What good are scalloped abrasive belts?

Tom Lewis

Tom Lewis

Joined
Feb 24, 2000
Messages
1,862
I think someone asked this question awhile back. I think the scalloped belts are fantastic for going around curves in finishing knife handles. The picture shows a stabilized buckeye burl handle that was 100% finished on the slack belt using Klingspor scalloped 312 J flex belts. I get them from Pops.
 

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Hey tom, I'm curious what grits you go through. Also, how long do they last if purely used on handle finishing?
 
I use a 36 grit zircona belt to do rough shaping. Then on a slack belt I use a 220 scalloped grit belt to refine the shape, and then finish with a 400 grit scalloped belt. I can do four knives, that includes grinding the steel on a full tang knife. If I have four knives, I do the wood, bone, etc. first, then do the steel part of the knife handle last.
If I was doing a hidden tang knife the belts would last longer.
 
They work well for the guard/handle transition on the underside of a stick tang.
 
To see a scalloped belt, go to Pop's knife supply, click on abrasives, click on the Klingspor belts and under the 312 J flex belts you have the option for the scalloped belts. The Scalloped belts are super flexible and make sanding inside curves easy.
 
Here is a photo from Hatcher knives web page.
IMG_4351-X3.jpg
 
Thanks, Mark, for the picture. That is a 1" belt on the machine. The belts also come in the 2" width. I have always used the 2" wide belt, but can see how the 1" belt would be useful.
 
If im not mistaken, their two jobs are to make flexing easier but also to not creat such sharp sanding lines, lets you blend curves together more smoothly.
 
Learn something new ever day in this biz. :thumbup:
 
That's cheatin'.....supposed to struggle & learn to do it all by hand....

Well... maybe I'll have to try some...LOL
 
And you know, they have been available for many years. I did use them for a bit and then stopped, but can't tell you why. Perhaps it was when I went to making the folders only thing.
Frank
 
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