I hate fine grit belts!

P

psycho78

Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
1,108
I'm so frustrated I could dropkick my grinder....Or my own ass.

I am using a Coote grinder with a 1hp motor (Pretty sweet mobile setup) and been making sparks with the orange Blaze 60grit belts and 3M 50 grit ceramic belts.

I'm very satified with my 60 grit vertical scratches. My grinds are the best they have ever been, and I'm starting to get the hang of it.

My problem is going from 50-60 grit to a 400 grit. I've learned that method through watching videos and reading stuff here. It has worked a handful of times, but i really don't want to keep going back to the belt risking screwing up my crisp lines etc. I cannot make my hands make the fine belt go where it needs to. It's always so damn uneven, and it always ruins my sharp plunge lines.

I really do love a vertical scratch pattern, and I was wanting to know if any of you guys know a method of what grit I could stop at, then go on to maybe make a nice finish with a fine scotchbrite belt...
 
If you're going from 50/60 straight to 400, you may want to try a couple intermediate grits - say 120 and 220. That's an awful big jump.

Rob!
 
I also have trouble it seems when I get to a semi fine grit-say 200, or 300, hollow grinding my blade jumps around on the wheel, cuasing damaged plunge lines
 
Slower speed and less pressure on the finer grit belts,If thier biting and jumping your pushing too hard.
Stan
 
Worn 400 belts are hard to keep straight. I say keep em fresh or go through the sequence of grits. Slow belt speed helps although my burrking grinder is single speed.
 
I'll second Bruce's advice. A sharp belt cuts alot truer than a worn belt. For the longest time, I had trouble with my flats on higher grit belts. It sure looked good and flat when ground to a 60 grit finish, but that coarse of a finish hides quite a bit, and the flats really weren't turly flat. So when I started stepping up to 220 and 400, I found out just how un-flat my flats really were.

As you grind more, your skills will slowly increase, and pretty soon you'll be able to feel the grind flats and keep your lines true and sharp and your flats truly flat (or as flat as you can get on a belt).

I'd also say use intermediate grit belts if you're not already. Going from 60 to 400 is a huge step, and 400 isn't really coarse enough to level out some of the problems from your 60 grit finish.

--nathan
 
get yourself a few gator belts they last a long time and cut smooth (jsut cant use them to hog steel )
 
go 220 and 400 grit gator belts, smooth as silk,best ive ever used
 
At least you are not on a 6" disk like me! When I read your OP I thought speed and pressure at first, and it was followed by those more knowledgeable than I.
 
I try to hog off most of the metal for the bevel with 60 grit blaze belts, then I switch Norzon 120 to crisp up my lines, then Norzon 220 to smooth it up a bit more, then finally a J-Flex 220 to really get it nice and smooth for heat treat. I don't messaround with with 320 or 400 until after it gets back from heat treat, but I'm new at this too and that's just what I've grown comfortable with so far. Who knows, it may change in the future.
 
Use a Hermes MJ 400 grit belt and clean frequently with compressed air. If you've noticed that it ain't cutting ... trash it.
 
Whatever those greenish belts are, with the ziggyzag abrasive pattern(Gator?) is your answer. Those seem to work better at the finer grits for me; I think it's because of the thicker cloth backing. Whatever; they seem to jump around a lot less.
 
I have 4 of the gator 400 grit belts. I think one of my problems is that I have believed it a bit too much when people say they last longer, and I have worn them out. They feel sharp to my hands, but I am poor and tend to use belts to death.

I would say that's 99% of my problem. I don't have the "treat belts as if they were free" thing that alot of makers have.

I learned the 50 to 400 step from Steve Johnson's subhilt video. I think Loveless mentioned it in his book too. The 400 grit belt somehow washes away those rough scratches perfectly (at least for Steve on the video...lol) It's worked for me too, but it screws up my plunge lines and everything else in the process.

I have a fine 800-1000 scotch brite belt that I have never used. It's a bit thick and I need to remount my grinder to use it.

What grit can I take it to and finish with the fine scotchbrite? What would produce a fine working/satin finish?

I guess people can say I'm going for a shortcut, but I don't really see it that way. I'm trying to be efficient, and create a finish suitable for the style of knives I'm making. (tactical, working, SD, simplistic) Not looking for a hamon or a hand rubbed finish or anything like that right now. Just not my style. For example, I don't want to buy a bunch of intermediate grit belts when I can go from a somewhat rough grit straight to a scotchbrite and get a great result.

It works for 50 to 400....wonder if there's a grit suitable for the scotchbrite?
 
I know some makers go from 60 to 400 grit and it works fine but you must remember , you will only get one use out of that 400 grit belt . That is a lot of work for that fine of a grit.

For your question , I go to 220 or 400 grit , then the scotchbrite fine belt . Of course the finer you go the nicer it looks .
 
The advantage to me using the intermediate belts is you only use them for a couple of passes, when sharp they remove the previous belts scratches and make their own. This way there is less chance of messing up your grind. I go 40 -60 - 80 -120 - 220 and then HT. All are norton blaze up to 120 and then I am going to try gators. Not happy with the nortons so far. You can go to the fine scotchbrite after 220 and get a nice finish.
 
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With the gator belts, if they start to have a shiney appearance on the grit, hold a wire brush to the belt for a few seconds at high speed and it removes the glazed abrasive and exposed the new abrasive. You can do this many times until the raised grit is almost flat to the belt.

Thanks

John
 
Thanks guys. I guess I'm gonna have to order some 120-220 belts. I think that will help my grinds some.

It makes sense what Patrick says. I can make just a couple of passes with them instead of working my poor 400s to death.
 
You didn't say, or I missed it. Flat, or hollow grinding. It makes a difference.

Flat grinding, go to the gator after 120 blaze.

If you want a good smooth finish with lines, to to a 220 cork abrasive belt from Norton or 3-M for a final finish. It will look much like a slightly worn 400 standard belt finish and keep the lines nice an crisp.

Scoth bright belts will blow or round the crisp grind lines of a hollow ground blade. If you have a high grind line on a flat ground blade, rather than all the way to the spine, the scotch bright belts will mute this as well.

Steve Johnson uses the 60-to 400 skip. the Loveless Shop doesn't.

Steve uses very specific brands of 400 grit belts to accomplish tis. Most will not do it.

Mike
Maker
the Loveless Connection Knives
 
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