# Belt sanding tips



## ian (Feb 23, 2021)

I've been playing around with my newish belt sander a lot recently and thought it would be nice to have a thread for questions and comments about their use in knife making/modifying. 

Most recently, I've been trying to get a decent finish on a couple knives using my cheap Harbor Freight 1x30. So far, it seems like with a pretty slack belt I can't really get the belt to do much, and what grinding there is is mostly done toward the spine and edge of the knife (depending on the angle I'm holding it) rather than in the middle. I have better luck using a platen (or whatever you call the cheap little bit of metal that comes with my grinder) and starting with the belt a few mm away from it, so that I push it into the platen. Maybe because there's still some give in the belt, the finish seems to come out ok --- it's not like it's just removing metal right at the contact point with the platen. But it's kind of hard to hit every part of the knife this way, since the polishing is kind of localized. Anyway, it's taking much longer than I thought it would to get a good finish. I'm mostly using 220 and 400 grit aluminum oxide belts at the moment, with aspirations to continue to higher grits. Even with the 220, it's taking a long while to remove the scratches from the Sigma 240 stone I used on the blade. (Yes that stone makes deep scratches, but still.) Anyone have any tips?


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## inferno (Feb 23, 2021)

i mostly use my lidl floor grinder for making knives and i try to pretty much remove as much metal as possible with it.
i often work on hardened and tempered carbon blades (low temper).

so to not over heat these, i locate the knife over the belt where i want to start.
quickly push blade down on the belt then kinda reverse for few cm, to my real starting point,
push down to my working pressure (which is high), then do one lap/cycle from heal to tip. thickness of the steel determines how log this takes. usually around 2-3 seconds for a 200mm blade or so. i cool my blades after each cycle.

my philosophy on grinders is this: either you grind or you dont. and when you grind, you do it as determined and focused as possible, you gotta show the machine whos the boss. i've been working with different knid of industrial grinders since i was 14 or so. and most of the time you simply can f around with these or you will ruin the thing you are grinding. so you cant usually just "grind a little" you either do it properly or you dont do it.

now finishing things is a different matter and you will have to experiment. btw 220 and 400 might be coarse with stones but on grinders this is "fine"/slow.

i'm running 40/60/80/100 belts for my lidl grinder.

also i try to do everything on a tight belt with backing platen. if you want convexity, spin the blade around. you will have to experiment.

*one thing i have learned though, and this is the most important thing of them all. position the grinder platen or whatever you have in the most ergonomic position so you can easily see what going on and you can move the knife around easily. 

i basically have my grinder set up as a motorized stone just below heart level. total control, easy to see. ergo to use. *

good luck.

edit: here is my beauty


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## ian (Feb 23, 2021)

Nice. Part of my frustration is that I don't think I have control over the tension of the belt with the cheapo belt sander I have.


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## inferno (Feb 23, 2021)

and as opposed to common belief (maybe not so much on this forum though) you can make a knife from scratch with your grinder ian. you just need to get some 40/60 grit belts to start with. try to make a good solid platen to work off. one that wont wear away in 3 hours. if i can make knives with my **** grinder so can anyone with any grinder imo!


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## inferno (Feb 23, 2021)

ian said:


> Nice. Part of my frustration is that I don't think I have control over the tension of the belt with the cheapo belt sander I have.



can you post a pic of it? 

you can either mod it so you can tension stuff properly or simply put a new platen on there and space it outwards so the belt gets tensioned by the plate.


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## ian (Feb 23, 2021)

inferno said:


> and as opposed to common belief (maybe not so much on this forum though) you can make a knife from scratch with your grinder ian. you just need to get some 40/60 grit belts to start with. try to make a good solid platen to work off. one that wont wear away in 3 hours. if i can make knives with my **** grinder so can anyone with any grinder imo!



Yea, I totally believe that. The 60 grit belts I have are nice and aggressive.



inferno said:


> space it outwards so the belt gets tensioned by the plate.



That's a good point. There's not a ton of slack belt space left when the platen's on there though. I also kinda wish I could get *more* slack, because a thick surface conditioning belt I bought won't even fit on it. It's this one:



Amazon.com



I think. It was cheaper when I bought it.


