Advice on abrasive belts

R

redneckswami

Joined
Mar 31, 2008
Messages
118
Hi ya'll.
Need some advice on abrasives. I'm switching to a 2 x 72 grinder in the next few weeks, and am going to order a bunch of belts from MSC. I was wondering what type of abrasive would be the most bang for my buck, so to speak. The choices on MSC's site, in 2 x 72, appear to be Aluminum Oxide, Zirconia Aluminum Oxide, Ceramic Aluminum Oxide, and Cubitron. Manufacturers are varied, but I'm probably going to stick with Norton and 3M brands if possible - I've had good results with thier belts in the past on my 2 x 48 machine. I've always ordered from Tru Grit, but I think MSC may have thier prices beat. I forge my knives, so my grinder gets used for cleaning up and profiling. I'll probably use up to 320 grit belts when cleaning up after forging, and then drop back to 180 or 220 and hand finish my blades like I do now (don't know though - I may get addicted to having a decent grinder:D). Anyway, just wanted to get some input on what the toughest, most durable abrasive type is. Thanks!
 
Actually, I'm going to contact him next week, as soon as my little influx of cash clears the bank, and order the NWGS plans. Already have the steel and a 2HP motor that would work just dandy for the build. I'll check with him for advice on abrasives too. Thanks
 
I'd get in touch with Pop about belts, I don't think anyone beats his prices for quality belts. Not quite as much selection as tru-grit, but he's got what you need.

http://www.popsknifesupplies.com/

Tracy is a great guy too, he has more specialty belts. Either of them will help you pick the right belts and neither is going to try to upsell you something you don't need.
 
If your east of the Mississippi, go with Pop's! If your west of the Mississippi, go with Tru-grit. (Only because of delivery time). Forget about the bargain belt outfits.....you'll wind up spending twice the money to get the same about of work done. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, but I've tried all of the outfits who claim to be selling "quality" abrasives, and keep coming back Pop's and Tru-Grit.
 
I find that there is a place for both high-priced ceramic and economy A/O belts in my shop. When abrasive life is less of a consideration than loss to fouling, as in the case of clogging expensive closed-coat abrasives with stabilized wood and micarta that literally weld to the coating, the cheaper open-coat belts clog slower and thus offer a certain economy.

The interesting point about abrasives is that, no matter how many knifemakers you ask, each and every one has their personal preferences that they swear by. You will end up trying endless combinations, and eventually settle on your own, personalized variety. :) Lately I have been using mostly Norton Blaze for grinding and Trizac CF and Norax for finishing blades, Industrial Abrasives or Tracy Mickley for throw-aways A/Os.
 
Ed Caffrey said:
If your east of the Mississippi, go with Pop's! If your west of the Mississippi, go with Tru-grit. (Only because of delivery time). Forget about the bargain belt outfits.....you'll wind up spending twice the money to get the same about of work done. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, but I've tried all of the outfits who claim to be selling "quality" abrasives, and keep coming back Pop's and Tru-Grit.
Click to expand...

Another vote for Pop's!!
 
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