Belts for sharpening

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I'm getting a new belt grinder my 1x30 took it's last breath. Looking at belts there are alot of choices out there. What have you used and liked? I do know that I will be getting more than a few of the coarser belts as a belt grinder is very useful for many things. But this will mainly be a sharpener. I didn't have any of the very fine polishing belts for my 1x30. In fact I used the back of a worn belt and put green compound on it for my polishing. This time I'm looking at maybe a leather or plain cork. Truthfully my most used belts for sharpening on the 1x30 was a 600 and the back of the belt with compound on it. For regrinding a knife to a fully convex blade the real coarse belts made quick work of it, but I never did use them to sharpen. I think the coarsest I ever used for a chipped edge was probably a 320, or 220. So, what do you use? What have you used and not liked? If you were doing it all over again what would you get?
 
Unless the blade is damaged, you should be fine with a 220, 400 and a 600. Afterwards you can go to your leather belt and add some green buffing compound for a mirror finish.
 
Can you use both sides of a leather belt? Example black compound on the rough side and green on the smooth side.
 
I'd say Mitchell's got it pretty close, there. I'd add a 120 to that assortment, for dealing with damaged tips or serious chipping.

You don't want to use both sides, really, because one side is riding on your platen and wheels. It picks up gunk, especially abrasive dust from the other belts. Econabrasives has the Surgisharp leather belts for $12, I use one loaded with green, then one loaded with white after my abrasive belts. Once you get really good with your grit belts, try looking into the "Trizact" belts from 3M/Doug Rising. They really take it up another level!

If I could only have a couple belts, I think they'd be a 120-grit Norton Blaze, an A16 Trizact, and the leather with green compound.
 
Good point on the leather belt picking up dust from the wheels and other parts of the grinder. My 1x30 was pretty dirty, I used it for more than just sharpening.I ended up ordering a range of belts from 60 to 600 grit, and a leather belt. I was looking at cork belts and some of the other types of belts but I only wanted to order from 1 place at a time. I'll probably end up trying most of them at one time or another.
 
I'm more than a little surprised at the lack of replies. With all the different types of belts and wide range of grits, I thought there would have ben more. Are there just not many who use a belt grinder for sharpening anymore? Sure seemed like alot of people used them a few years ago. I know I mainly used my hand hones even though I had a HF 1x30.
 
I use the heck out of mine, and I know quite a few other guys that do as well. This particular forum seems to favour the paper wheels over the belts, so you probably won't find quite as many users here as some other places.
 
Yup it seems like every thread gets the paper wheel suggestion no matter what. The reason I ended up getting the belts I did was because they are the X weight, stiffer. I thought that would be easier, I can be heavy handed, when learning a new tool. My new 1x42 should be here this week. Looking forward to trying it out.
 
Just grab yourself a couple old kitchen knives, or go buy some cheap-os at the second-hand store or Wally World, and give it a few practice runs. You'll get the hang of it very quickly, it's amazingly easy. Sounds like you definitely have all the belts you'll need, now just time to start practicing! Bet you get the first blade shaving in less than five minutes, dipping and wiping time included.
 
For my sander I have 220 for reprofiling or fixing damaged blades. Then 600 and usually to the leather with compound (1 for green, 1 for grey.) If I'm feeling really ocd I have some 1200 grit belts for extra refinement before the leather.
 
Last night I was reading an old thread and I think it was a post of Jerry Hossom's that said he wasn't really sure if useing compound was even nesasary. I do know I've read about people hand stropping on leather without anything on it. Does anyone use a belt without compound? I do have a bar of green and a bar of black compound. Probably will go with the green.
 
Theoretically the leather alone has some grit... but it's extremely fine. You'll do a LOT better by just crayoning on some of the green compound. If your green compound is like mine, it will leave a pretty-near mirror finish. Jerry has a LOT of good information on sharpening with the belt, he was one of the guys that gave me the advice I needed to get started, along with a fellow named Doug Rising that's not on this forum.
 
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I love using my HF 1X30 for convexing blades and sharpening. I have an assortment of Klingspor x weight belts from 120 to 600, and a surgisharp leather loaded with green compound that I got from Pop's. Unless an edge is completely fubar'd, a few passes on the loaded leather belt maintains the edges just fine. I'm sure the leather without compound would be just fine, but that compound puts on a nice polish on the edge :D
 
That is where I ordered my belts from. Pretty darn quick shipping too. They arived today. The sander should be here today also. Going to have a fun weekend.
 
Only used the leather belt today. Wow quick and easy. I'm real happy with the Viel I got. It runs smooth and much more quiet than the HF. Well worth the price over the HF in my opinion.
 
i would also check into the ceramic belts... i just recently got some and love them! they don't heat up the blade as fast as the trizact ones do and they cut quickly and I believe they last a long time. I also got a cork polishing belt... pretty neat and seems to work better for removing the burr than my leather one does.
 
Took a small Sak to the 600 belt, then the leather with nothing on it. Just an ok edge. I have a bar of green compound loaded the leather and I must say WOW what a difference. Two passes per side and I got an edge that is very close to my hand honed edge that takes me much time to put on. I just may be a convert. Razor is the cork you got the one with no grit on it? Oops, I just noticed you said polishing cork and that is the no grit one. Did you ad any compound to it?
 
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Really amazing, isn't it?

I have the Norton Blaze ceramics that I use for any serious stock removal, then I use the Trizacts for sharpening. They make the Trizacts in grits coarse enough to deal with the stock removal as well, but the Blaze does every bit as well for that and costs less than half as much. Haven't tried a cork belt yet, where'd you get yours? Might have to give one a shot!
 
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