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## inferno (Feb 23, 2021)

well you need to find a place where you can tension the belt. 

whats that thing with a knob in the back?


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## inferno (Feb 23, 2021)

maybe put tape on the wheels to increase diameter?


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## ian (Feb 23, 2021)

I haven’t really tried tensioning it, it just wasn’t obvious that I could. I should go look at the machine and figure out what’s possible before replying more about that.


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## stringer (Feb 24, 2021)

I have a Rikon 1x30. I have mainly used it to thin cheap stainless and vintage carbon. I also have had good luck microbeveling edges with a leather belt and compound. I have finally bought a house so I will be able to do more and I plan on building an @inferno inverted floor sander setup soon. First order of business for my workshop though was building a workbench. Fifth coat of shellac. A couple more coats and then I'm going to wax it and it's done. I'm pretty happy how it came out considering the sorry heap of twisted rotten pallet 2x4s it is made of.


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## RDalman (Feb 24, 2021)

For finishing slack belt is a good idea like you started. But you need kindof a superlight convex base from fresh 60 grit already and then follow through the grits, and only use brand new fresh belts for this. So if you can get a little more tension on the belt, try again... A ~240 grit slackbelt finish is indeed acceptable looking most of the time. Even better if you can follow it up with some scotchbrite or buffing. My final belt is trizact (gator) A45 which is ~400 grit, but followed with buffing work.


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## branwell (Feb 24, 2021)

For an even machine finish, think of it like hand sanding. You do the bulk of your sanding with a hard backing and move to a slightly softer backing when you finish. In this case, using 3M, you can temporarily attach felt or leather to the platen for similar effect.

The trick is the right about of "give" for the shape you are finishing. If its a flat grind, you want very little "give". If its a convex grind, a little more "give", so use more or less felt. Try one thin layer. If that is not enough, try two etc.

Tip: You likely don't want to convex into the edge so hold the edge inline with the top of your felt layer will reduce belt pressure at the edge.


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## branwell (Feb 24, 2021)

RDalman said:


> My final belt is trizact (gator) A45 which is ~400 grit, but followed with buffing work.



If you haven't, try a trizact finish with a soft platen. Pretty nice for a machine finish.


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## branwell (Feb 24, 2021)

.


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## ian (Feb 24, 2021)

branwell said:


> For an even machine finish, think of it like hand sanding. You do the bulk of your sanding with a hard backing and move to a slightly softer backing when you finish. In this case, using 3M, you can temporarily attach felt or leather to the platen for similar effect.
> 
> The trick is the right about of "give" for the shape you are finishing. If its a flat grind, you want very little "give". If its a convex grind, a little more "give", so use more or less felt. Try one thin layer. If that is not enough, try two etc.
> 
> Tip: You likely don't want to convex into the edge so hold the edge inline with the top of your felt layer will reduce belt pressure at the edge.



Ah, so people use soft cushions on their platens? I wasn’t sure that would work because of the friction.


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## tostadas (Feb 24, 2021)

Comparing belt grits to Jstone grits, I feel like there is at least a 3-4x difference. ie. 80grit belt feels like at least 240grit stone.


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## RDalman (Feb 24, 2021)

branwell said:


> If you haven't, try a trizact finish with a soft platen. Pretty nice for a machine finish.


I grind on rubber wheel, thanks for the thought though


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## branwell (Feb 24, 2021)

ian said:


> Ah, so people use soft cushions on their platens? I wasn’t sure that would work because of the friction.



Friction does play a roll but not as bad as one would think. That said, I do run stuff like felt and leather on a speed controlled grinder running at half speed or lower. Best to try it and see. Worst thing that will happen is it will wear out sooner than later, but when it comes to machine finishes, soft is good


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## ian (Feb 24, 2021)

branwell said:


> Friction does play a roll but not as bad as one would think. That said, I do run stuff like felt and leather on a speed controlled grinder running at half speed or lower. Best to try it and see. Worst thing that will happen is it will wear out sooner than later, but when it comes to machine finishes, soft is good



Hmm. Mine isn't speed controlled. I almost think a felt backing behind the belt would be a fire hazard. Food for thought.


