1 x 30 in abrasive belts for sharpening knives

L

Larry in VA

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May 27, 2014
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Hello to all, new guy here.

I have recently gotten a serious interested in sharpening knives. I have a lot of kitchen and utility (hunting) knives that I would like to put a pretty keen edge on. I have used the Lansky sharpeners for many years and they will put a keen edge on a knife but are rather slow for my needs now-a-days. I’ve seen some interesting videos on internet using relatively inexpensive 1 x 30 inch belt sanders. I know they probably make much better machines but for now this is the way I want to go at least until I decide if I want to spend big bucks on this new venture.

Now for my quandary:
Since I already own a 1 x 30 belt sander I was wondering where to get belts of the appropriate grit levels for the task? Internet search has not yielded much but confusing info. Which grits should I use and which abrasive material is best for sharpening knives.

Thanks in advance for any help that you all can provide.

Larry
 
I got some 3M Trizact belts for mine. They get into some pretty fine grits, but you have to be careful and make quick passes so you don't get too hot. 1x30 belt sanders are fast for knife sharpening, and there's a learning curve involved in getting the right touch. I started on some flea market blades before I did my pocket knives. If the mods say it's OK I'll post my source, but it'll have to be late tonight when I get up for work.
 
Locally you can find diablo belts at Home Depot in a 3 pack of 50, 80, and 120 grits. These are great for rough work and 120 starts to become fine enough to produce a very good edge when finished properly. A good leather finishing belt will also be needed.

Google search will bring up a ton of results.
 
I bought from Lee valley. Klingspor also had good prices. Belt sanders are awesome. I plan on getting another because I just miss it so damn much! It works a touch steel like S30V into a corner and beats it to submission, and if you learn how to use it right you can get a near professional finish in minutes.

The ABSO-FRIGGIN-LUTELY MOST IMPORTANT thing to learn is proper technique. Consistent angles and pressure make the difference between an edge that could have been done on an Edge Pro or an edge that was attacked with an angle grinder. Buy/find a few junker knives and learn technique on your worst belt before you start on anything you want to keep (use the belt that came with the sander). Also make sure you get a belt cleaning bar other else your belts will not last for crap.
 
You can get cheap 10 packs on Amazon up to 400grit. I've used 180, 240, & 400 grits to sharpen and I think that is a good combination. Over 400grit I think the belts would wear out really fast so I just use sheet paper above that. Besides, at the higher grits you're really just polishing the edge so it's good to go slow at that point. You can get higher grit 1x30 belts on Supergrit.com or Trugrit.com if you really want to.
You definately want to start out on some cheap knives or junk steel before trying anything of value. A high speed grinder can ruin a knife in heartbeat.

I like to lay my HF grinder on its back so that the working area of the belt is horizontal and moving away from me. I think this is a more comfortable and natural position for sharpening.
 
awestib said:
"Pop's knives and supplies" has some belts and they are great to deal with.
Click to expand...

Beat me to it. Pop's is a great source. ~60 grit is good for hogging off metal (reprofiling), and you can go up from there as high as you want for general sharpening. I've pretty much stuck to the 180-600 grit range.
 
When I had my sander I got belts in a good progression all the way up to 8k along with a leather belt, and my edges were pretty damn sharp along with having a mirror finish. If my technique was what it is now, I could definitely call the knives nearly surgical sharp.

The belts were also pretty durable when used with a belt cleaner. I was able to use my 1200 belt on a few dozen knives and it showed no signs of wearing out. The 3k belt was wearing out, but wasn't smooth and was impossible to clean properly. When I got a new 3k belt it was smooth and worked flawlessly.
 
I have a 2"x42" and 1"x42" grinder. I really like getting all supplies from Pop's (great guy) but, I have settled on a company that sells belts that I need from $1.00- $4.00.
For most knife sharpening I start with 120 zirconia alumina belts, then 320 aluminum oxide, and finnish with 9 micron Trizact, and sometimes leather belt with compound.
 
Be very cautious with the higher grit belts as they will heat your blades up much faster than the lower grit belts. Use very light pressure and keep the blades moving constantly while touching the belts.

Blessings,

Omar
 
OHALLUM said:
Be very cautious with the higher grit belts as they will heat your blades up much faster than the lower grit belts. Use very light pressure and keep the blades moving constantly while touching the belts.

Blessings,

Omar
Click to expand...

I cut the top off a soda can (with a knife I was about to sharpen) to fill with water to dip my blades every few passes. Never had a single knife get too hot to hold, never ruined a single HT. I sharpened well over 50 knives without a single problem aside from one broken belt (my fault, bad belt that I refused to stop using).
 
OHALLUM said:
Be very cautious with the higher grit belts as they will heat your blades up much faster than the lower grit belts. Use very light pressure and keep the blades moving constantly while touching the belts.

Blessings,

Omar
Click to expand...

Good point. particularly thin blades like filet or scissors can get away from you too.
 
Excellent info, thank you everyone!

Thanks for all the tips and purchasing info. I will definitely get ahold of a bunch of junk knives to practice on. I ordered up about 5 different grit sizes of belts to try out and a leather belt and some abrasive compound for it. It will be a few days for all the stuff to arrive. Saw a Youtube vid on making your own belts. Since I have a fair amount sheet paper around might try doing just that until my real belts arrive.

Could anyone direct me to a knowledge base on the different type of grit ratings? Seems I’m woefully ignorant on that subject as well.

Also what belt speed is best for the sharpening process of knives? Seems the little Harbor Freight 1x30 belt sander I have is a might fast for the process of knife sharpening. I noticed that some places talk about belt speed (fps) and others about motor speed (rpm). I would think belt speed is what they all should be relating to “fps”. Any thoughts on that?

I've got a feeling I will also be looking for a better machine soon to do knife sharpening with.
Any suggestions?

Again thanks for all your replys and I sincerely hope I don't bore you all to soon with my questions.

Larry in VA
 
Larry, I wouldn't worry about belt speeds. 3 things are going to determine the outcome of your sharpening.
1) The grit you are using
2) The angle at which you grind the blade
3) The speed at which you pass the blade through the belt.

The lower the grit, i.e. 60 will remove more and stay cooler though not recommended for sharpening.
 
I used a HF sander, it was fine so long as you dip the blade pretty often in water. Unless you REALLY dig the belts in the heat generation is pretty small. Just err in the side of caution and don't be afraid to over dip your knife. Water won't harm it.

As for grits, you will want something in the range of 100-200 for serious reprofiling, the belt (approximate grits) of 400, 800-1200, 1500-2000, then if possible don't go up more than 1000 grit at a time. Remember not to skip a belt, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS grind edge trailing (edge leading can cut a belt or grab and throw your knife... into you), and use the belt cleaner pretty often. Not every pass, but I would say no more than after every knife for sharpening belts and every 10 or so passes for reprofiling belts.

Belt sanders sound like a lot of information, but it is all basics, mostly common sense. Get the basics down and it should just be technique refinement from there.
 
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