Getting a Bader III: what belts should i get?

Knifemaker87

Knifemaker87

Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
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okay... the title basically says it all
i am buying the 2 HP varible speed Bader III.
i do flat grinding but i have no idea what type of belts to get. i know what grits, but not the type. i am buying the grinder from Pop's
thanks for the help!
~Chris
 
60 ceramic, 120, 220 400 and 600 j flex belts. That's a good start. Get 10 of each. Ask Pop he'll get you on the right track.
-John
 
thanks for the help on the belts, what manufacturer is best? 3M? Kingspor?
oh and is the 2 HP that much different than the 1.5? is it worth the extra money?
i am also looking at it on: http://www.trugrit.com/knife-bader.htm
because on Pop's it wont let me add the grinder to my cart. i already sent Pop an email.

thanks
~chris
 
I like 3M ceramic and Klingspor J flex. I think the 2 hp is worth the money, definitely. I'd call Pop if I were you. He doesn't get to the shop until around 4:00 PM EST.
-John
 
The best advice I can give here is to CALL Pops and talk to him. Forget ordering online. He'll talk to you about what you're likely to need based on the work you're doing, etc. If you're just starting out he'll likely point you at an assortment so that you can find what works well for you, etc. Once you figure out what you like, then you know what to reorder, etc.

-d
 
Ceramic's are the way to go, no doubt. I've just started running my belt finishes up to 2000 grit, and all I use for finishes above 400 are 3M Trizacts. Very nice stuff.

Deal with Pop. He's a great guy, and because of where you are you'll get stuff faster!

PS- I hate you.
2 hp variable Bader... I'm so jealous!
 
we stall 2 hp on large (14") contact wheels (bader 100-4's). I think 2 hp is a minimum....

I really like 3M for smooth consistancy on grinding, norzon for hogging, but LOVE trizac for finishing. Same here 400grits and above are trizac. I have used the thin monofilament belts but beware if you run without guards, they will slice you right open through your gloves
 
kerrystagmer said:
but beware if you run without guards, they will slice you right open through your gloves
Click to expand...



The micron belts even sound evil. I cut myself pretty well early on in my grinding development with one of these. They're spooky, and I don't like 'em. Not one bit.

Regarding stalling a 2HP motor, what the heck am I doing differently? I've only rarely approached stalling my 1HP Wilton...
 
Chris, like has been said, call Pop, he'll do you right. :thumbup:

I like the 3M 967 in 60 grit and the yellow Klingspor in 120, 220 and 400. These are the belts I use 98% of the time.

2hp is a minimum for me and worth the money.
 
we grind swords..... figure a pound of steel ground off each blade... gotta get it off fast!

The larger wheels really take much more power as they have larger contact areas.

I'm changing one of our grinders to a 5hp to see how it is. I'd hate to be over doing it with electric what it is, but labor is always the largest expense!

As far as Bader is concerned, I'm their #1 fan.... They have had fantastic service for me, even though I bought all my machines (3 100-4's) second hand. Anyone who wants to see how these machines move metal is welcome to touch base and come by.

Kerry Stagmer
www.baltimoreknife.com
www.fireandbrimstone.com
 
The Norzon and Blaze from Norton and the blue Klingspor zirconia belts are very good too in the large grits. I would go with 40 rather than 36 for most applications. ^0 works well if you are using Blaze. I agree with Don on the yellow Klingspors. I have some of the more xpensive Hermes dark gray belts too in 120 and I am fairly impressed. Avoid the regular brown Hermes A/O belts like the plague for anything other tan rough wood sanding.
 
I have two Bader III machines sitting beside my old homemade machine. I could not be happier. I am not into power grinding so the 1.5 variable is plenty for me. I have had a lot of trouble with the flat platen attachment since I got the first one. I finally discoverd that the major vertical plate was a little warped. It was wearing out the two wheels and I was having to get them turned down often. I borrowed a platen attachment from Gene Ingram to confirm that this was the problem. The main thing here is that I called Bader and explained my problem. They put me a new one on UPS the next day. NO CHARGE! NO QUESTIONS! You can't go wrong when dealing with a company that has that kind of Customer Service.

Nice folks up there. Thanks Bader.
 
Does anyone have a link for Pop? Sounds like a nice guy, and good deals. How much did that Bader run you if you don't mind me asking?
 
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