work sharp belt life.

[NWangler]

hello, i would like to know when to replace the belts on the workshrap. especially the 6000 grit purple belt. since that sees the most use. thanks appreciate the info!

 

[Lance23]

Once it's completely darkened and you feel no resistance sliding it between thumb and forefinger.

I've had my WSKO for a year now and I'm on set 3 of belts, but the last set is still very usable.
The X65 and X4 are the longest lasting IMO.

The x65 belt is enough of a finish for most utility, work knives. I've gotten shaving sharp going only that high.

Biggest thing that has helped me is a quench cup/bucket of ice water to keep the blade cold during grinding.

 

[NWangler]

thanks for the help!

 

[Bob6794]

I think there were talks of people using a belt cleaner which helped extend the life of the belts dramatically. I don't use the work sharp or belt sanders so I won't comments too much on it, but a quick search will probably pull up information on it. That will probably help you in obtaining longer belt life. But if I remember the description of it, it was basically a giant eraser as they described it.

 

[efaden]

Belt cleaner?

 

[Bobby3326]

I use the ko work sharp blade grinding attachment and the belt life greatly depends on how much you use, and for what. Obviously heavier grinding will wear them out faster, I have noticed a slight increase in belt life using a gator stick (belt cleaning stick found at most hardware stores).

I'll use mine until they're no longer removing the material they should, then I use them for touch ups instead of reprofiling.

 

[Czechmate]

I think there were talks of people using a belt cleaner which helped extend the life of the belts dramatically. I don't use the work sharp or belt sanders so I won't comments too much on it, but a quick search will probably pull up information on it. That will probably help you in obtaining longer belt life. But if I remember the description of it, it was basically a giant eraser as they described it.

Belt cleaner?

A crepe block is what you're looking for; a very useful and cheap piece of kit to buy. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: I've used em for years on various sanders to unclog the belts/sanding pads.

I find the KOWS belts don't seem to last that long but I use mine pretty heavily... :foot::thumbup:

 

[bgentry]

I've had pretty good luck with my WSKO belts. I've done around 130 blades, plus or minus. Most SUPER damaged requiring a lot of grinding. I'm using a second set of belts that I like better than the stock belts. Both sets of belts (stock and the new ones) are still going plenty strong. I've been using a belt cleaning stick since the beginning; I think that helps a lot. Even Harbor Freight has them for about $7.

Brian.

 

[Bobby3326]

I use one of these, they seem to definitely pro long belt life since I began using it.

 

[Czechmate]

My last big knife repair job using the KOWS; definitely testing the limits of this machine IMHO. Time for a 2X72" grinder... :thumbup:

From this:

To this new recurve, convex edge:

 

[Bobby3326]

My last big knife repair job using the KOWS; definitely testing the limits of this machine IMHO. Time for a 2X72" grinder... [emoji106]

From this:

To this new recurve, convex edge:

Try the blade grinding attachment...Thou nothing close to a 2x72 it's capable of way more than the standard ko work sharp.