality of enlarged-abrasive-globule-carrying modified such flexible bristles, comprising the steps of:

• first assembling a plurality of such flexible bristles and effectively firmly mounting bristle mounting portions with respect to a bristle-holding base, and doing so in a relatively desired-laterally-spaced manner with respect to the base, and with the bristle applicatory portions being appropriately desirably-contiguously longitudinally spaced away from the base such that a corresponding plurality of the bristle applicatory portions are correspondingly appropriately positioned at desired laterally-contiguous pre-honing locations in close-laterally-adjacent-to-each-other, but individual and non-interfering positions, together defining an effective, multi-element, common-contiguous-surface flexibly supported pre-honing portion which is subsequently to be effectively converted into a flexibly-supported honing surface of such an abrasive-hone-to-be;
• then, as a high-speed, mass-production, composite, multi-bristle-modifying operation, performed compositely with respect to a desired substantial number of the flexible bristle applicatory portions, performing a first coating applicatory step taking the form of applying an at least semi-liquid but controllably hardenable, effectively adhesive, matrix means and material to each applicatory portion of each desired bristle in a first exterior coat and lamina of said matrix means and material of a desired lamina thickness, as determined in part by the natural retention characteristics of each now first-coated bristle applicatory portion upon termination of said first-coating applicatory step while said matrix means and material is still at least semi-liquid before it is later hardened and cured;
• said first coating applicatory step, also, effectively comprising an immobilizing step, in that the application of said matrix means and material to each said bristle applicatory portion of said plurality thereof is effectively controlled, modified, and limited such as to effectively cause the relatively non-movable fixing and immobilizing of each said first exterior coat and lamina of each of said first-applied matrix means and material relative to each said bristle applicatory portion to which said at least semi-liquid matrix means and material has been applied, whereby to substantially inhibit and prevent positional displacement of liquid or partially liquid, excess portions of each said matrix means and material from occurring on, and along, each said bristle applicatory portion of said plurality thereof carrying same;
• then, further, as a high-speed, mass-production, composite, multi-bristle-modifying operation, performing an abrasive particle supplementary and additive applicatory step taking the form of bringing a quantity of usually initially dry additive abrasive particles of finely-divided particulate abrasive material into mating and bonding contact thereof with each said exterior coat and lamina of said matrix means and material while it is still in at least partially semi-liquid form and, thereby causing the effective picking-up of said abrasive particles of each said matrix means and material and the effective intermixing thereof into an effective tow-phase, composite abrasive-matrix material;
• and
• then, further, as a high-speed, mass-production, composite, multi-bristle-modifying operation, performing a composite-material-hardening and composite-material-curing step taking the form of subjecting each said bristle applicatory portion, carrying said coat and lamina, and now comprising said effective two-phase, composite abrasive-matrix material, to the particular required physical conditions needed for hardening and curing same, whereby to cause such hardening and curing of said composite abrasive-matrix material, comprising said exterior coat and lamina on each of said desired bristle applicatory portions, to a desired extent.