getting belts for first time

J

jingo

Joined
May 11, 2008
Messages
27
Hey All

I'm about to buy belts for a 2x42 craftsman grinder and just wanted to run it by you guys. I've searched the site pretty extensively and found what seems to be a good general progression of belts. If they are available for a 2x42 I am looking at getting Blaze belts in 40 and 220 grit and Gator belts in 400 and 600 grit. I will be using the belts for rough shaping because I don't have a band saw and I don't think it will be worthwhile to buy one since I most likely will not be making a ton of knives. Will the 40 grit be fast enough for shaping the blade? Do I need to fill in the gap with 120 grit and do I need to go all the way out to 600 grit?

thanks

jingo
 
I bought belts from TruGrit a year or so ago for my 2x42, and at that time I don't think they had any 2x42 Blaze belts, although that may have changed. I also think they only had up to 400x on the Gators. Also, the Craftsman runs so fast that a 40x belt will eat through things very quickly, so that may be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you want. I just used a 50x Sears belt the other day to do some rough shaping on a handle, and it all happens very quickly at these speeds, so you really have to be careful.
 
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I purchase all my belts from TruGrit and the last time I order about 20 Blaze from them. I also orderd some 3M belts as well. I love both brands. :)

But just to let you know when you purchase these belts be aware that you will be spending a little more but they are top notch in belts. :yawn:

Great luck in your search for belts. If you go to my website listed below I have a page on Knife supplies. It will be a nice starter for you to search for knife making supplies. Have nice day out there and be safe. God bless. :thumbup:

Terry
 
As previously mentioned, you may not be able to find Blazes in 2x42. Your succession of grits looks OK with the exception of 120-grit (probably my mostest favorite grit :p).

What I have in my arsenal:

  • 40-grit 3M 977s OR 50-grit Blazes
  • 80-grit 977s
  • 120-grit 977s or Blazes
  • 220-grit Gators
  • A45 Trizacts
  • A30 Trizacts
  • A16 Trizacts

I also have some super-cheap 120 & 220-grit belts from Pops that I have been happy with for guard and handle shaping... I think that they are called Schroeders or something like that.

I definitely do not use all of them on all knives, but they seem to be a decent selection to draw from. I may end up replacing some of the regular Trizact grits with Gators.

These are all 2x72 belts, so you may have a tough time finding them in 2x42.

Good luck.

Erin
 
I order my 2x42's from trugrit and supergrit. Trugrit has the blue zirconia belts that are pretty good. I've had decent luck with the 36, 50, and 120. They also have the 3m gators in 160 and 400 grit. I really like the 36 grit ceramics from supergrit, seem to cut for a long time, and cut pretty well even when they're worn out. They have the gators at maybe 80 and 1000.
 
When you guys buy belts do you normally load up on the most coarse? Should I have a ratio of say three 40 grit belts to every one of the others?
 
I order heavy on the 36's, and order alot of 120's for handle shaping. The gators last a long time, and I usually do my cleanup with those after I grind the bevels with a used 36.
 
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