- Joined
- Nov 16, 2002
- Messages
- 9,948
Not coarse enough!
Just got some of the mylar-backed, aluminum oxide grinding belts from Lee Valley (along with a leather sanding belt to replace the one I over stretched) the other day and tried them out last night on my trusty HF 1"x30" sander. Only tried one knife so far (Swamp Rat brand Ratweiler Chopper) and liked the results.
First off, they only cover 180 grit through 1200 grit so they're not for hogging away mammoth amounts of steel nor for turning blade steel into a glossy mirror. A nice closed-coat aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, or ceramic belt will handle the heavy lifting and you can use a leather belt with compound or a worn 15 micron SiC belt with compound (one that'd otherwise be thrown out - not a fresh one!) for an edge teeming with gleam.
What you do get is a nice array of fast-cutting belts that leave finishes finer than their grits or micron sizes suggest, stay flatter than most cloth-backed belts, and exhibit minimal heat build-up. While not glossy, the finishes left are nice and shiny and quite sharp to the touch (note: not a good idea). Aside from cosmetic reasons, there's very little reason to go higher than the 1200 grit belt. It's very, very nice.
The belts are more expensive than coarser grit sanding belts, but with less curving, less heat, and a finer finish, that's okay by me. Plus, they're more affordable and easier to obtain than Tri-Zact belts.
So, with one knife, I'm quite pleased. Will report more when I get more info.
Just got some of the mylar-backed, aluminum oxide grinding belts from Lee Valley (along with a leather sanding belt to replace the one I over stretched) the other day and tried them out last night on my trusty HF 1"x30" sander. Only tried one knife so far (Swamp Rat brand Ratweiler Chopper) and liked the results.
First off, they only cover 180 grit through 1200 grit so they're not for hogging away mammoth amounts of steel nor for turning blade steel into a glossy mirror. A nice closed-coat aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, or ceramic belt will handle the heavy lifting and you can use a leather belt with compound or a worn 15 micron SiC belt with compound (one that'd otherwise be thrown out - not a fresh one!) for an edge teeming with gleam.
What you do get is a nice array of fast-cutting belts that leave finishes finer than their grits or micron sizes suggest, stay flatter than most cloth-backed belts, and exhibit minimal heat build-up. While not glossy, the finishes left are nice and shiny and quite sharp to the touch (note: not a good idea). Aside from cosmetic reasons, there's very little reason to go higher than the 1200 grit belt. It's very, very nice.
The belts are more expensive than coarser grit sanding belts, but with less curving, less heat, and a finer finish, that's okay by me. Plus, they're more affordable and easier to obtain than Tri-Zact belts.
So, with one knife, I'm quite pleased. Will report more when I get more info.
.