Surface finish from small wheel attachment

G

gatorforge

Joined
Jul 2, 2010
Messages
176
So finally got myself a 2x72 and a small wheel attachment with a set of small wheels. The small wheels are not rubber coated.

While I’m able to get a good finish on the flat platten for the spine and flats, etc. With the small wheels grinding the interior curves of the handles, the surface finish comes out bumpy and uneven no matter how smooth I pull it across the wheel. This is exaggerated by the smaller diameter wheels and higher grit belts. Any help on how to fix this would be appreciated. This is really holding back my work.
 
Also use the largest small wheel that fits your profile, if you can use a 2” wheel to fit the radius you are sanding it will give a smoother finish than a 1/2” wheel. Hard wheels give more chatter than a rubber coated wheel at least in my experience.
 
I get my best results with gator belts and light pressure. Some belts that are smooth on the platen do not work well for me on the small wheels (e.g., Norax) and are really bumpy. I use the biggest wheel that fits the curve.
 
Definitely using the biggest wheel that fits the curve, but sometimes I have to use a smaller wheel though.

As to use light pressure, that only makes it 10x worse with the chatter and belt bump.

interesting to hear about gator Bering better than norax on small wheels, as I have been using norax. I’ll have to try some different options, how has trizac worked out?

any thoughts on coating the wheels, maybe with a thin layer of leather, or a good source for rubber coated wheels?
 
I thought the trizact is the gator belt, maybe I'm using the wrong term. The belt I am using is the 337DC. I just recently got a few Norax to test for wet sanding and I really liked them until I used them with a small wheel.

I use VSM ceramic for the lower grits, also pretty low pressure. I mostly use the small wheels for the choil and heel on hidden tang kitchen knives.

Is the issue getting it smooth and shiny, or getting bigger bumps from rough shaping out?
 
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