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## RDalman (Feb 24, 2021)

ian said:


> Hmm. Mine isn't speed controlled. I almost think a felt backing behind the belt would be a fire hazard. Food for thought.


Yes those little bastards can run like crazy. Is it possible to find scotchbrite or trizact belts for them? Scotchbrite could be useful for your sharpening stuff pulling like a quick buff on blades.


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## Illyria (Feb 24, 2021)

I made a few knives on my 1x30 harbor freight sander before I got my 2x72 variable speed one.

The tension of the belts is really random between brands. Adding some tape to the wheels can work. 

Finish on brand new belts. With how quick the speed is and how little contact you can get on a 1 inch platen, you need to move really quickly.

Don't go higher than like 300-400 grit. The knives will over heat really quickly due to the speed of the 1x30.


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## ian (Feb 24, 2021)

RDalman said:


> Yes those little bastards can run like crazy. Is it possible to find scotchbrite or trizact belts for them? Scotchbrite could be useful for your sharpening stuff pulling like a quick buff on blades.



I bought something like a scotchbrite, but it’s actually too tight and the motor can’t turn it. Might try soaking and stretching it.


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## Bensbites (Feb 24, 2021)

I have a rikon 1x30, I use it for western handles due to the dust collection. I tried to grind blades and it was sssllooww!!! My platen aka little peice of bent metal is adjustable forward /back. You can also epoxy some steel to your platen to bring it forward.


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## inferno (Feb 24, 2021)

RDalman said:


> For finishing slack belt is a good idea like you started. But you need kindof a superlight convex base from fresh 60 grit already and then follow through the grits, and only use brand new fresh belts for this. So if you can get a little more tension on the belt, try again... A ~240 grit slackbelt finish is indeed acceptable looking most of the time. Even better if you can follow it up with some scotchbrite or buffing. My final belt is trizact (gator) A45 which is ~400 grit, but followed with buffing work.



how does the trizact naming scheme go vs grit? is it in microns?


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## Matus (Feb 24, 2021)

Trizat grit table


https://picard-kg.de/wp-content/uploads/englisch-tabelle.png



@ian - get some trizat gator belts - you can find them at supegrit.com (that is where I bought mine when I started with 1x30") and add a few Norton Blaze in 60 and 120 grits. The Trizact will give you nicer finish than AO I think. You can also try to add the "fine" scotchbrite belts for final finishing. Just don't get medium or coarse - the give so much resistance, that my 1x30" (250W) was not able to spin them


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## Bensbites (Feb 24, 2021)

Matus said:


> Trizat grit table
> 
> 
> https://picard-kg.de/wp-content/uploads/englisch-tabelle.png
> ...


I think trizact is AO, just a specific type made by 3M. I plan on getting done soon. 
I have recently been getting good results by rubbing my scotch bright with brown or white rubbing compound. 
I know people who say they get good results by covering scotchbright belts with wd40.


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## inferno (Feb 24, 2021)

stringer said:


> I have a Rikon 1x30. I have mainly used it to thin cheap stainless and vintage carbon. I also have had good luck microbeveling edges with a leather belt and compound. I have finally bought a house so I will be able to do more and I plan on building an @inferno inverted floor sander setup soon. First order of business for my workshop though was building a workbench. Fifth coat of shellac. A couple more coats and then I'm going to wax it and it's done. I'm pretty happy how it came out considering the sorry heap of twisted rotten pallet 2x4s it is made of.
> 
> View attachment 115675



yeah try the floor sander option. i like mine on the pedestal i built. its about as optimal in position as i can get a grinder imo.

if you're only making a few knives a year its fast enough. if you intend to use this system for a long time i suggest going with a known brand that sells spares for the machines. so you can replace bearings/rollers/platens etc or you can simply make them. 

i'm thinking about getting this blue bosch one below when my lidl grinder dies. just because i will be able to get spares for it all over the world. also comes with spare wear plates from the start! also if you are in the US i think 3M sell cubitrons in this size.
the GBS 75 AE


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## inferno (Feb 24, 2021)

Matus said:


> Trizat grit table
> 
> 
> https://picard-kg.de/wp-content/uploads/englisch-tabelle.png



appears to be microns.


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## inferno (Feb 24, 2021)

Bensbites said:


> I think trizact is AO, just a specific type made by 3M. I plan on getting done soon.
> I have recently been getting good results by rubbing my scotch bright with brown or white rubbing compound.
> I know people who say they get good results by covering scotchbright belts with wd40.



iirc the trizact is AO that they shaped in to pyramids or something and the abrasive itself might be "ceramic" so when it breaks down it always exposes a sharp fresh edge or something. it was a long time i read about these. but i can confirm that whatever mojo magic they are doing with the cubitrons, it works!


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## Matus (Feb 24, 2021)

Trizact gagtor behave differently in use than tradditional AO. They also last very long and what I totally love is that over their lifetime their performance does not change.


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## RDalman (Feb 24, 2021)

Matus said:


> Trizact gagtor behave differently in use than tradditional AO. They also last very long and what I totally love is that over their lifetime their performance does not change.


Yea, i have used about 1,5 of each a100 and a45 for the complete massdrop order of 30 knives. Insane value.


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## ian (Feb 24, 2021)

Matus said:


> Trizat grit table
> 
> 
> https://picard-kg.de/wp-content/uploads/englisch-tabelle.png
> ...



Thanks, I'll try them at some point, although I've got a lot of belts right now. Still haven't been able to get the slack belt to really contact the middle of the blade, even with upping the tension. (Thanks @inferno for helping me find the tension control. Doh. )

On the upside, I was able to soak and stretch the fine scotchbrite so that it works on this grinder. Tempted to try the medium or coarse and stretch them as well, but @Matus's word of caution probably means I won't.


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## ian (Feb 24, 2021)

RDalman said:


> Yea, i have used about 1,5 of each a100 and a45 for the complete massdrop order of 30 knives. Insane value.



Is that 1,5 like between 1 and 2? Woah.


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## stringer (Feb 24, 2021)

inferno said:


> if you intend to use this system for a long time i suggest going with a known brand that sells spares for the machines. so you can replace bearings/rollers/platens etc or you can simply make them.



It kind of depends on what shows up at the pawn shop.


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## inferno (Feb 24, 2021)

good idea! mine was 30 or 40€ so i'm happy with that. i have so far made about 5-6 knives and a sword with it. so i got my moneys worth i think.

stinger make sure to lube/oil whatever bearing there is then its good for some action. tear it down.


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## stringer (Feb 24, 2021)

inferno said:


> good idea! mine was 30 or 40€ so i'm happy with that. i have so far made about 5-6 knives and a sword with it. so i got my moneys worth i think.
> 
> stinger make sure to lube/oil whatever bearing there is then its good for some action. tear it down.



Alright I will do that. I also have told a couple of places to call me when they get a nice commercial grade one that hasn't been used much. And when I buy it I will pick out an angle grinder to go with it. Got any tips for what to look for with an angle grinder?


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## branwell (Feb 24, 2021)

stringer said:


> Got any tips for what to look for with an angle grinder?



This with a hose for water cooling. Be rocken it.


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## inferno (Feb 24, 2021)

stringer said:


> Alright I will do that. I also have told a couple of places to call me when they get a nice commercial grade one that hasn't been used much. And when I buy it I will pick out an angle grinder to go with it. Got any tips for what to look for with an angle grinder?



yeah get the one with the thinnest shaft/handle. those are usually the low power ones like 600w. much easier to control and handle. the big power ones are very heavy and bulky and they are hard to control.


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## ian (Mar 5, 2021)

Update on putting belt finishes on knives people give me to sharpen: still haven't really managed to get it work.

Slack belts: My problem is that for knives with with any small concavities, a slack belt doesn't work, and even when the grind is convex but fairly flat, I'm not able to get enough pressure in the middle of the blade using a slack belt. I think this may be because I can't tighten my belt enough without overloading the motor, but I don't know what's realistic to expect since it's my first machine.

Soft platen: I tried mounting various things on the platen to have something to push against, but the back of the belt just wore through them almost immediately. Plus, with any pressure, the grabbiness of the soft backing increased friction, and the belt wouldn't even run.

Scotchbrite: a belt that itself has give like Scotchbrite worked the best, but I only have ultrafine right now and it wouldn't take out any lower grit scratches. It's also a huge pain to get it to fit on my machine, and to have the motor actually run with it on. Lots of stretching is required. I might try buying the coarse Scotchbrite belts, but am still worried given Matus's experience.

(FYI, @Runner_up)


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## NO ChoP! (Mar 5, 2021)

Are you just grinding on the blade face only? Are you grinding with blade edge facing up, or down? If there's to much space between platen and belt, I would find a piece of tempered glass or some tool steel and jb weld it in place. 

One of the major drawbacks to a 1x30 with a sloppy platen/ tool rest is the edge of the belt digging into the metal or wood. Holding and moving the knife and moving it across while keeping it perfectly straight can be a challenge.


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## ian (Mar 5, 2021)

NO ChoP! said:


> Are you just grinding on the blade face only? Are you grinding with blade edge facing up, or down? If there's to much space between platen and belt, I would find a piece of tempered glass or some tool steel and jb weld it in place.
> 
> One of the major drawbacks to a 1x30 with a sloppy platen/ tool rest is the edge of the belt digging into the metal or wood. Holding and moving the knife and moving it across while keeping it perfectly straight can be a challenge.



I can adjust the platen depth, so I don’t think that’s really the problem. I’m grinding on the blade face. (By “only”, do you mean to ask if I’m hitting the edge?) Edge faces down.

I agree about the 1x30 difficulties.


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## stringer (Mar 5, 2021)

ian said:


> Update on putting belt finishes on knives people give me to sharpen: still haven't really managed to get it work.
> 
> Slack belts: My problem is that for knives with with any small concavities, a slack belt doesn't work, and even when the grind is convex but fairly flat, I'm not able to get enough pressure in the middle of the blade using a slack belt. I think this may be because I can't tighten my belt enough without overloading the motor, but I don't know what's realistic to expect since it's my first machine.
> 
> ...



Your tension isn't adjustable enough and your rpms are too high. And trying to feed that little machine less power to slow it down would probably exacerbate your stalling issues.

You could try silicone grease/ lubricant of some sort on whatever you put over the platen to reduce friction.


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## ian (Mar 5, 2021)

stringer said:


> You could try silicone grease/ lubricant of some sort on whatever you put over the platen to reduce friction.



Guess that's a decent idea, but I worry that then the grease is going to transfer to the back of the belt and make it just slip over the wheels instead of be driven by them. Anyway, that's why I haven't tried yet. Maybe I should.


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## stringer (Mar 5, 2021)

ian said:


> Guess that's a decent idea, but I worry that then the grease is going to transfer to the back of the belt and make it just slip over the wheels instead of be driven by them. Anyway, that's why I haven't tried yet. Maybe I should.



There are a bunch of varieties. Some harden up more like a caulk than a grease.


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## stringer (Mar 5, 2021)

stringer said:


> There are a bunch of varieties. Some harden up more like a caulk than a grease.



Like maybe some kind of silicone spray.


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## NO ChoP! (Mar 5, 2021)

Also, I find it more successful/easy to control if you face the blade up/against the belt direction. Just be careful.


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## stringer (Mar 5, 2021)

There's also graphite available in a spray, a liquid form, dry powder, etc that might help.



https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/ez-slide-graphite-based-coating-12-oz-aerosol


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## Bensbites (Mar 5, 2021)

@ian, I was told Brian Housewert (a grinder building guy) to sandwich a piece of leather between the platen and the platen mounting bracket to make a soft platen. This is easier on some grinders than others.


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## tostadas (Mar 5, 2021)

I've used Delrin (acetal) plastic parts in applications where I want to minimize friction, like inside of paintball guns. I don't know how it would fare as a platten for a grinder, but perhaps look into trying out a flat Delrin sheet?









McMaster-Carr


McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.




www.mcmaster.com


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## ian (Mar 5, 2021)

Bensbites said:


> @ian, I was told Brian Housewert (a grinder building guy) to sandwich a piece of leather between the platen and the platen mounting bracket to make a soft platen. This is easier on some grinders than others.



?, like behind the platen? How does that make it softer? Maybe I’m misinterpreting


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## ian (Mar 5, 2021)

stringer said:


> There's also graphite available in a spray, a liquid form, dry powder, etc that might help.
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/ez-slide-graphite-based-coating-12-oz-aerosol



interesting. I wonder how it would hold up when applied to a flexible surface.


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## inferno (Mar 5, 2021)

when i was sanding doors and other crap all day long we had these thin black porous plates, maybe 3-4mm thick, placed under the belts. they felt very slippery. these lasted for years. i think this i a very common an inexpensive product. might be a carbon/graphite based judging by the color.

i know other have tried glass and ceramics for the back plate. its very easy to shape glass with diamond plates.

but imo ian, you either go all in on modding that **** grinder.

or get a floor sander. its cheap and it works.


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## Bensbites (Mar 5, 2021)

ian said:


> ?, like behind the platen? How does that make it softer? Maybe I’m misinterpreting


Something soft that allows the platen to move with your blade.


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## inferno (Mar 5, 2021)

if i was getting short belt grinder i would get this one. it seem this is the only serious one.
metabo bs175 500w. not much juice but probably enough though.


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## Dave Martell (Mar 5, 2021)

@ian, what size platen do you have? Give me the dimensions and your address and I'll send you the answer to your problem.


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## ian (Mar 5, 2021)

Dave Martell said:


> @ian, what size platen do you have? Give me the dimensions and your address and I'll send you the answer to your problem.



Omg I LOVE answers to my problems. Will do!


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## inferno (Mar 6, 2021)

ian i see your grinder is only 1/3 hp. thats about 250w. and i'm guessing you might only get half or 2/3 of that to the belt. it might be too weak for what you want to do?

my 600w lidl grinder gets about 400w to the belt and even that one bogs down when grinding steel.


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## Luftmensch (Mar 6, 2021)

I went with a cheapo 100 x 914mm (4x36) - the inverted belt-sander style. It is great at hogging away material with low grit belts (~60). As others have recommended, Norton Blaze cuts aggressively which is useful on a weak machine with lots of slop. Definitely use quality belts... the cheap ones have a terrible working life.... if things are going slow, check your belt and make sure you haven't worn it out!

This is what I did to get a little better performance out of mine:

Dismantled the machine and reassembled it with more attention to spacing out the rollers for tension.
Added gaffer tape to the centre 50% of the rollers
to add a little further tension
to add more grip (rather than the slippy aluminium roller)
to add more exaggerated tracking

Given it is cheap the following are unsurprising:

the machine gets hot after a while and loses power
I can cause the belt to slip if I put too much pressure on the belt
I can cause the machine to stall if it is running hot and I use too much pressure
This said; too much pressure is _too_ much pressure on a low grit belt - particularly if working on hardened steel (heat build up)

No speed control
this is fine with low grit belts that are good at dissipating heat
for 'higher' grits (~240) it is easy to accumulate a lot of heat quickly

The large 100m (4") width can be difficult to work with (shouldnt be a problem for you):
belts with wonky joints or crud accumulated in one spot can cause localised 'over grind'


As for finishing... I mostly use the machine for thinning at lower grits. I 'finish' at 240 grit before moving to stones. The wide 4" table is a blessing and a curse. It smooths out motions which is good for blending but it is bad for focusing on small areas. Given the width, you really have to focus on even pressure across the table (not too heavy on either the left or the right). Light pressure and keep moving!!

Another downside of these cheap machines is the belt length... 30" isn't very long. With a _bad_ belt, I can't imagine a 400 grit would last for more than a handful of passes on my grinder. It is possible the speed isn't even compatible with a _good_ belt at that grit! I don't know! That hunch has prevented me from trying!


