I've used a bunch of different grinding belts, and here are the ones I use week in and week out to make knives. firecreekforge.com / firecreekforge #knife #knifemaking #grinding
My workhorse belts are the 3M Cubitron II 984F ceramics in 36 and 60 grit, they just outlast everything else by a lot, the 36's are pre-heat treat were I remove a lot of metal, the 60's for pre-heat treat dimensions and also post heat treat so they see a lot of use. I tend to grind very thin so I don't want too heavy a cut on the post heat treat to try and remove. There is also the 3M 767F which is a cheaper medium speed, medium pressure that seems to run a tiny bit cooler but not as long lasting. All those are a very heavy YF weight. I keep a couple of 80grit around but I don't use them as much on all knives, they're usually a Klingspor Red medium weight belt which is a good mix of price and performance ceramic and I just found none of the 120g in any ceramic was much good as I'm just not rolling the belts fast enough to make the use of them at this point. 120 and 180grit I'm using the Hermes 'HERMESIT' structured abrasive and they have really impressed me with the finishing and how long they last so I highly recommend them, run very cool and unlike other structured abrasives you can wet grind on them. They are a very heavy backing and coarse surface structure like the Cubitron's though, so it doesn't suit every purpose you might sometimes use a medium weight on Next up is the old 3M Trizact 337EA 'Gator' structured belts in A65 (240g) and A45 (400g) which are more or less the best finishing belts on metals for quality and durability, they are a medium weight as well but a large, coarse structure which isn't suited to everything you might be doing like very fiddly plunges and stuff. If you do a lot of that, I recommend the Norton Norax U264 and the Trizact 237AA which have a much lighter backing and fine structured abrasive surface. In terms of 'belt care' as much as we abuse them, the ceramic belts I 'tune up' with a piece of carbide to break the points back on the cutting surface when they're a bit blunt, gives them a little bit longer use and with the price they are on some of them, you want as much out of them as you can. People complain a bit about structured abrasives how they break up or glaze and that's due to a few things, they are DRY belts, meaning when you dip to cool, you need to wipe them so they're not dripping wet and that keeps the structure intact longer (except on the Hermesit I mentioned earlier) and when they begin to 'glaze' or not cutting as well, you want to get a cheap, coarse diamond pad and just cut back into the material briefly which keeps them in the game longer. Like the expensive ceramics, keeping them going until they die completely
I usually stick with lower grit belts and run 36, 80, 120, 180, 220 all ceramic. I also keep a couple of trizact belts that are higher "grits" that i use get the valley's and peaks a little closer together so hand sanding goes a little easier. I just recently bought a scotch Brite belt and i havent had the opportunity to give it a try quite yet
I started out using aluminum oxide belts and I used em for a long time, but they would get worn out fast and it was a pain to deal with dull belts. Just recently I tried the ceramics and I can already tell they’re lasting longer and stay sharp longer. Those are my go to now. Also I like the J flex belts for doing the plunge grinds, I hang a little section over the edge of the platen and it makes a nice clean radius. Very happy I figured that out, cause it’s improved my plunge grinds a lot. *These are VSM and Klingspor belts
I like to use a big bench grinder with stone wheels to remove the bulk of any excess material, stones last a long time, save on the belts for the fine finish work 👍
I mainly use VSM in 36, 60, and 120. Have you tried VSM? Are Empire belts better than VSM? I normally use 3-4 36 grit to rough grind a 63-64 hrc MC steel chef knife. I don't like burning my fingers, but it still happens once in a while.
I use mostly 3M cubitron for ceramics and their j weight ceramics are great as well. I have used red label and really liked them but to damned expensive to ship to Oz. I absolutely hate Hermes belts and not a fan of Norton Blaze either
If I put a fresh belt on to finish grind after heat treating I can generally get several medium knives done on that grit before it gets too dull for my liking.
What are your favorite grinding belts for knifemaking?
Thanks for sharing your experience. I benefited.
I have been using belts from Phoenix abrasives and have been very pleased with the quality and price.
Great bro 😉😉
Ive had good luck with red label abrasives, they carry all the major brands, and if your a veteran you can sign up for a 15% military discount
Having used a lot of diamond I would go with diamond belts. They are faster and quicker but expensive.
My workhorse belts are the 3M Cubitron II 984F ceramics in 36 and 60 grit, they just outlast everything else by a lot, the 36's are pre-heat treat were I remove a lot of metal, the 60's for pre-heat treat dimensions and also post heat treat so they see a lot of use. I tend to grind very thin so I don't want too heavy a cut on the post heat treat to try and remove. There is also the 3M 767F which is a cheaper medium speed, medium pressure that seems to run a tiny bit cooler but not as long lasting. All those are a very heavy YF weight.
