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Belts breaking?

Raymond Richard

Raymond Richard

Joined
Jun 17, 2001
Messages
5,705
I bought a good supply of Blaze 50 grit belts 2 X 72 not quite 2 months ago. I've had 3 or 4 break since I have had them. Just wondering if anyone else is having a problem with these belts or if my machine is out of wack?
 
Been using Blaze 60 grit belts for about 4 mos and no problems at all. Just recieved a new order of them. Love'em.
 
I used a few of the 50's when they first became available and did not have any trouble with them. I would check with Tru Grit and see if there has been a problem that they know of.
 
Bruce Bump said:
Ray, besides breaking are they good belts? Ive never bought them before
Click to expand...

Bruce, They are really good belts but spendy. I switched over from Hogger's but can't really tell if there better. Think the problem I was having is my platen was out further than it should be. Its adjusted now so I'll see how that works.
 
Ray, I'd send those broken ones back anyway. The platen sounds like the most likely culprit,but the belt companies like to see why and how belts fail. They will almost surely replace them if they aren't used up.
BTW,your Christmas knife was nice!
Stacy
 
Raymond Richard said:
Bruce, They are really good belts but spendy. I switched over from Hogger's but can't really tell if there better.
Click to expand...

Interesting, because that was the reaction I got back from the customers I sent samples to. They all felt it was a very nice belt but no one thought it offered extra performance anywhere near justifying the extra cost. They all opted to stick with hoggers.

As for breaking, I didn't have any complaints about that. With other belts, I broke one the day my pyroceram platen broke and another the day I tried to adjust my tool rest with the machine running - and went too far in. :(

Rob!
 
Raymond Richard said:
Bruce, They are really good belts but spendy. I switched over from Hogger's but can't really tell if there better. Think the problem I was having is my platen was out further than it should be. Its adjusted now so I'll see how that works.
Click to expand...

I get my belts from Tru-Grit as well. I had one break and that was something, I will never forget. I been using The Norton Plus and with good luck. Also, I use the 3M with good luck. I will look out on that one Bruce. God bless and thanks.

Barkes:thumbup:
http://my.hsonline.net/wizard/knifeshop
1.812.526.6390
 
I only had one belt break(A/O) and it scared the crap outta me :eek: I found out that wearing a ball cap while grinding keeps that belt from slapping me in the face too :o
 
Hi guys, belts will snap if they are freshly made. Best to leave them for a week for the glue/tape to dry out properly. I had 5 belts let go one after the other, not cool. Rang the manufacturer who came out to my place, replaced the belts (2 for every one that broke) and told me about the glue.

Peter.
 
By the time we get the belts, they should be well seasoned. One thing that Will kill belts is extreme hot and cold. This is one of the reasons I keep my shop in A/C in the summer, and heated in the winter. It is a lot easier on the machinery as well. I had a batch of belts once that were so bad, that I got gun shy of the grinder. to this day, if I hear a slapping or ticking noise from the grinder, I'm ready to run. Hard to concentrate on your grinding that way. I am having very good luck with the new Blaze Belts. I think the hoggers were a step way above what came before. The cooling agent that they use on the hoggers works way better than expected. What I have noticed on the hoggers is that the scratch pattern of the 60 grit belt looks more like the pattern from a hard wheel. Very precise for a belt. The Blaze seems to cut a little longer than the hogger. this is really evident when you change the belt out, and use it for profiling. The Blaze will profile blade blanks out of the bar, faster, and for much longer that even the blaze. A lot of belts want to strip out when hogging metal this way at a 90 degree angle, belt to bar. These things almost don't know when to quit! Same for taper tang work. They are a real value here! The Hoggers cooling agent, fills the areas around the grain, to the point that you don't want to use them on handle material, as it tends to burn the material. The Blaze does just fine here as well. I was having to use A/O for the handle grinding, and Hoggers for the steel. PITA. As I use the Loveless method, with 416 stainless fittings for the guard, and bolts, the A/O was going away fast, sometimes trying to burn the handle even when new. The Blaze could care less that there is S/S on the handle. A good thing! Mike
 
I haven't had any break. It seems that the Blaze belts stay sharper longer than anything else I've used. I haven't used them on anything but steel. I tend to use cheap AO open bond belts on wood so they don't clog up so fast.
 
Another thing is not to apply too much tension on the tensioner. The tighter the belt the more likely it is going to blow, and the tighter they are the more scarier the blow-out. Periodically I get a belt that won't track well, perhaps its because it wasn't lined up true when they glue the ends together. Sometimes its a build-up of crud in the grinder, that causes mistracking, and causes one to overtighten the tensioners to make that darn thing track in a straight line.
 
I haven't heard anything about breaking..

...but the last few months has produced more "Wobbley Belt" questions than I've ever had before.

-Rob
 
rfrink said:
I haven't heard anything about breaking..

...but the last few months has produced more "Wobbley Belt" questions than I've ever had before.

-Rob
Click to expand...

Rob, I'm pretty sure the problem I was having was because I went with a thicker platen and never got it adjusted to where it should be. Seems to be working better now and haven't had a belt slap for several days.
 
I had five out of six 36 grit break at about half life. I didn't see enough of a difference between them and the hoggers to justify the extra cost.
 
Are they tearing or seperating at the joint? I've had belts come apart at the joint from (apparently) overheating.

I have another belt that I think would break if I could just get it buckled again. It's getting so I nearly pass out trying to tie my shoes if I don't loosen the belt first. Time to lay off the eggnog and get back to work I guess.
 
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