This belt just won't quit

JTknives

JTknives

Joined
Jun 11, 2006
Messages
8,651
You ever had a belt that keeps going and going and going. Well for me it's this lady, it has seen a crap ton of knives and has never me down. Tonight I was using it and after I was done I looked at it and realized it might be time to retire the old girl. Then I realized I have been using this one belt sence I made my first belt order back in 2007-2008 then I felt bad for wanting to hang it up for good. And to think these belts are only a couple bucks each. I think this belt has paid for it's self.

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I only run my belts for a handful of knives and all the print on the back is gone.
That's some pretty good ink - right there. :cool:
 
I'm with Karl. I think you probably have changed it but forgotten. That belt does not have eight years of grinder time on it.

Part of the problem in this situation may be that you seem to sleep/work between 3AM and noon, and then post on BF all day and night long. Get some sleep, spend some time in the shop, and don't worry about how long a belt has been on the grinder. We don't want you to burn out again :)
 
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I get one bowie or fighter blade out of a 400 grit belt, or if a larger bowie two belts per blade. After that it's a waste of time.
 
I'll keep a used set of each grit I use just for random tasks, but once I start a new batch of blades and belts, I'll throw the old ones out. Usually a week or two. 8 years on a belt seems wicked crazy. All the ink on mine are worn to barely readable also after a week or so.
 
I still have the original belt that came with the Wilton Square wheel grinder I bought in 1987, I keep it as a memento on the wall by the belts in use. I remember when the machine arrived and I started grinding out the first blades with it, its an 80 grit. The belt is worn right down as it took forever for the first shipment of belts to arrive.
 
A 400 grit superfex lasts me about 20-30 knives tops for sharpening and and three handles for Sculpting with the platen out. I use others for blade finishing .

After that the make too much heat and can torch the steel or wood. If you mark your belts on the inside with a marks-o-lot You will find the same thing.
YMMV slightly:)
 
How has that thing not exploded on you with that huge frayed / torn edge? Are you grinding flats with it? If so, aren't the torn edges creating marks on the blades?

I've moved to nearly only using Norax engineered belts as anything else doesn't last for more than one side of the CPM154 I'm grinding. All of the AO type belts I've tried will cut one plunge and bevel, but the second side ends up all over the place and starts to burn vs cut. And this is on annealed flat stock on small to medium knives.
 
I think I should explane what I use it for. I do a lot of cord wrap knives and I use it to brake the edge around the tang. Becaus it flexes and is so broken in it flows around finger grooves and the butt like water. I'm not removing much material just putting a small chamfer around the profile. I don't run it fast at all around 1000SFPM as I think it would explode going faster. It's just one of those things that's has always worked so I never payed it any attention. After use it goes back on the wall waiting for the next knife.

How do you like the norax, I have some but I seam to get a TON of life out of the gator belts as long as you keep them separated for purpose. I have one rack of them that's just edge bevels and another rack that's for mis other uses. I go from a 50grit blaze to the A300 gator (80 grit) and then go A160 and then a100. That's where I stop on most of my hard use knives but have belts all the way up to A30 which is 600grit. I find the A100 to be a very tough finish and like its look. If doing hand sanding I go up the A65 then A45. The drop to 220grit Hermes cloth and then work up to what ever finish is needed.

I have been wanting to try some Scotch-Brite belts as I think the finish would be great. And I think that belt would lend its hand to blending things nicely.
 
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Col Defender said:
Every time (almost) that my grinding is not going well, I discover that a new belt works wonders,
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So true! That's why they say to use them like they're free! I am always tossing belts in the trash... Sure I could get more life out of them if I worked at it, but time is more valuable than that.
 
JTknives said:
How do you like the norax, I have some but I seam to get a TON of life out of the gator belts as long as you keep them separated for purpose. I have one rack of them that's just edge bevels and another rack that's for mis other uses. I go from a 50grit blaze to the A300 gator (80 grit) and then go A160 and then a100. That's where I stop on most of my hard use knives but have belts all the way up to A30 which is 600grit. I find the A100 to be a very tough finish and like its look. If doing hand sanding I go up the A65 then A45. The drop to 220grit Hermes cloth and then work up to what ever finish is needed.

