SiC belts for finishing wear resistant steels?

[Scaniaman]

What is your experience with this? Say going 400 or 600 SiC after 220 ceramic. Any good material removal? How is the finish?

 

[Robert Erickson]

My process for these steel is that I grind down to around 0.02" with ceramics pre heat treatment from 50 grit to 220 grit. Post heat treat I grind on a felt back platen. I like two things about it. One is there is less belt friction and therefore less heat. Two it creates a little convexity. I go from 80 grit ceramic to 120 grit ceramic. (I haven't found great ceramics in 220.) I then switch to fresh Alum Oxide belts at slow belt speeds for finishing. I go from 120 to 220 to 320 to 400. You only get 3 or 4 passes with each belt but they're relatively cheap. I like the finish they produce.
Here's a recent Magnacut blade finished with that process.

 

[JoeBusic]

I was advised against them for high carbide steels, specially hardened, as the SiC grains break fast to remain sharp. I use ceramics up to 120 and go with Trizact after as they have a thick backing to avoid belt kicks.

 

[Scaniaman]

My process for these steel is that I grind down to around 0.02" with ceramics pre heat treatment from 50 grit to 220 grit. Post heat treat I grind on a felt back platen. I like two things about it. One is there is less belt friction and therefore less heat. Two it creates a little convexity. I go from 80 grit ceramic to 120 grit ceramic. (I haven't found great ceramics in 220.) I then switch to fresh Alum Oxide belts at slow belt speeds for finishing. I go from 120 to 220 to 320 to 400. You only get 3 or 4 passes with each belt but they're relatively cheap. I like the finish they produce.
Here's a recent Magnacut blade finished with that process.

Neat. I also finish on a felt platen when I'm not hollow grinding. So far I have finished Magnacut with 220 ceramic and then red or blue scotchbrite.
PS check out the deerfos bora 3 for good 220 grit ceramics

 

[Taz]

Trizact has a ceramic series in A45 and A30 and they work well. Norax has ceramics, A65, A45, A30 and A16 that also work well. I like the Hermes Ceramic flex belts in 120 and 220 and picked up the Pops Ceramic flex 120 and 220 to try out as well, but haven't used them yet. The SiC belts work well, and are best run wet and slower speeds, but don't last long. I used all of these (except the Pops Ceramics) to finish some S90V Shechita post HT. I don't consider Magnacut super hard to finish post HT, but S90V was a PITA! I found it was better to use a hard platen versus a felt platen with the S90V because it seems to need more pressure/firmness to cut well.

S90V after going to A16 Norax Ceramic and SiC 1000 grit:

Magnacut with regular non Ceramic finer belts: