Actually Lin I have gone more towards the higher end belts, such as trizact, norton blaze, and the 3M 967's. I still use the klingspor J-flex for finishing and handle and guard work.

Yes they cost more, but I can get more work out of them and they have cut my grinding time by a third, especially on the profiling and rough grinding. So far I am going to go with these until the next advancement comes along. I figure the extra cost into the price of the knife and these do last longer.

I still do use some of the less expensive belts for roughing handles and fittings. Such as Klingspor blue 60 grit.

Brion

This is a great topic Lin. It seems like there is always something new coming out in the belt world and we can all learn from each other's experiences.

As for me, I have gone to the better belts too as I seem to get more life out of them. I have very good luck with Cubitron belts for rough grinding. I have not done any formal testing, but these belts really seem to last.

Brian

This is a good discussion. I recently contacted Pop at Pop's Knife Supply and asked what belts he would recommend as the best for blade grinding. Pop told me that there was a new ceramic which was a 984 Cubitron II and he felt that it was the best belt in the 36 and 60 grits. Pop also recommended the 3M ceramic 707E Regalite in the 120 and 220 grits.

I have recently used the new ceramic 984 Cubitron II 36 grit belt at Master Smith Ray Rybar's shop and it really cut well and Ray said that it had lasted a long time.

I learned from Master Smith Steve Dunn a few years ago to make more use of a 36 grit belt to profile and do the rough grinding before moving to a 60 grit belt. I also learned that a flat file at this initial stage can be very handy.

This is a topic that I will be following closely. I know it's not a good practice, but I have a bad habit of trying to use a belt way too long. Sometimes it seems like I use a 36 grit belt until it becomes a 400 grit. I'm interested in what others use. All I can add is that I've been very impressed with the Gator belts. They last a long time and give a good finish.

Dale

I try to do a couple of things to help keep the grinding to a minimum. One thing is to use a side grinder to remove the scale and rough shape the blade till I think I have to start on the belt grinder. Then I start with 36, then 60, and 120. I try to get and keep things straight and as true as possible at 36, before dropping to the next grit size. That way, I am basically working the surface and not doing any real hogging.

I save the plunge areas till I get to 60 and even 120, but always leave plenty for finishing.

I like the Klingspor belts for general grinding and the Trizac for after heat treat just before hand sanding. I have found that whatever the belts cost, it save enough time to make it worthwhile. I do keep some of the less expensive ones for some things so as not to use up my "good ones". I also have decided that there is just going to be some amount of hand sanding.

Oh, one more thing. I save some belts for blade sides (flats) and some I use for the spine and handle parts. If you wear a groove, as it were, in the middle of a belt, it's hard to grind a good flat.

I have not been getting to spend much time in the shop, but have used the new Cubitrons enough to know I really like them. For finishing, I prefer Hermes J flex. I also keep some cheap 50 grits around for roughing in handles. I normally drive down to Pops a few times a year so I can put my hands on handle material and pick his brain. I always enjoy visiting with him. Bill

Several years ago I was chatting with Steve Johnson, who made a suggestion to me...we were talking about grinding, and how to make it more efficient. Steve told me that when I was finish grinding, to go to nearly completed on the bevels with my heavy grit belt, then jump straight to a 400, and that it would save me a bunch of time. My first thought was "that's crazy!" that would never work!

Eventually I decided to give it a go, and WOW! After heat treating I go with a new 50 grit Blaze, taking the blade to nearly finished, and then jump straight to a Norax X30. At first it seemed like I was getting no where...but then I started watching the clock. Not only does this method save me 2-3 different grit sizes/belts, but it cuts 45 mins- 1 hour off the time it used to take me to finish grind a blade versus going through 120-220 belts...and I don't use nearly the amount of 120s and 220s that I used to.

Buying premium belts is another plus. The old saying of "You get what you pay for" is very true when it comes to belts.

A while ago, Norton brought out a new series of full ceramic belts, the U939. So far it is only available in x100 (150 grit), X30 (500 grit), and X22 (800 grit), however, the folks at Tru-Grit sent me a couple of samples of the 150 grits to test. I used 2 of these belts for 4 months, and they still had plenty of life in them! Now, let me explain something, I'm not one of those who uses a belt until there's nothing but the backing left...my policy is to use grinding belts like they are free. A worn belt causes nothing but problems for a knifemaker.

Another device that has saved me tons of time/supplies when finish grinding is my disc grinder from Beaumont metalwork, with a disc system that has interchangeable face plates from Rod Neilsen. I have a number of the disc face plates, both in flat and 1 degree, with various grits of paper....changing grits is as easy as pulling off on face plate, and replace it with the grit I need at the time. This tool has cut my hand sanding time down considerably, without any loss of quality.

A question from the newby side of the fence... Do any of you experienced guys use the sticks of belt "cleaner" to apply to your belts? I've heard some say it's what you should do and others that it's not worth the money spent. Anyone use them and find it extends the life of the belts?

Jeremy

|quoted:

A question from the newby side of the fence... Do any of you experienced guys use the sticks of belt "cleaner" to apply to your belts? I've heard some say it's what you should do and others that it's not worth the money spent. Anyone use them and find it extends the life of the belts?

Jeremy

I like to use them (the giant erasures) to clean the belts after doing some woods that clog the belt.

This is a great topic! Thanks for posting it Lin. Lots of good information here.

Abrasives for grinding belts are starting to be like cell phones and computers; as soon as you get used to using something, something new comes out. I've got belts hanging in the shop that I have either not tried, or have not used enough to get used to them and how they cut. I really need to spend some time experimenting with different belts and see if I find something that I like better than what I am using. I keep going back to what I am used to rather than risk screwing up a perfectly good blade testing a new type of belt.

I'm currently using 80 grit, 3M 967 Cubitron II belts for rough grinding blades. I find that these 80 grit belts cut fast enough to suit me and I am already at an 80 grit finish after the rough grind. I next grind with an X-100 grit Trizact belt. Then heat treat the blade. After heat treat, I clean the blade up with the X100 Trizact, then use a 320 grit, Klingspor LS312 J-flex belt to refine the plunge lines.

I keep 60 grit Klingspor CS 411 belts in the shop for rough grinding handle material. DON'T use the Cubitron belts to grind wood! It will plug the grit and ruin these belts. I have Klingspor LS 312 J-flex belts in 120 through 400 grits for all types of finish work.

Like Lin, I use a side grinder to remove forge scale from blades and damascus billets. I have replaced the discs on my grinders with snagging wheels. These are a type of cup stone that can be installed on side grinders. I bought the wheels from MSC Industrial Supply. The wheels last a LONG time and save the time required to change worn out discs. The wheel on my 7" grinder is quite heavy and generates a surprising amount of centrifugal force; almost scary when you hit the trigger. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//ohmy.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':o' /> And it takes a long time for the rock to stop spinning when you are done grinding.

One type of belt that I really like to have it the shop are the scalloped edge 1 inch belts. These are great for finish grinding in tight corners, like behind the guard on a hunter. The scalloped edges allow the belt to roll around corners and prevents the edge of the belt from gouging. I only have these belts in 320 grit and find this one grit to be all that I need.

To answer Jeremy's question: I use belt cleaners to remove wood and other soft materials from grinding belts.

I used to use the 3M 967 Cubitron for rough grinding (after removing scale with an angle grinder & snagging wheel) but after using a trial belt from Pop, I have gone to the new 984 Cubitron II. I have used them for nearly a year now with very good success. Both cut well. I believe that the 984 lasts longer.

Plus 1 on the Klingspor LS 312 for handle work. They are very flexible and work great for contours. They have a limited life on steel but are ideal for handles and a reasonable price.

Gary Mulkey

Ed Caffrey said:

"Another device that has saved me tons of time/supplies when finish grinding is my disc grinder from Beaumont metalwork, with a disc system that has interchangeable face plates from Rod Neilsen. I have a number of the disc face plates, both in flat and 1 degree, with various grits of paper....changing grits is as easy as pulling off on face plate, and replace it with the grit I need at the time. This tool has cut my hand sanding time down considerably, without any loss of quality."

Hi Ed,

I'm saving up for one of those gizmos 'cause I can see the advantage of that for wood work. Could you explain to us slower folks who the disk grinder cuts down on the hand sanding? I learning to hate it already....

Kevin

I can see myself trying out a few new belts in the near future. I currently use (^&'s in a 60 grit to rough profile, an 80 to clean scratches, then on to the Gator a300, a100, a 45 and a a30 before moving onto hand sanding. I should probably eliminate a belt or two to speed up my process, but am happy with the finish i am currently getting. What belts would you guys eliminate?

Kevin,

Sorry for taking so long to get back to this....I've not looked at this thread since posting last time.

The way the disc grinder helps me is: I come off the belt grinder at a Norax X30. I then go to a 1 degree beveled disc with 600. The first thing is that the disc gets thing super flat....so any bobbles I made on the belt are clearly revealed, and in most cases (if I didn't mess up too badly) are quickly corrected. Where I used to spent literally hours hand sanding a blade, after discovering and using the disc grinder, 15-20 mins is more the norm.

For me there were two keys with the disc grinder

1. Finding/using a backing on the steel disc to give a little cushion, but not too much. For me that was 1/16" thick Fel-Pro gasket material from NAPA. Using 3M-77 spray adhesive, I attached the gasket material to the steel disc(s), and then use the el-cheapo Duro spray glue (I get it at Walmart) for attaching the sand paper to the disc. The Duro spray glue has just enough tack to make the paper stick, but not so much that it's a chore to get it off/replace it.

2. The hub/disc system from Rod Neilson () http://www.nielsendesigndiscgrinder.com/Welcome.html

Between the hub and the interchangeable discs, I save a ton of time and sandpaper.