I keep a couple of 80grit around but I don't use them as much on all knives, they're usually a Klingspor Red medium weight belt which is a good mix of price and performance ceramic and I just found none of the 120g in any ceramic was much good as I'm just not rolling the belts fast enough to make the use of them at this point.
120 and 180grit I'm using the Hermes 'HERMESIT' structured abrasive and they have really impressed me with the finishing and how long they last so I highly recommend them, run very cool and unlike other structured abrasives you can wet grind on them. They are a very heavy backing and coarse surface structure like the Cubitron's though, so it doesn't suit every purpose you might sometimes use a medium weight on
Next up is the old 3M Trizact 337EA 'Gator' structured belts in A65 (240g) and A45 (400g) which are more or less the best finishing belts on metals for quality and durability, they are a medium weight as well but a large, coarse structure which isn't suited to everything you might be doing like very fiddly plunges and stuff. If you do a lot of that, I recommend the Norton Norax U264 and the Trizact 237AA which have a much lighter backing and fine structured abrasive surface.
In terms of 'belt care' as much as we abuse them, the ceramic belts I 'tune up' with a piece of carbide to break the points back on the cutting surface when they're a bit blunt, gives them a little bit longer use and with the price they are on some of them, you want as much out of them as you can. People complain a bit about structured abrasives how they break up or glaze and that's due to a few things, they are DRY belts, meaning when you dip to cool, you need to wipe them so they're not dripping wet and that keeps the structure intact longer (except on the Hermesit I mentioned earlier) and when they begin to 'glaze' or not cutting as well, you want to get a cheap, coarse diamond pad and just cut back into the material briefly which keeps them in the game longer. Like the expensive ceramics, keeping them going until they die completely
Cool, yeah I used 3M Cubitron for a while, I found the options I have now more economical for the same performance.
I usually stick with lower grit belts and run 36, 80, 120, 180, 220 all ceramic. I also keep a couple of trizact belts that are higher "grits" that i use get the valley's and peaks a little closer together so hand sanding goes a little easier. I just recently bought a scotch Brite belt and i havent had the opportunity to give it a try quite yet
I started out using aluminum oxide belts and I used em for a long time, but they would get worn out fast and it was a pain to deal with dull belts. Just recently I tried the ceramics and I can already tell they’re lasting longer and stay sharp longer. Those are my go to now.
Also I like the J flex belts for doing the plunge grinds, I hang a little section over the edge of the platen and it makes a nice clean radius. Very happy I figured that out, cause it’s improved my plunge grinds a lot.
*These are VSM and Klingspor belts
I like Combat Abrasives for my ceramic belts. Something you didn't mention that I like for finish grinding is the 3M Trizact "Gator" belts.
I've tried trizac belts, didn't like the heat they generated compared to normal belts, but maybe I wasn't using them right.
I like to use a big bench grinder with stone wheels to remove the bulk of any excess material, stones last a long time, save on the belts for the fine finish work 👍
Yeah, good point. I wish I could find a big water cooled Japanese style grinding wheel.
@@FireCreekForge oh god I would love one of those big Japanese water wheels but I’m guessing a quality one is not gonna be in my price range.
Don't guess, look and find out, @@minnesotatomcat
Is there a serious difference between 36 and 40 grit speed of material removal or in finish? 4 grit per inch isn't a huge difference.
It's not a huge difference. I feel like the 40 grit retains it grit a little better so has a slight advantage all things considered.
I mainly use VSM in 36, 60, and 120. Have you tried VSM? Are Empire belts better than VSM? I normally use 3-4 36 grit to rough grind a 63-64 hrc MC steel chef knife. I don't like burning my fingers, but it still happens once in a while.
Are you using the ceramic version of the VSM belts?
Yes, Ceramic. They sort of stop cutting somewhat fast and create heat.
I've ground 6, 3-inch basic carbon steel blades on one belt. Vanadium stainless steel kill my belts fast.
I use mostly 3M cubitron for ceramics and their j weight ceramics are great as well. I have used red label and really liked them but to damned expensive to ship to Oz. I absolutely hate Hermes belts and not a fan of Norton Blaze either
I used to use 3M Cubitron, they're pretty good.
Whats the longevity of them or how many knives can you get out of a belt?
If I put a fresh belt on to finish grind after heat treating I can generally get several medium knives done on that grit before it gets too dull for my liking.