I have been wanting to try some Scotch-Brite belts as I think the finish would be great. And I think that belt would lend its hand to blending things nicely.
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Ah, I was thinking that that belt wouldn't be good for anything else.

I'm brand new to this field, but I bought a bunch of different belt types and brands (over 100) initially based on recommendations from you guys. I did this to get an idea for myself as to what would work and what wouldn't. It's amazing how different all the belts cut on both annealed and hardened steel as well as the non steel parts of our blades. The different cutting sufaces (contact wheels, platen etc...) really surprised me. I had read for several years about knife making and realized quickly I didn't know Sh*t. LOL

I tried to keep in mind what the experienced guys have said several times that belts don't last and to get over the cost. I kinda ignored this initially but it bit me in the ass a few times and I learned the joys of fresh belts when making critical cuts.

That all being said, I think the Norax's will be very similar to the "gators". I too now separate them per task and don't mix them. The great thing for me with the Norax's, especially the ceramics is how flat they stay even with heavy grinding and the near lack of a "bump" as the splice comes around. This really annoyed me with the J flex Klingspores that now, will never see steel in my shop again. They are regulated to handle work only, and rough cuts at that. The X weight Klings are better about the joint, but they grove out so fast on this cpm154 that I'd use two per knife easily vs multiple knives with the Norax's.

I've recently got a shipment of the "gators" and will be trying them next. I'm kinda chicken though as I've found my grove so to speak with belts right now, and am just starting to feel like I'm grasping the basics.



I bought a bunch of the scotch brites and they are nice for blending but they, like any other belt require a technique to use properly. I'm not that great with them and have moved towards Hermes cork belts. These things are life savers for me. They cut more or less depending on pressure, which for me means I can address the belt, let the knife ride on it till I'm sure it's even and then apply pressure.

They cut in a unique way though. If you get carried away they'll go from a polish like cut to actually cutting deep groves as the the grit can be pretty uneven. I've finished my last few knives with these and they look great. IMO.
 
I entirely enjoy the Norax belts for the reasons mentioned such as "no-bump", flexibility, and predictable cut when working at X100 or finer grits. The "new" U936 belt is a layered abrasive (kind of like gator belts) and show a lot of promise in my shop. This and is my new favorite for longevity at about X100 or X65 grit, while I still rely on the the trustworthy Norax U254 for the finer finishing grits . . . after all, the U254's are on cloth backing which allow flexing and rolling into corners such as around the edges of finger guards.

In any case, I couldn't imagine using a belt for years. I have a hard time throwing them away, but after a couple of knives they are toast.
 
I have some norex belts but in much finer grits, I think the finest one is actualy white and makes a mirrored finish. But i rarely go above the A45 gator as I hate really polished blades. I did not know that norax comes in ceramic now. I love the gators becaus there is a mile of grit on them and thy go forever as long as you treat them nice. The edges can get blown off rather easy if you use them to clean up plunge cuts a lot. That where the J-FLEX works so nice, I angle the blade so the edge bevel is not touching at the other 2" side of the belt and I push the plunge into the corner of the platten and let the belt role over and blend everything out. I don't use it to do any edge bevel work as I hate the bump from e seam. On a wheel it's not bad but on a hard steel platten it's not great. Thy also do wonders on the spine on a rubber wheel. As long as your spine is square and you don't need to remove material this thing is sweet. I run the blade verticle and run the spine along the wheel in long strokes. The rubber conforms a little and the belt hits the entire spine all at once. Using to hard of a belt and you have to be perfectly square with the wheel to get full cleanup in one pass or you end up with a bunch of grind lines.
 
The Gator belts last a long time. Other fine grit belts, like the yellow Klingspors, not so much. With that said, that particular gray belt line is about the only Hermes product that I would actually pay money for. It is much better than their basic red AO belts in my experience.
 
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razor-edge-knives said:
So true! That's why they say to use them like they're free! I am always tossing belts in the trash... Sure I could get more life out of them if I worked at it, but time is more valuable than that.
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Sometimes they will still work well for other materials - wood, bone, antler, old nuts and bolts - whatever.
 
Old belts work great on kydex if you flip them inside out and use the backing to smooth the edges lol
 
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