New knifemaker. I need help with what to get on first Jantz order.

JG Custom Metal Works

JG Custom Metal Works

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Nov 27, 2013
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A bunch of you helped me out with which sander to get in another thread in this section and I greatly appreciate the help. The thread was kind of evolving into a more general help thread so I figured I'd start this.

I got my first profile cut out today and I'm getting the Craftsman 2x42 tomorrow. What kind of belts should I get? There's so many different belts on Jantz knife supply. I have no idea where to start... 3m, Norton, alum oxide, ceramic, blaze?

I'm also wondering if anyone here could advise me on odds and ends I might need during the knife making process.

Also, I'm probably gonna need some pins or some method to attach my handle scales. Should I go with screws since I might need to make adjustments? I don't have a drill press so I'll be using a hand drill for the holes. What kind of bit would you recommend?

Thanks again everyone, you all have been great in helping me out.
 
this was the response I got from stacy aka bladsmith when I asked what belts to get.. to whom I thank very much. I took his advice and couldn't be happier. I ordered my belts from trugrit. jantz don't have a good selection of 2x42 they were at my door 2 days later.


Just a piece of advice based on experience:
Coarse and medium belts are what you want. Mainly 36-220, with some 400 for cleaning things up .Finer sanding and polishing are best done by hand in the beginning.

the thread can be found here. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1144181-help-choosing-belts
 
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cobalt drill bits are great and even with screws your gonna want to use epoxy also get ao belts to start and then buy a few of each kind to find your favorite -calvin
 
As crank said, 2X42 belts are available in different materials and grits from many companies. Not all carry a vast array in that size, though. Check around. I use Klingspor, but many recommend True-grit. Here is a good chart with explanations: http://www.trugrit.com/belts-descriptions.htm

Your coarse shaping belts are 36, 50, and 80 grit, you need 2-3 of one of those grits (eventually, you want to try all three, but just pick one to start with). I would suggest 50 grit or 80 grit for a new maker on a 2X42. ( Blue Zirconium or Ceramic if available); next, you want 120 grit to clean up the coarse scratches ( Blue zirc works extremely well here, ceramic does too), 3-4 of them; 220 grit to make a clean flat surface, two of those ( Blue CZ or gold/yellow belts); and 400 grit for a clean surface ( gold/yellow j-flex or AO/SC), you want 4-5 of these. Roughly, the order of durability and ease of metal removal is - Ceramic, Blue CZ, yellow/gold, Aluminum oxide, Silicon carbide. The backs come from stiff to j-flex. The very still belts don't run on 2X42" grinders as well, so don't get the very stiffest types (X is pretty stiff. XF, and Y are OK for 2X42). In finer grit belts, F (flex) or JF (j-flex) is good.


Also, get:
belt cleaner block ( block of gum rubber)
slow cure epoxy
Sheets of sandpaper ( grit/quantity) in 220/4, 400/8, 800/4, 1000/2
Since you don't have a drill press, I would recommend using use 1/8" brass or nickel rivet stock ( get a 12" piece). You will need a 1/8" drill bit for the hole in the wood, and a 3/16" drill to drill the hole in the tang ( blade tang hole should be 50% larger than the rivet). Jantz sells a $16 starter drill bit set ( 1/16 - 1/4") that looks OK.
You really should get a 10" long magic-cut file, a 10" second cut file, an 8" round file, ( a 8" half round bastard or second cut file is nice, too) Even with a belt grinder, you need files.

At some point you will need/want a file guide for getting even shoulders on hidden tangs and even plunge lines. Whenever you can get one, it will make your life much happier. They are $45-50....and worth every penny of that.

Start with simple to finish handle materials. , Linen or canvas Micarta, Dymond wood, basic stabilized wood ( not fancy burls in the beginning), walnut,

You will need to find a block of hard wood or a piece of aluminum or steel bar to wrap the sandpaper around in hand sanding the blade.
You will also want a safe place to work, and some boxes/bins to put your stuff in.

My tutorial on "How to Instructions for Making a Knife" cover a lot of set-up and other needs and tips. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/694673-How-to-instructions-for-making-a-knife
 
I here a lot of folks are using glass or ceramic platens for their belt sanders. knifemakerUSA has some but I'm not sure what I would need for my 2x42 craftsman.

How do you all feel about the Bubble Jig grinding system? The jig itself kind of looks like just a bent bar...

Thanks a bunch bladsmth and everyone else.
 
