Belt life

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Amber_2477

Joined
Jan 11, 2021
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Hi everyone!

This might be a totally stupid question, if so, thanks for stating the obvious 😄. Im wondering if any of you have tricks in getting the longest life out of your belt grinder belts? I have 3 main grind scenarios: refining out the knife profile, surface grinding (surface grinder attachment) and then bevel grinding. The first two scenarios seem to always damage the belt, in a way that becomes apparent in either the bevel grinding going wonky or subsequent knife surface grinds.
Is there a particular order to which you guys progress through your belts (in terms of age (eg belts used in bevelling and surface grinding are only used x number of times and then demoted to profiling)? Any other tricks? Or should i just suck it up and expect to buy new belts more regularly?

Cheers for the guidance 😊
Amber
 
New belts are used for bevels only. Particularly as I get Closer to the thinner edge

when these are worn out for bevel grinding, then these become available for profiling and rough work

to get a little more life you can used a desmond belt dresser or diamond abrasive “stick”

you can also split the belts in half to 1” wide to get a little more out of them
 
I do the same. Bevels get new belts. Once those are used then they move to profiling duty. I usually don’t take the profile to a high grit on the grinder cause hand sanding it doesn’t take too long anyway and a slip could mess up the profile
 
The hardest thing to accept in knifemaking is the short life of abrasives. When I notice a belt wearing out it goes on a designated "heater" peg because at that point they waste your time heating things up instead of cutting. I'll use them for odd jobs but never keep more than five or six on that peg.

It's not the answer you're looking for but trying to stretch too much life out of a belt is a waste of time and effort in my opinion. Grab a new belt and let it rip.
 
tell us what you are using now :) i use belts for shaping handle material first, its easy to overheat and turn it brown, and get dark circles around your pins if its not zippy and sharp. . then i use them for bevels and general purposes, then for profiling. if you profile with a new belt you usually end up shearing off the grits.
 
Amber_2477 said:
The first two scenarios seem to always damage the belt
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Like john mentioned above, it's really only the profile grinding that will quickly strip the grit off the belt. In my experience, surface grinding will only ruin belts if you don't take the scale off the steel first because the scale dust seems to clog up the grit on the belt.
But what was said above seems to be pretty standard.
Can I assume you've seen the phrase; "Use 'em like they're free." ?
 
just ordered a VSM actirox, looking forward to seeing how that works out- I plan on using it exclusively for profiling. I have grown to hate using old belts for rough profiling, it's tedious and boring, so that's the process I'm looking to speed up a bit. Gotta say, though, compared to the old days when it was just hacksaws and files having a portaband has shaved so much time already off that step
 
Lorien said:
I have grown to hate using old belts for rough profiling, it's tedious and boring, so that's the process I'm looking to speed up a bit
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This!
I use new sharp belt for profiling, I hated how used belts would burn the dye chem and wipe out the line. So much faster using a new belt.

Old belts for me get used typically for Non Blade work and other hobbies and projects.
 
To get the most out of your belts grind 75-90% of your bevel with 50 grit.
Then use 100 grit to clean up the grind and get to where you want it.
Then move to 220, then 400.
For finish work Trizact Gators which last a long time as well as cork belts dry and loaded with compound can last for years.
 
AVigil said:
To get the most out of your belts grind 75-90% of your bevel with 50 grit.
Then use 100 grit to clean up the grind and get to where you want it.
Then move to 220, then 400.
For finish work Trizact Gators which last a long time as well as cork belts dry and loaded with compound can last for years.
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why 50, not 36 if you don't mind my asking?
 
Lorien said:
why 50, not 36 if you don't mind my asking?
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Sometimes a 36 grit belt will put in a really deep scratch and you have to chase it for a long time. Also 36 grit flies off the belt so fast. 50 seems more consistent and gives a smoother grind that does not lay in very deep scratches.

At times on a thick blade I will start with a 36 grit and at about 50% switch over to a 50 grit.

