Platen Backing?

J

JM Wands

Joined
Aug 12, 2001
Messages
31
Ever ha dmore than you could handle??? My first .45 Gov Issue was prob more than I could handle.....for awhile;) A little while..lol So i have this Burr King,,,and I was wodering if I should put a thin "padding between the belt and the platen on the large wheel or no the Knofemakers Attachment? Also,,, what was so dangerous about these which caused them to stop making them? Am i destined to have some horrible thing happen to me if I use this grinder? (hasn't yet)
Thanks ,,,Jm
 
There's a graphite pad that one of the knife supply houses sells that you can put on the platen if you wish.
I don't know what the specific accident in question was, but that belt at full bore will grind hardened steel into powder, and there is no guard around it. It can also grab things such as loose clothing, or if you have too much space between the work rest and the belt it can pull your fingers into it (don't ask). I doubt that the Burr-King is any more dangerous than any of the other brands, or for that matter numerous other power tools that rotate rapidly. With all of them there are numerous ways to hurt yourself if you're careless. The same argument could be made for a car--darned handy but to be treated with respect.
 
You can go into your local auto glass makers shop and have them cut you a piece of pyrex to your platten size. It makes a perfect platten and lasts forever. You can mount it with 3m double sided automotive tape. The pyrex and tape will cost under $10.
 
i haven't made knives but I used a graphite cloth glued to the platen on a sander I used for woodworking. Where it used to bog down the motor under pressure it became un-stopable. I got this quite a while back from a company called Derda.They should website but I'm sure you can get the stuff at any supplier of woodworking tools.You'll be amazed at the results. It lasts a long time too. I'm talking about graphite cloth. I spray glued it on. I haven't checked but there are probably a lot of better products of it's kind on the market by now.
This stuff works great. You'll like it.
 
Tom, I had used graphite canvas before, and I hate that stuff. It always caves in and makes a less then flat platen, especially if you do most of your grinding and profiling on the platen.

If you use glass, make sure it's Pyrex (as Burn suggested) or some other tougher than normal glass. I tried normal glass, and it broke into three pieces in the first hour of usage. You might want to round the top and bottom edges of the glass with your sander. Sharp corners are rough on your belt splices.
 
Chang
That's why I mentioned I didn't use it on steel. It's great on wood. I even put it on my hand belt sander. A few years back it was popular among woodworkers.
 
I'm sure I posted this the other night but here I go again. The glass you want is called neo ceran and it will stand up to much heavy use. Frank Niro.
 
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