What belts do I need?? New to the grinder

Gburgs

Gburgs

Joined
Nov 22, 2014
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So I'm getting into knife modding and knife making and I purchased a tw90. Kinda like I turned 16 and bought a Bentley...? Anyway, I'm a fast learner, heavily invested with my time and money, and I really appreciate quality products, so I'm hoping to get some solid advice on what belts I need to equip myself with and what brand of belts. There's a whole lot more I need to educate myself on regarding grinder safety and other aspects of the trade, but let's start here. What grits do I need? What brands are recommended? Oh, and is there a 1/4" wheel out there for the TW90?

Thanks guys. I've got a lot to learn and am appreciative of an education. I'm 100% open to recommendations and advice so please let me hear your opinions.

Thanks! Greg
 
Depends on what kind of finish you want to put on your knives. If you wanna do the mirror polish thing then you'll need really fine grit belts and need everything from 36-60 on up to 1000+ grit or so. You might also look at cork and felt belts for this.

If you want to do satin finish blades, which is what I do, you could get by with probably up to 220 or maybe 400 grit. I usually take mine up to 220 grit and then hit them with a scotchbrite belt. So I would recommend a few 36grit belts for profiling and hogging big bevels and then a few 60s, 120s, 220s, 320/400s, and then a scotchbrite belt or two. A word of caution on the 36 grit belts, they hog off metal quick and aren't forgiving so you probably should grind your bevels with the 60s to start and once you get comfortable use the 36s to hog bevels on thick stock.

Lastly, use ceramic. Aluminum oxide are cheaper but don't last worth a damn.
 
I use Norax belts after I'm done with the 120 Blaze. With my limited experience they seem to finish well.
 
Great.

any ceramic belt brand better than another?

How bout trizact? I've heard good things about these belts as far as durability. Any experience?

JG Custom Metal Works said:
Depends on what kind of finish you want to put on your knives. If you wanna do the mirror polish thing then you'll need really fine grit belts and need everything from 36-60 on up to 1000+ grit or so. You might also look at cork and felt belts for this.

If you want to do satin finish blades, which is what I do, you could get by with probably up to 220 or maybe 400 grit. I usually take mine up to 220 grit and then hit them with a scotchbrite belt. So I would recommend a few 36grit belts for profiling and hogging big bevels and then a few 60s, 120s, 220s, 320/400s, and then a scotchbrite belt or two. A word of caution on the 36 grit belts, they hog off metal quick and aren't forgiving so you probably should grind your bevels with the 60s to start and once you get comfortable use the 36s to hog bevels on thick stock.

Lastly, use ceramic. Aluminum oxide are cheaper but don't last worth a damn.
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