I like the predictable control of a 50 grit belt.
 
Guys! The wealth of knowledge here is awesome. Thanks so much for the advice.
Im certainly getting the feeling being cheap is probably biting me in the butt. Being in Australia has me coughing up a bit more cash for belts so i may have to look into bulk buying to bring the price down a bit 😅. And maybe i need to rip the forging scale off with vinegar first before surface grinding - i didnt factor this in!
Side note - I love the finish of the trizact gators!! Looks like the suppliers have dried up in Aus right now. Hopefully its just temporary!
 
alright, i plan on trying a new 50 for profiling next time :thumbsup: makes sense the grit will shear off less. if you leave your scribe line intact when using the 36, then remove almost 1/2 the scribe line with a 50, and the rest of the line with 120 you should not have any deep scratches on the edges of your profile.
 
AVigil said:
Sometimes a 36 grit belt will put in a really deep scratch and you have to chase it for a long time. Also 36 grit flies off the belt so fast. 50 seems more consistent and gives a smoother grind that does not lay in very deep scratches.

At times on a thick blade I will start with a 36 grit and at about 50% switch over to a 50 grit.

I like the predictable control of a 50 grit belt.
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That's what I've noticed. A 36 cuts well but then I'm chasing one or two deep scratches. Eats up more time then the 36 saves.
 
john april said:
alright, i plan on trying a new 50 for profiling next time :thumbsup: makes sense the grit will shear off less. if you leave your scribe line intact when using the 36, then remove almost 1/2 the scribe line with a 50, and the rest of the line with 120 you should not have any deep scratches on the edges of your profile.
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That is bad idea if you ask me .The cross section of the steel is small and grain will fracture to fast and will make that belt like 80 grit or more ........ So far I used worn but properly fractured 40 grit belt /not glazed/ and now i use new 100 grit and it work perfectly .Especially for finishing profile on a horizontal grinder , I get finish almost like a mirror.
 
On many knives I find a good 100 or 120 grit works just a s fast as starting with a 50 then going to a 120.
 
Lorien said:
why 50, not 36 if you don't mind my asking?
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There was a thread about this a while ago and I was convinced to try it when some folks who know what they are doing said that their grinding grit progression is 50>120>220 instead of 36>60>120>220, saving a step. I'm now about 1/2 way through my first order of 50 grit belts and while not convinced yet that it's faster, I did notice that there wasn't any grit flying off the new belts on startup, it is easier to prevent irrecoverable grinding mistakes, and I am convinced that it should save $ in the long run by having one less belt to buy....
 
While I start with a 36, I too do the vast majority of my bevelling with a 50. Profiling I do on flat disc with 60 grit ceramic psa’s. Inside curves I use a 50 grit on a 3” and 1” wheel. These 50 grits are worn.
 
Learning to understand what you are grinding makes a difference. You need to cut and not rub the steel. With soft steel your grit doesn't need to be ultra sharp but on hard steel it matters more. Like Harbeer was saying if your belt is worn or the steel is ultra hard you need to reduce surface are to get it to bite and you need lots of pressure. You can rough in most blades with a semi new belt and then bring in that last little bit with a brand new belt. If you rotate them for a task you can get more good use out if a belt. A belt that has lost its edge but still has good grit can be run all out with lots of pressure to profile the blade and the high speed and pressure with a small surface area will often fracture the grit and you can get more out of a belt. I have heard that surface grinders that can put down a fair bit of pressure and use a wheel can use belts that you would normally throw away. A wheel opens the grit and let's it fracture better and also has less surface area so you can hog with older boys or can have an easer time with ultra hard steels. When working with very hard steels or a large surface area like a big Bowie or a chefs knife a fresh sharp belt will still cut and you can keep your heat down but you want to be careful not to knock the tips of the belts.

You can use new ceramic belts on wood but they are closed grit and you often do better with a cheaper open grit AO or Zirc mix belt.
 
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