2"x72" ceramic vs. aluminum oxide belts?

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AA Forge

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I'm looking at buying some ceramic belts, but they cost about 2x as much as a standard aluminum oxide belt; so I guess my question is if any one here has used them, and if they believe that they last long enough to justify the price?

Any help would be appreciated!


Thanks,
Adam
 
AA Forge said:
I'm looking at buying some ceramic belts, but they cost about 2x as much as a standard aluminum oxide belt; so I guess my question is if any one here has used them, and if they believe that they last long enough to justify the price?

Any help would be appreciated!


Thanks,
Adam
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I think it depends on what kind/brand you're talking about. I think that some of the lower priced zirc belt for instance from Supergrit wear pretty darn well. Not as well as the Nortons but now bad. However, when it comes to ceramic, I haven't found any inexpensive ones that compare to the Norton Blaze belts. In fact they didn't hold up much better than a standard aluminum oxide belt. I'm not saying that good cheap ones aren't out there, but I haven't found any. I think if you are talking about buying some top quality ceramic belts you'll be happily impressed with the results, despite the increased price tag. Just don't go buying any old ceramic belt and think it's going to blow you away.
 
There is a world of difference once you are grinding after HT. I have found the 3M 967's to last as long or even longer than the Blaze belts but both are top of the line belts and money well spent.
 
What I'm looking for are some grinding belts, to grind a knife from start to finish. Up until now I've forged all of my knives, and thought maybe I would try my hand at some stock removal knives as well. So I'm all ears, if there's something better out there I'm interested; I'm looking for the best of the best when it comes to grinding belts! Thanks for the replies so far!
 
Most ceramic belts I'm familiar with will give easily twice the life for double the cost of common A.O. belts. I use them for rough grinding, and then for profiling or peeling off scale when they lose a little tooth. I mostly use A.O. j-flex belts when finish grinding- they work well for cleaning plunge cuts but even when buying quality ones, they wear out quickly.

I like Blaze belts the best. They last a good long time, and the less belts you use, the less dull ones that you can't quite throw away yet hang on the wall.
 
Keep in mind, when considering purchasing ceramic belts; ceramic belts give their best results when they are being run at high speeds along with a lot of pressure applied while grinding.
Ceramics belts tend to glaze over when not enough pressure and speed are used.
You will find this true with the more aggressive grits like 36 50 and 80. Not so much with the finer grits that are meant to be run at slower speeds.

Fred
 
zaph1 said:
I'm with Loussharp1 on this, AO is made for wood not steel.
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Agreed. AO on steel will work for a while but clogs up quickly.

I have used 50 and 80 grit AO belts for profiling and beveling with sort-of decent results. They're so coarse that clogging/smearing isn't as much of an issue. But they're not optimal.
 
I get Blaze belts and Gators from Trugrit. I have also had good results with the ceramic belts Supergrit sells. They aren't quite Blaze belts, but they are great for half the price.

It also depends on what kind of grinder you have. If it's not a 2"x72" you will be limited.
 
Something I have noticed is that the 50 grit ceramic belts don't leave the grind marks that the AO 80 grits do. They are much finer grind marks.

I'll get Dan Graves to chime in on this, because he has been using a Blaze 50 grit that Darrin Sanders gave us at the Hammer In. He used the Blaze today and it still ground well.
 
Fred.Rowe said:
Keep in mind, when considering purchasing ceramic belts; ceramic belts give their best results when they are being run at high speeds along with a lot of pressure applied while grinding.
Ceramics belts tend to glaze over when not enough pressure and speed are used.
You will find this true with the more aggressive grits like 36 50 and 80. Not so much with the finer grits that are meant to be run at slower speeds.

Fred
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Very true, Fred.

One of the reasons I like 3M 967s is they are designed to work very good at lower speeds ;)
 
Don Hanson III said:
Very true, Fred.

One of the reasons I like 3M 967s is they are designed to work very good at lower speeds ;)
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I have tried most ceramics that are on the market; I always come back to the 967's. You get the most grind for the buck.

Fred
 
A slight tangent: I have no experience with one type vs the other (I can only get AO belts for my grinder, looking to build a KMG mainly for that reason), but why do people make a distinction between AO and ceramic where there is none (semantically, not performance-wise)? AO IS a ceramic.....

Cheers Rody
 
I really like ceramic belts, and think that they are worth the extra expense. I use the 3M 967 belts for basic profiling and rough grinding. I use a 120 grit 977 for cleaning up, and use A/O, zirc or micron belts from there.
 
Good info guys. The 3M 967 belts have been mentioned a couple of times in this thread. I guess I'd better give them a try. I've used 977 and Blaze belts for rough grinding... in grits from about 40, 50, 80 & 120. As Fred mentioned, these belts - especially the Blazes - like to be run fast and hard. Now I am really interested in seeing how the 967 belts perform.

Edit: Great googly-moogly those things are expensive though. Even more $$ than Blaze.
 
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