Any good belts above 120 grit for machine finishing other than 3m gator belts?

C

coldsteelburns

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Aug 2, 2010
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Hey everybody :) I am trying to find a quality belt that actually goes past 120 grit that I can use to take my knives up to at least 400 grit before hand rubbing, and that also cuts good enough to just leave as is for a machine finish. I have been using the 3m Trizact CF "Gator" belts and they are cool belts, but all I do is flat grinding and they tend to wear unevenly and never leave a flat finish (for me).

My normal belt prgression goes like this in case anybody wants to know:

1st- For the profile and start of the bevels I'll use a zirconia belt in mostly 36 grit

2nd- 60 or 80 grit with 3M 967 gold belts.

3rd- 120 grit using 3M 977

Then I would follow up with a gator belt in A100 (180 grit) then either an A65 (280 grit) or A45 (360 grit) or both...

But like I said they leave an uneven finish on my bevels and I can't find any ceramic belts that go above 120. So I'm guessing the only other alternative would be to use some type of Aluminum Oxide belt, but there are tons of different type and brands, so what brand(s) and type(s) are good for using on bevels to get a nice machice finish. (Although I mostly hand rub my blades, I would still like to have that option.)

Oh yea, and I get all my belts from Pops Knife Supply so it would preferably have to be something they sell, cause I'm broke and can't afford to pay shipping from multiple places ;)

Thanks guys! :)

-Paul
__________________
(some of my knives etc. www.youtube.com/Lsubslimed)
 
I was going to suggest cork as well. Especially if you break the belt in per knife making legend Steve Johnson's instructions. I have found that a 220X cork (properly broken in) and then loaded with 240X Polish-O-Ray (it's a buffing compound Brownell's gun-smith supply sells), will put a really nice machine finish on a blade. Of course you can do it with 400X cork and 400X compound too.

Another option (initially pretty spendy) is to get one of Rob Frink's (Beaumont Metal Works home of the KMG) rotary platens. With a ceramic 120X belt, it will put a REALLY NICE using grade finish on a blade... it has the shimmer of a 320x-400x finish. :)

The Poplin's are on the other side of the country from me, but I still order all my belts from them!!! :thumbup: First class folks for sure! :)
 
Thanks guys!

Frank- They do sell Hermes, they have RB 346 and RB 406 only in J weight belts. They are aluminum oxide and the RB 406 go from 80-400 grit, anf the RB 346 have 600 and 800 grits. Are those any good for grinding bevels?

Bruce- Are those the same Norax that they sell at usaknifemaker? I never new Norax were ceramic belts? those are pricey! but I'm sure they are worth it.

Nick- Thanks man :) yea I live in Federal Way, WA so I geuss that means they are on the other side of the country from me also ;) Does Pops sell corks belts? I'm trying to get everything I need from one place so I don't have to pay extra shipping. I really wanna try those cork belts with the compound now..

But are any of the other belts at Pops good for finishing? I guess the whole "aluminum oxide" thing makes me feel like they are only meant for wood lol not sure what makes one AO belt better or different than another AO belt, except for the backing, and weight of it..

Thanks again!

-Paul
 
I like a fine scotchbrite belt. I go to the 180 gator, and sometimes the 400 gator. The fine green scotchbrite belt blends everything and gives a really nice finish. Spray WD-40 while the belt is running, and the finish is even better.
 
Cork belts are good for polishing, but for me they do not replace regular belts up to 400.

Yellow J flex from Klingspor in 120-220-400. I've bought thousands of these from Pops. They don't last very long, but they sure do grind smooth and leave a very nice finish!
 
220 Zirconium belts are nice of you want a stiffer belt compared to the usual finishing belts

I can make a gator belt last a while and get a dead flat finish... I did get some a ways back that threw grit off, I suspected they were old.
 
I'm actually a bit surprised that you don't favor the Gators for a belt finish. I love using them and the finish they produce. They are long lasting and cut well for me. The wear is pretty even along the belt for me as long as I only use them for blade bevels or flats. Initially, I tried to use them to finish the blade's spine (parallel) and it would gouge out spots in the belt, but I quickly learned my lesson about doing that. I use the Norax belts from Tracy for that now. I tried the Norax on my bevels, but I prefer the Gators myself. I take my bevels to A30 and finish with a grey (super fine) scotchbrite. In my experience, it leaves a nice smooth satin finish.

Adam Buttry
 
I haven't tried Norax for bevels but got a few from Tracy for my Farmer's Market sharpening rig (1x30). Can't believe how long they lasted, literally thousands of knives, those things are iron.
I use a 16 and a 5 Micron Norax on my 2x72 for general prettying up (profiles, folder parts) and I wonder if I'm ever going to have to replace them.
Anyway, they're much flatter than Gators, maybe that'll help, and they come in all kinds of grits.
 
I like the Norax belts because the backing is soft and cloth like. Last thing I want is a gouge near the plunge that you can get with an x weight type of belt.
 
To get a bit better mileage out of a gator belt, hit it with a stiff wire brush as it's running. It'll knock off some of that crud and expose some sharp grit. Those belts last forever.
 
I've found that for grinding, belt makes a huge difference, but for finishing, I've gone from the $3 import belts to the $10 structured belts, and everywhere between. I've found that my best finish comes from proper technique, using fresh belts, not skipping grit progression, and making sure to keep from gradually increasing my pressure without knowing it.
 
OK thanks! :) I was curious how a typical aluminum oxide belt would do for "clean up" and what type of finish it would leave compared to the nice finish ceramic belts give, let alone zirconium belts! I woulda fingured that the grit would be quite uneven etc.. Of course I know that they won't leave the same type of finish cause they are different, but I wanted to make sure it would be suitable.

Thanks Don and Daniel!! :D I'll deff pick some of those Klingspors and zirconiums. I'm just glad I know which brand to try "for now" at least, cause I'm broke, and can only buy things I know will work. I appreciate that.

Adam- I wondered if that was the reason for the uneven wear cause I was cleaning up my spines etc. on the gators, but I really havn't had that much experience with them so I haven't hand enought ime to learn that on my own :D . However, now that I know that I should only use them on the flats and bevels, that makes my outlook brighter for them :) Thanks for the tip man, and I guess since they are already kinda ruined..? (unless I can fix them) I can dedicate the uneven ones for the spines of my knives etc and use all the rest I have only for flats/bevels :thumbup: :cool:

Once I have more $$$ I will try prob get some norax belts etc. but I really you wanna get some of the cork belts now, I always assumed they were good for leaving a nice finish only after goin to at least 400 grit, belt they sound great after some more reading on them. I like scotchbright belts for some knives, but not whem I'm trying to keep me bevel lines nice and crisp etc.

And please if anyone else uses any other belt (220 grit and up) "from Pops" let me know how they work and how ya like them! Thanks A lot guys :)

-Paul
 
Last edited:
HallHandmade said:
I've found that my best finish comes from proper technique, using fresh belts, not skipping grit progression, and making sure to keep from gradually increasing my pressure without knowing it.
Click to expand...

Great advice.

I can't believe no one has mentioned 3M 707's in 220 and 240. Great ceramic belts that cut fast. Sure do wish they'd find a way to make 400 grit in these...
 
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