Evening guys!
Lots of good info on the belts Daniel, I need to order some for the little 1x30. I only have up to 120 now. I would like to get up to about 1K grit range to try and do as much finishing on the grinder as I can, because sanding out 120 scratches by hand sucks. Luckily I can get decent belts locally in 50, 80 and 120 grit. They're just AO, but do well.
Its nice having heat in the shop, really takes the edge off. Tough stuff dealing with teething! Hylands teething tablets are your friend! Pick some up if you haven't, it will make things so much easier for all of you! Zyler didn't go for the frozen chew toys much at all, but those tablets saved my sanity!
-Xander
Thanks on the belts and good you can get some locally. AO are nice as long as you change them when they are worn out, they have a nice feel to them when grinding. I think Pops and trugrit have 1x30 belts, I had recommended some a while back and you can get just about everything in 1x30.
Yeah good to have heat this time of year! I was working outside at this time last year, it has not gotten over freezing in days now... at some times my drill press would not spin from the cold.
I still do heat treat outside but eventually want a small oven for air hardening steels inside. It is fine being outside I just think I could get more done if I could watch the kiln in the shop.
I'll check out those tablets, I just looked them up. Very cool!
Thanks for the clarification Daniel. I've been buying my belts from USAKnifemaker.com, the prices are pretty much the same and Tracy has the Trizact CF's up to A5(!!!)
No problem! I keep trying different belts and it is interesting how different they all are.
I get most of my supplies from USA, they are great all around. Top notch service and they have everything I need. By combining everything it really saves...
I like Pops for belts and if you go with 3M over the blaze belts they are a lot cheaper and won't gum up your platen. I like to spread around my business and Pops is a good guy. Usually my belt order is so big I have to order them separately anyways. I spend as much on belts as everything else combined.
There is one company I will not order from anymore but have had great luck with all the rest.
NJSteelBaron is the way to go for steel. I also buy from flatground, they have nice steel.
I had not ordered belts for a while and am just down to it on new ones... have more at the PO right now luckily!
I finally feel like I have used everything up and will probably toss them all, I bet I have half a truckload of belts on the wall! I use the fresh ones for bevels then they get downgraded to flats status... after they won't grind the flats evenly they get tossed. I have a ton of marginal ones that need to go! I had this crazy huge rotation going on and my whole grinding room is now full, lol it will nice nice to toss them all!
I thought the Trizact CF's were the gators... They are nice though I only have them up to A45 (400grit). Corks are nice too! I have a 400 grit cork belt I loaded with black compound, it leaves a nice clean "satiny mirror". You can see your reflection in it clearly but it has a faint 400 grit scratch pattern that leaves it just a little satiny.
