2x72 belts??? what kind, where to buy?

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Feb 25, 2007
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If a newbie was going to try his hand at his first stock removal knife. What kind of belts would everyone suggest. I will be using my new to me, Wilton square wheel grinder, Precision ground 01 tool steel from Fastenal and I would like some expert opinions on what belts to buy. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

Paul.
 
Paul, go online or call Pops knife supply and have them send you a starter pack..He will usually mix up a few different types so that you can see what you like..That being said, I buy the best belts that I can find..Usually norton blaze, trizac's, gators...Zirconian and ceramic are the best..Aluminum oxide are cheap and don't last...Just my .02 as usual your milage may vary :D
 
What grit does everybody start with? I mean for your profiling and then when you start to grind your bevels before heat treating? I know it is a personal preference i am just trying to get a consensus as to what you pros start with for this step. There is no wrong answer. You guys a are great keep the info coming please.

Paul
 
Paul,

2 of my favorite suppliers for certain supplies have been mentioned....
TruGrit is good prices on certain supplies....416 pins, 416 1/8 by 1, some belts etc.

Sincere suggestion is for your first order, or ongoing, Jim Poplin (Pop's) is not only knowledgeable, but a really fine guy to deal with......and can give you some personal suggestions and advice.
 
I am a firm believer in the corks and the gators for wear. The corks love water and the gators don't. So I use the corks for hogging and the gators in the finer grits for finish. Then a worn 600 grit cork with green rouge for polishing. However you will get many suggestions and none I believe will be bad ones. It is just personal taste and experience.

I have to agree with rocketman on the Aluminum oxide belts.
 
www.trugrit.com

50 grit Norton Blaze belts, followed by 160 grit trizact belts, then a fine scotchbrite. Works well as a beginning setup, puts on a nice satin finish -and you don't have to spend big bucks buying every damn belt out there.
 
Thanks flatgrinder,

Thats the type of info I am looking for. I appreciate everyones input as well. Keep your advice coming guys. What you use and in your opinion what works. I figure It's a lot easier to use your years of experience as to what works and what doesn't. It will help the learning curve, if you know what i mean.

Thanks in advance,

Paul
 
Use worn out belts for your profiling after bandsawing! That way you get optimal use out of your belts! Tru-Grit I think by far has the best prices and they will give price/quantity breaks. They are in Southern California.

Norton Norzon Zirconia Belts work great and aren't overly expensive like some of the belts out there. www.trugrit.com

40 - 80 grit for the initial grinding works great depending on um how much of a rush you're in.
 
+1 on Pop's, everyone in my area orders from him. Supergrit will have cheap belts if you want to try to save a few bucks, but James Poplin is a good guy with better prices than most.

I don't have experience with the more expensive belts for profiling and primary grinding, but the 80 grit 3m ceramics work plenty fast for me and are a pleasure to grind on.
 
Lots of folks have a good general selection. Tru Grit and Pops probably have the best, but folks like Sheffield and other supplies usually have a nice selcetion at the shows. I have used both Norton and Klingspor ziconia belts and Norton Blaze. I like the Klingspors in 36 and 40 and both Nortons in the 50-100 range. The Klingspors seem to last a little longer than the Norton zirconias. In my opinion, the Blaze belts do not last as long as the company claims, but they are still darn good belts and you can use the next smaller grit for hogging when compared to zirconia, so less of a "sandstorm" effect......but they are VERY pricey. For your 120 and up, either use the yellow Klingspors or the grey Hermes belts. The cheap red Hermes AO belts are pretty flimsy, but their more expensive stuff is pretty good and reasonablty priced. Tru Grit was out of Klingspor 120's and recommended the Hermes and I have been pretty plased with them. The cheap Hermes brown AO 36's are good for hogging wood, but I don't like using them on metal. I had one split and give me a fat lip. Shop around a bit. I bought some 120 and 220 Klingspors a while back from wither Opos or Sheffield and, for some reason, they seemed to "bump" less than others I have bought since them. I wish I had bought a ton of them but who knew? Bumping is not so much of an issue on the large grit belts with heavy backing unless you press REAL hard or are using a belt that is pretty worn.
 
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