Belts for wet grinding

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
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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Maybe the misters work better in a more arid climate. It was hot and humid last weekend with a wet bulb temperature of 80°F, at best. I don't know what the temperature and humidity of the air from the compressor was, but the run is pretty short and there is no water separator on that line, so I suspect it was pretty warm and close to saturated. Probably not ideal for running a mister. I will do a test this weekend and stick a thermometer in the mist to see how low a temperature I can get.

Even without much evaporative cooling, I found the water pretty helpful. It cooled the blade enough so I never had to pull it off the grinder real quick because my fingers were getting too hot. It also seemed to cut better, maybe because I applied more pressure without the fear of overheating the blade. I have two heat treated blanks ready for grinding this weekend, I hope it goes as well as the last knife did.
 
I tried Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith 's suggestion and pointed the mister where the blade meets the belt. It took a bit of trial and error until I figured out how to point it so it was not in the way. I also ran it with a lot less water and it worked pretty well. My fingers were never in any danger of getting too cold, the temperature of the mist was in the high seventies, but it was enough to keep the blade cool. I really like the mister, it has made a huge difference for me. Today I ground a 7" kitchen knife in less than half the time it usually takes me, and for the first time ever, I did not have any major screw-ups and was able to get a nice finish on it with a cork belt. It still took me close to two hours, but I am pretty excited regardless.
 
What??? Rubber Gloves??? - I
When my hands get soaked for an hour or two is the only time my hands get looking somewhat clean.
 
On the gators working bad or good when wet, I think it depends how old they are or maybe if they have been frozen. I notice sometimes mine seem to "go bad" and they are terrible wet. The fresh new ones are usually fine.

Gavko Knives has the coolest wet grinding setup.
 
I tried the U936 Norax belt in 220 grit today after a 120 VSM ceramic. It worked great.

I also had a belt snap on me for the first time while grinding today. Last time I ordered belts, they did not have enough VSM 120 grit belts and included two other belts. I cannot find a brand name. The belt started to track right after just a few minutes of grinding and as I went to adjust the tracking, it popped and hit me in the shoulder. I barely felt it and put a new belt on. Should have walked away, I promptly put a gouge into the blade. Oh well, I do really need a petty knife anyway...
 
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