Cleaning platen?

JGarrison Knives

JGarrison Knives

Joined
May 28, 2005
Messages
5,081
Theres build up on my platen so I took some goo gone to it and razor and basically scraped it off. How do you clean yours?
 
I use a scrub brush and either simple green or WD40. The brush has a plastic scrapper on the back for the stubborn stuff!

-Shawn Hatcher
 
What kind of belts are you using? Some belts leave a lot more goo than others.

Blaze belts grind beautifully but leave a lot of residue. I use 3M ceramics these days and they don't leave much behind. Every couple weeks I hit the platen with a sanding block and some 320 grit paper and it's good to go.
 
jonnymac44 said:
I use 3M ceramics these days and they don't leave much behind.
Click to expand...

The 3M belts are very clean. But due to the rate that I use belts, I've been trying some of the less expensive blue zirconia belts that Pop's carries. They work surprisingly well, but they do not like water! I learned very quickly to remove the blue belts before cooling the platen with a water-soaked sponge, otherwise my platen and the various wheels end up with nasty crud!!

Hopefully Nathan's platen chiller will help mitigate the need for manually cooling the platen.
 
I used a certain belt for the first time yesterday that left alot of gunk on the platen. It was a 220 belt and was doing something weird to my grind. Im going to take a pic of it today and get a few opinions on whay might be causing it if its not the belts fault.
 
I have almost stopped using Blaze belts entirely on the flat platen because of the buildup... it drives me nuts. They are great on the contact wheel though...

I may try a ceramic platen too, I have used 3 platens up this year. I do save them and will eventually surface grind the lot. I think it will be easier to keep a ceramic platen clean and gouge free.
 
Daniel Fairly Knives said:
I may try a ceramic platen too, I have used 3 platens up this year. I do save them and will eventually surface grind the lot.
Click to expand...

I resurface mine using a redneck surface grinder . . . sandpaper taped to granite and a liberal application of elbow grease. Time consuming and labor intensive!
 
I clean mine off everyday I start to grind. Some windex and scotch brite pad cleans it right up.
 
I have never cleaned mine.. perhaps I should. I just put a new one on though, so I think I'm okay for a little while but I will start keeping an eye on this. What do you guys find when it gets cruddy, just more friction and heat?
 
mgysgthath said:
I have never cleaned mine.. perhaps I should. I just put a new one on though, so I think I'm okay for a little while but I will start keeping an eye on this. What do you guys find when it gets cruddy, just more friction and heat?
Click to expand...

Depending on where the crud deposits, it can really screw up your grind by creating a high spot. Much cursing ensues.
 
I do not remember the number of the 3M belts that I was using at the time, but several years ago I had the exact same problem with them that we are having with the Blaze belts now. The problem with the 3M was even worse than the Blaze, they did not only leave a black buildup on the platen, they left buildup on every wheel on the grinder. I used them for several months before I quit using them. I have not used 3M since then.
 
sshbiker said:
The 3M belts are very clean. But due to the rate that I use belts, I've been trying some of the less expensive blue zirconia belts that Pop's carries. They work surprisingly well, but they do not like water! I learned very quickly to remove the blue belts before cooling the platen with a water-soaked sponge, otherwise my platen and the various wheels end up with nasty crud!!

Hopefully Nathan's platen chiller will help mitigate the need for manually cooling the platen.
Click to expand...


Shawn,

I see you ordered both a platen and a water cooled chiller. The chiller absolutely will help keep the platen cool. For best results, install it with a dab of thermal grease from radio shack etc. However it can only pull heat out at the rate that it conducts from the grinding surface back to the chiller. I think it will probably fix your problem. However, another option would be to use the air injection port on the platen instead of a chiller. This puts a cushion of air between the platen and the belt which reduces friction (and therefore heat) and the air flow helps cool both the belt and the platen. The down side is the air cushion tends to roll the belt when you get to the more flexible belts so it needs to be turned off for things like j-flex belts.

If you want to try the air bearing and see if it fixes your problem, you can return the chiller (in unused condition) for a refund if you don't need it.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Shawn,

I see you ordered both a platen and a water cooled chiller. The chiller absolutely will help keep the platen cool. For best results, install it with a dab of thermal grease from radio shack etc. However it can only pull heat out at the rate that it conducts from the grinding surface back to the chiller. I think it will probably fix your problem. However, another option would be to use the air injection port on the platen instead of a chiller. This puts a cushion of air between the platen and the belt which reduces friction (and therefore heat) and the air flow helps cool both the belt and the platen. The down side is the air cushion tends to roll the belt when you get to the more flexible belts so it needs to be turned off for things like j-flex belts.

If you want to try the air bearing and see if it fixes your problem, you can return the chiller (in unused condition) for a refund if you don't need it.
Click to expand...

Nathan

What kind of air supply is needed for that to work well ?

What PSI and SCFM are you using ?
 
#s,

I've used from 5 to 50 PSI. For roughing with a stiff belt you want the higher pressure.

I don't know what the CFM consumption is, but 4CFM is plenty.
 
Heres what I was talking about with the belt and the platen. Not sure which it was but it only happened on one side too.

1.jpg2.jpg
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
However, another option would be to use the air injection port on the platen instead of a chiller.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Nathan. I don't currently have an air compressor, but when I get one I'll try both methods and see which I prefer. Your chiller could not have come at a better time. I've been trying to figure out how to make one with my meager tooling, and even more meager skills! Thanks again.

-Shawn Hatcher
 
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