A couple of belt grinding questions

[F. Allin Kahrl]

First off, is 3000sfm slow enough for D2, or am I still going to be fighting with it? My little grinder isn't adjustable (though I'll probably modify the pulleys one of these days). It's done pretty well in A2 with nothing but A/O belts but I've never worked with D2. (I've ordered some Norton 36 Grit SG belts and NorZon 100 and 180 grit belts. Got some finer A/O belts lying around for machine finishing, then I'll hand rub.)

Second, has anyone rigged their grinder with a water sprayer to cool the belt? It's in David Boye's book but I don't see much discussion about it here and I'm wondering if conventional wisdom has shifted since he wrote it. Just curious.

 

[ddavelarsen]

I think at 3000 sfm you'd have quite a mess spraying water on the belt! But I'd be curious whether anyone's doing this too.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Water cooling works fine in the lapidary shop,but is not a good idea for steel shops.Many (most) of the belts are not waterproof.Steel and water = rust.Put on a multi groove pulley,or get a variable speed motor to slow the speed down.If your blade is getting too hot,dip it in the slack tub more often.