Belts for wet grinding

H

Hubert S.

Joined
Dec 14, 2019
Messages
1,437
I have been grinding with one of the little mister gadgets yesterday and today and I think I like it. It makes a bit of a mess, but I had no issues with the blades overheating, which has been a problem for me in the past.

I am running out of belts and plan to order a bunch next week. So far, I have been using mostly VSM X-weight ceramic belts in 60 and 120 and then the Trizact in higher grits, but those are apparently not waterproof.

Do you have any recommendations for grinding belts that work well wet, particularly in higher grits?
 
VSM has. Compact grain called KK770J that you might want to give a try.

I have the CK918X up to 1200 and for main bevels not a problem but it is hard so cant get into the nooks and crannies. But I cam run them soaking wet without issues.

The compact grain also takes a long time to break in and give a good finish so expect to do some R and D on it.

The US has some great companies that have a large selection of belts and very knowledgeable staff. Tru-Grit is one.
 
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ok i got you. since i run gators and have hated the problems with runnning them wet as well as the trizacs. supergrit started stocking i think they are called sun max. i have had no problem running them wet right up to the point that they were too wet to even get traction on the grinder and slipped. i can confirm name when i go back out to the shop. they are i think grits A45 and finer they also carry some other belts that are structured abrasive that handles water just fine in the a160 and a100 range. not sure what level you are looking for.
 
marthinus said:
VSM has. Compact grain called KK770J that you might want to give a try.

I have the CK918X up to 1200 and for main bevels not a problem but it is hard so cant get into the nooks and crannies. But I cam run them soaking wet without issues.

The compact grain also takes a long time to break in and give a good finish so expect to do some R and D on it.

The US has some great companies that have a large selection of belts and very knowledgeable staff. Tru-Grit is one.
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I cannot find much on the KK770J, but I found a KK772J that is advertised as compact grain. I have not found a US source for them. If anybody knows where to get them, please let me know.
 
butcher_block said:
ok i got you. since i run gators and have hated the problems with runnning them wet as well as the trizacs. supergrit started stocking i think they are called sun max. i have had no problem running them wet right up to the point that they were too wet to even get traction on the grinder and slipped. i can confirm name when i go back out to the shop. they are i think grits A45 and finer they also carry some other belts that are structured abrasive that handles water just fine in the a160 and a100 range. not sure what level you are looking for.
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I see white Sunmax 2x72 belts on supergrit in grits M16, M30 and M45. Pops has a white Sunmax structured abrasive as well down to M6. They seem to be the same, both sites show model number SY160 in the picture. That leaves a big jump from 120 grit ceramic to about 400 grit for the 45 micron structured abrasive. Is there anything in between?

BTW, thank you very much for your youtube video on grinding kitchen knives. It really helped me a lot.
 
I use the KK772J and they are really good. May replace the normal trizact in my shop. They can be run wet, but I use them dry. I go to 240 after 120 ceramic. Really cheap too, less than $6 where I got them (Europe, sorry).
 
wkfl said:
Norton Norax, 150-3000 grit, AO or ceramic...Trugrit. $$$$!
https://trugrit.com/product-categor...&query_type_series=or&filter_series=u254,u936
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Good belts. Love the U936 Norax.

Only reason I have moved to VSM is because the South African Norton Abrasives supplier’s customer service has gone to ...

OP. Give Tru-Grit a call and they will help. I have in the past from South Africa and they have helped me. If I can’t get right with the local suppliers my money has gone to them.
 
For coarse stuff I use Norton Blaze, which don't care about water, but for finer work, the following might be worth a look:

Hermes cork/silicon carbide belts.
https://trugrit.com/product-categor...terial=silicon-carbide&query_type_material=or
I have used only the 400-800...next time I work up an order I will look at the 1000 and maybe coarser too.

I have some of these, but have not tried them wet, although they say the backing is waterproof.
https://trugrit.com/product/2-x-72-220-x65-u936-norax-engineered-ceramic/

This Trizact description states it can be used with coolant
https://trugrit.com/product/2-x-72-240xf-a65-953fa-trizact-structured-ceramic/
 
I ordered a bunch of ceramic belts from trugrit today. I talked to them on the phone and they might start carrying the 347 trizact instead of 337. For now, I got some U936 ceramic belts and silicon carbide in 220 grit to play with. I will get some of the Sunmax next time I order from Pop's.
 
butcher_block said:
ok i got you. since i run gators and have hated the problems with runnning them wet as well as the trizacs. supergrit started stocking i think they are called sun max. i have had no problem running them wet right up to the point that they were too wet to even get traction on the grinder and slipped. i can confirm name when i go back out to the shop. they are i think grits A45 and finer they also carry some other belts that are structured abrasive that handles water just fine in the a160 and a100 range. not sure what level you are looking for.
Click to expand...

That's interesting, I run gators soaking wet all day with no problems - and have for years.
 
razor-edge-knives said:
That's interesting, I run gators soaking wet all day with no problems - and have for years.
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I think there are a variety of belts that people call gator belts. Supposedly, the 337 is not water proof, but the 347 is. I think there is a ceramic version as well. What type of gator belt do you run wet?
 
Hubert S. said:
I think there are a variety of belts that people call gator belts. Supposedly, the 337 is not water proof, but the 347 is. I think there is a ceramic version as well. What type of gator belt do you run wet?
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I use both 327 (low pressure applications) and 337 (medium pressure) belts like this.
 
razor-edge-knives said:
I use both 327 (low pressure applications) and 337 (medium pressure) belts like this.
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That's interesting. When I talked to trugrit today, they told me that the abrasive on the 337 would come of when running wet. I read some posts that mentioned this when doing a web search. Others seem to have no problem. I will have to try it on the next knife.
 
One advantage of using a Kool-Mist type system is it doesn't make the belts as wet as a spray or drip system.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
One advantage of using a Kool-Mist type system is it doesn't make the belts as wet as a spray or drip system.
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Maybe I did not have it adjusted right, but the belts, and my shirt and pants, got pretty wet... Is there a rough guidance on how much coolant per hour a mister should use? I did not pay close attention to the time, but I estimate I used anywhere between 1-2 quarts per hour. I will try to get a better estimate this weekend.

I am also wondering where best to direct the mist. For the most part, I had it spraying just below the top wheel so the nozzle is out of the way. The blade still got pretty warm when grinding and I kept dunking it, but it was never in danger of overheating, just on the edge of becoming uncomfortably warm to the touch.
 
i seem to only have the gator belts give issues on the flat platen. my belt use is 50 then clean up with A300 gator refine with 160 and 100 for belt finishes i then load a blue scotts brite belt with black buffing compound. if im going to go for a finer finish thats where the sunmax belts shine cause i can spray them with a bit of water no issues
 
Direct the mist right where the blade meets the belt. Just enough moisture to lubricate and cool. A foggy mist is better than a spray. I have seen one setup where the spray was directed on the back of the blade and not at the belt.

If the pressure and coolant feed are right the result is a very cold mist. If too wet it is just water. Some folks have to wear rubber gloves because the mist is so cold.
 
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