what belt is best ?

B

broncstomper

Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Messages
11
I am very new so excuse the simple question. I Got a craftsman 2 x 42 from santa. After reading a little, even picking belts is complicated.
1 can i use the same belts for steel and wood?
2 what belt material to start with.
3 What r some good universal grits to start with?
Oh yeah I could tell yall what i'll be doing with it. blade grinding,handle shaping and polishing.Thanks in advance
 
The grits most likely to be useful are :
50-80 for rough grinding;
100-120 for smoothing;
200-320 for pre-finish;
and 400 for smooth finish.
The most available types are Aluminum Oxide and Silicon Carbide. The SC is better. When you get more involved, you may want CZ belts for the tough steels, but with that low power grinder, the AO and SC belts will be fine.
Cloth backed belts are better than paper backing. You can use the belts for wood and metal, a rubber cleaning stick is useful to keep the belts from clogging up the grit. Klingspor has a lot of good quality 2X42 belts in stock for knife makers. Call John Williams at 1-800-645-5555, he is the Klingspor knife makers rep. Nice guy, he'll help you out.
Stacy
 
Bookmark this place for future reference. They sell a decent selection in 2x42, including Klingspor, but not in the silicon carbide Stacy mentioned. http://www.trugrit.com/default.htm

Looking at what they sell, the price difference is not significant between the good stuff (ceramic, zirconia) and aluminum oxide.

Were I to buy from TrueGrit for the first time, I would select one each 60g ceramic, 120 zirconia, 220, 320, 400 aluminum oxide and see how I liked those. Then you can make your own decisions about future belt sequence in grinding. Certainly, none of them will go to waste.
 
Wow, great info! I was about to post a similar question as I received an off-brand 4"x36" for Christmas. I know that the 4" isn't ideal for knife making, but I can't wait to try it!
Thanks! One quick question though, can a 4" be used to sharpen as well; or is it to wide? If possible, what grit is best for sharpening?
 
Sure, you can sharpen on a 4" belt. Just be aware, though, that things happen fast belt sharpening, and doodoo happens just as fast. Practice on a buck-98 kitchen knife from Wally-world before committing to a better knife.

I grind new edges on with a fresh 220 grit, then overgrind with a 400 to a "bur". I knock the bur off on the buffer then hone on ceramic rods.

Everyone sharpens different ways.... slow is always better for a newbie until you get used to it.
 
thanks for the great replies. Not long ago I didn't know where to start making a knife. and while I've only made a few so far, I learned a ton from this site. I made the first one with hand tools only and learned quickly that anything with a motor that can speed you along is better than nothing. I am now obsessed with knifemaking.
 
Bronc

I had one of those for a good while,, Start with an 80 grit ceramic,get some 120 grit,400 grit. The 3M gator works good an that grinder for finish work.Get an A65&A45.
Also put a ceramic platen liner on it right away,will help with flat grinding as the platen on that thing sucks.Watch the platen on it because if you press too hard it will deflect.
I know all this sounds bad, but I made close to 100 knives on that little machine.
 
Might I suggest you give BarbKat a try on Ebay. I bought this sander prior to Christmas and had a hard time finding the belts for it, at a beginners price. Barb carries just about every grit available, and even with the buy it now and shipping, it averaged about $1.02 a belt. At that price you can afford to learn your equipment without a huge investment. Worked for me anyway. Cliff
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbarbkat
 
i 2nd super grit as i get all but my gator belts from them

ooo and it sure dont hurt them being just 12 miles up the road :)
 
I've dealt with Tru Grit for years, and they are good people. Just ask for Scott, and he'll treat you right.

Just tell him what size you need and what you're wanting to grind etc... and he can help on the recommendations. There's so many new belts coming out so often that it's near impossible to keep up.

I used a 2 X 42 Craftsman, that I modified to use a 6' rubber contact wheel, for a while, and it was pretty steady.

If you ever want to do any mods to the grinder, give me a shout.

Oh, on the 4 X 36, I use that one (and always have) to round and trim handles. Then I go to the KMG's to do the contours etc... They have a multitude of uses, but you may want to get some pyro-ceramic glass to cover the platen (flat surface). It wears pretty badly and can cause some serious problems in uniform finish.


MT
 
thanks for the offer mt. I haven't used it long enough to know mods i should do. i think the ceramic platten is a good idea but don't know wher to get it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top