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## Taz575 (Mar 7, 2021)

Some guys use very hard felt (McMaster-Carr) that has some give to it. I want to try this, but I have only 1 platen at the moment and was going to add pyroceream glass to it for flat grinding.


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## rogue108 (Mar 7, 2021)

Everyone here is more qualified than I am in regards grinding and finishing but here is one tip that's helped me. I turned my 1x30 on it's back to make it horizontal than vertical. The base of the grinder faces away from me and the top guide wheel is closest to me. The platen is such a small area to work with I couldn't get used it vertically. On it's back it mimicked sharpening on stones and was for me easier control. Also when it's setup this way the belt spins away from you and prevents a knife from being chucked at your face if it gets loose. It really wouldn't work if it was spinning the other way. You have to jury rig a way to keep the machine from vibrating a way when it's setup this way. 

I tried using a piece of Delrin between the platen and the belt get a better backing for sharpening purposes. It helped but the speed of the belt wears it away quickly. I used the slack section between the platen and the top guide wheel for finishing purposes. I never got a good, even finish off the 1x30 but didn't try hard either.

I found the largest assortment of 1x30 belts at Trugrit abrasives. They have AO, SiC, zirconia, diamond, Trizact, Gator, Blaze, leather, Scotchbrite in all different grits. Belts I never thought they bother making for a 1x30

Hope this helps a little.


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## inferno (Mar 7, 2021)

ian said:


> (Thanks @inferno for helping me find the tension control. Doh. )



i just got an idea. if you wrench your grinder apart a bit you can see how the tensioner works. and you might be able to simply use a longer bolt or similar to get up to tension.


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## ian (Mar 7, 2021)

inferno said:


> i just got an idea. if you wrench your grinder apart a bit you can see how the tensioner works. and you might be able to simply use a longer bolt or similar to get up to tension.



That’s not really the issue. If I tension the belt too much, the motor can’t turn anyway. It’s a good idea though


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## Up_dog128 (Mar 13, 2021)

Been meaning to chime in here for a bit and show a couple of things that i did with my 1x30. To get mine to run the scotch brite belts, i had to cut off the top of the grinder, then hot water soak and stretch the belts. Not only are the belts a bit too tight, a part of the issue is that there is not enough clearance between the wheel and the top of the grinder to accommodate the thickness of the belt.





Even after removing the section with the narrowest clearance, you can still see in the third photo how much aluminum the belt removed.
@ian you can also control the amount of slack in the belt by moving the platen. If you move it all the way forward you will have more tension/less play in your slack portion. Alternatively, i added a removable thick leather backing to my platen with has been very helpful and held up beautifully. I stitched the top to create a pocket that i slip over the platen.


Lastly, you can get belts with different backing. J- weight and mylar have lots of flex, x-weight less and y-weight are fairly stiff.
I'm curious what solution @Dave Martell sent you? Would one of you guys mind posting a photo?


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## ian (Mar 13, 2021)

Up_dog128 said:


> Been meaning to chime in here for a bit and show a couple of things that i did with my 1x30. To get mine to run the scotch brite belts, i had to cut off the top of the grinder, then hot water soak and stretch the belts. Not only are the belts a bit too tight, a part of the issue is that there is not enough clearance between the wheel and the top of the grinder to accommodate the thickness of the belt.
> View attachment 117991
> View attachment 117992
> View attachment 117993
> ...



Thanks for the tips! He sent me some rock hard felt to attach to the platen, along with some graphite to put on the felt to deal with the friction. I’ll post a pic once I set it up. Might be a couple days


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## Luftmensch (Mar 13, 2021)

ian said:


> Thanks for the tips! He sent me some rock hard felt to attach to the platen, along with some graphite to put on the felt to deal with the friction. I’ll post a pic once I set it up. Might be a couple days



Thats a pretty neat idea. Let us know how it goes? Nice of @Dave Martell go out of his way to provide a solution  

My recommendation would be to find a small strip of PTFE (teflon) to attach to the platen. You could probably find them on Ebay or Amazon. This would give you a low friction platen without the potential of contaminating the belt/rollers with a lubricant. That being said... the rollers on your machine look decently grippy? Mine are cast aluminium!


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