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Qty Description Unit Amount Remove
2 2x42-60 Best Value Ceramic $2.75 $5.50
2 2x42-120 LS309J Aluminum Oxide $2.95 $5.90
1 2x42-120 R980 Blaze Ceramic $5.25 $5.25
2 2x42-220 CS310X Aluminum Oxide $2.95 $5.90
1 2x42-400 CS310X Aluminum Oxide $2.95 $2.95

This is my order so far. Their supply was kind of limited on some of the belts you mentioned bldsmth. Also, in some of the grits the only ones available were X. Should I get those? I didn't see any "XF or Y" on there. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place.

ETA: Just noticed your link to the "abrasives description." I've been up all night looking at this stuff and working in the shop, It's bed time for me. I will read it later today in depth.
 
X will work fine if your grinder is able to handle it. It is just a stiffer backing. I am sure Jantz wouldn't be offering it in 2X42 if it wasn't usable.
 
Awesome, just placed and order with Trugrit, Jantz, and Knifemaker USA for everything that you mentioned above. I also sprung for a bubble level jig.

Thanks a bunch bladsmth.
 
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bladsmth said:
As crank said, 2X42 belts are available in different materials and grits from many companies. Not all carry a vast array in that size, though. Check around. I use Klingspor, but many recommend True-grit. Here is a good chart with explanations: http://www.trugrit.com/belts-descriptions.htm

Your coarse shaping belts are 36, 50, and 80 grit, you need 2-3 of one of those grits (eventually, you want to try all three, but just pick one to start with). I would suggest 50 grit or 80 grit for a new maker on a 2X42. ( Blue Zirconium or Ceramic if available); next, you want 120 grit to clean up the coarse scratches ( Blue zirc works extremely well here, ceramic does too), 3-4 of them; 220 grit to make a clean flat surface, two of those ( Blue CZ or gold/yellow belts); and 400 grit for a clean surface ( gold/yellow j-flex or AO/SC), you want 4-5 of these. Roughly, the order of durability and ease of metal removal is - Ceramic, Blue CZ, yellow/gold, Aluminum oxide, Silicon carbide. The backs come from stiff to j-flex. The very still belts don't run on 2X42" grinders as well, so don't get the very stiffest types (X is pretty stiff. XF, and Y are OK for 2X42). In finer grit belts, F (flex) or JF (j-flex) is good.


Also, get:
belt cleaner block ( block of gum rubber)
slow cure epoxy
Sheets of sandpaper ( grit/quantity) in 220/4, 400/8, 800/4, 1000/2
Since you don't have a drill press, I would recommend using use 1/8" brass or nickel rivet stock ( get a 12" piece). You will need a 1/8" drill bit for the hole in the wood, and a 3/16" drill to drill the hole in the tang ( blade tang hole should be 50% larger than the rivet). Jantz sells a $16 starter drill bit set ( 1/16 - 1/4") that looks OK.
You really should get a 10" long magic-cut file, a 10" second cut file, an 8" round file, ( a 8" half round bastard or second cut file is nice, too) Even with a belt grinder, you need files.

At some point you will need/want a file guide for getting even shoulders on hidden tangs and even plunge lines. Whenever you can get one, it will make your life much happier. They are $45-50....and worth every penny of that.

Start with simple to finish handle materials. , Linen or canvas Micarta, Dymond wood, basic stabilized wood ( not fancy burls in the beginning), walnut,

You will need to find a block of hard wood or a piece of aluminum or steel bar to wrap the sandpaper around in hand sanding the blade.
You will also want a safe place to work, and some boxes/bins to put your stuff in.

My tutorial on "How to Instructions for Making a Knife" cover a lot of set-up and other needs and tips. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/694673-How-to-instructions-for-making-a-knife
Click to expand...

Great post, thanks for sharing you knowledge about belts. I have a question though. I am not sure what you are referring to when you mention Blue CZ and Gold/Yellow. I can not find any belts that are listed as Blue CZ. I have found blue zirc belts, but I am not sure if that is what you are referring to.

As far as the Gold/Yellow, is that a name in a brand or just a color of a belt? I have seen several belts that are yellow, but there seems to be several kinds. Is this a AO belt or something else?

One other question. Is the progression of belts used when grinding typically, ceramic for roughing, zirc for removing scratched, and then AO for finishing? Seems there are varied opinions on this. Could one not use just ceramic belts?

Thanks a lot,
Greebe
 
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I meant Blue AZ belts. They are blue colored alumina zirconia. Often called Blue Zirc belts.
The gold/yellow is a color description. The color is sometimes part of the brand name, like "Klingspore gold" or "3M gold"
 
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