Improving Belt Life

[thknives]

Hey folks,

Just wanted to share something with you. For those of you that use the higher end ceramic belts & coated abraisives, like 3M Regaloy or also the trizac belts:

Those belts tend to glace over if one does not use enough pressure to fracture the grit and makes them perform like a dull belt then.
A solution to this is that you can refracture the grit with an old carbide lathe bit. One needs to be carefull while doing that, so as not to groove the belt. This opens the belt and makes it cut as like new. I can consitantley grind at least 4 - 6 5" blades after doing this.

Belt manufacturs have also noticed this and came out just reacently with a belt dresser. It looks like the dressers that are used for stone grinding wheels. They are avaliable for different grit ranges. Have any of you ever used one of those dressers? Here is a link http://www.desmond-stephan.com/beltbrassive_dressers.html

 

[Reg ELLERY]

Thanks for the tip. I use a rubber block for cleaning wood out of the grit. a belt dresser, that I would never have thought of. I used a dresser many years ago at work to clean up the grind stones. Still did not think of it.

 

[rlinger]

Thanks for the tip. I still use aluminum oxide belts and use a balled up plastic bag to unload my belts. The bags don't last long but there is an endless supply of them since every time you buy something at the store they put it in one.

Roger

 

[itrade]

Thanks TH - big time.

I've gotta try this. S30V loads them up fast. This could save all kinds of $$$

Steve

 

[Darren Ellis]

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for posting this info, these look like they may be worth someone trying out and reporting back to the group. I called the company and here are the prices for various ones:

24110 = $36.00 dresser/blade 200-300 grain

24120 = $20.40 extra blade for 24120 dresser

24210 = $35.60 dresser/blade 60-200 grain

24220 = $16.80 extra blade for 24210 dresser

24410 = $14.50 dresser/blade 0-60 grain

24420 = $3.95

The company sells through distributors, so you can call them to see if they have one local to you. Also, she told me that the 24410 model has steel like teeth, similar to a wheel dresser, and the others have sort of a rotating wire wheel thing.

I've currently got some 36 grit structured abrasive belts, so I'm trying to track down the model 24410 dresser.



-Darren