Difference between Platen Material?

Outdoor Gear Dad

Outdoor Gear Dad

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Jun 1, 2019
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Hey friends. I see glass Platens, ceramic platens, etc. I have the standard steel platen that came with my grinder.

why would I need one made of different material? What are the advantages?

I’m newer to knife making FYI. Thanks!
 
The other materials don't wear down as fast. I used the mild steel platten on mine for a long time before it dished a bit but it varies depending on how much you use it and things like grinding wet and dust in your shop. The one down side to a glass platen is that it will shock you when its really dry in the shop. lol. I got mine off of Ebay for $20. My only mistake is that I used job weld to attach it and I will have a hard time trying to flip it and use the other side.
 
As mentioned a glass platen provides a LOTS longer wear before dishing or grooves on surface than will even hardened steel platen. Another benefit of glass is lower friction for less heat build up. If you're putting glass or ceramic over the metal platen you can use aluminum or low carbon steel since the metal isn't providing any wear surface. A nice thick block of aluminum for the platen also helps even more with heat removal.
 
most of the wear on my platens comes from doing the profiling. that is when i am pressing the hardest, and the pressure is concentrated in the smallest area. this is compounded by the fact that many grinders do not have an adjustable height work rest, so all that wear happens in the same area. i have not noticed any wear from doing bevels.
 
I tried glass platens and found they wore faster than the hardened steel I used before. So I now just use O1 ground flat stock. Much easier to fit and to replace and can be easily flattened again when they are worn.
Also the steel helps conduct heat away better than glass.
 
I like the glass. I have tapered hundreds of tangs on the same glass platen and it still in great shape. I do my profiling on a very hard 8" contact wheel.
Different people have different experiences.
 
Mike Read said:
I tried glass platens and found they wore faster than the hardened steel I used before. So I now just use O1 ground flat stock. Much easier to fit and to replace and can be easily flattened again when they are worn.
Also the steel helps conduct heat away better than glass.
Click to expand...

did you use the right kind of glass. I used hardened D2 forever and when it went south I switched to pyroceram and it’s been much better And a lot less friction.
 
I'll stick with steel. I've been grinding on the same platen for 8 years, and had it resurfaced once. The glass isn't worth the headache to me, but to each his own.
 
Longevity probably has a lot in how you use it, but I am a fairly new maker and wore a small grove in my platen with my first 30 knives. Probably mostly from shaping as already mentioned everything is done in one place on the platen. It has a small divot at that location. I will be working on a way to raise and lower my support in the future and/or using a separate platen for shaping.
 
I make my own out of precision flat ground A2, as quench, no temper. All I have to do is cut to size, bevel as desired, drill and tap the mounting holes, then HT. Nice and easy.

I used to profile on mild steel platens and had the same grooving issue.

Been told to profile on the contact wheel, which helped a lot. So I initially profile on the contact wheel, then finesse on the platen.
 
Outdoor Gear Dad said:
Hey friends. I see glass Platens, ceramic platens, etc. I have the standard steel platen that came with my grinder.

why would I need one made of different material? What are the advantages?

I’m newer to knife making FYI. Thanks!
Click to expand...
You will get mixed opinion about different material. I think that except of material for platen ,grinder design have big role how long will platen last .On my crazy fast 2 x 42 belt grinder nothing last long .....and i try everything .HSS steel plate /64-67 hrc/ don t last long , ceramic tile ,glass platen ..........You read here that some guys use one plate from steel for years .... That lead me to conclusion that MY grinder somehow bring grinding dust behind plate/belt more then others and wear them fast ...and maybe because I use LOT of pressure while I grind ...
BUT Glass platen have huge advantage over rest of them ..have much less friction with belt
 
Storm W said:
The other materials don't wear down as fast. I used the mild steel platten on mine for a long time before it dished a bit but it varies depending on how much you use it and things like grinding wet and dust in your shop. The one down side to a glass platen is that it will shock you when its really dry in the shop. lol. I got mine off of Ebay for $20. My only mistake is that I used job weld to attach it and I will have a hard time trying to flip it and use the other side.
Click to expand...
Use torch to melt glue ................
 
Just to make it clear to new makers - when we say "Glass Platen" we are referring to pyro-ceramic glass. It is very different from plate glass or ceramic tile.

I have accidentally broken a few over the years ( setting it on the floor too hard) but never dished one out.
 
Pyro ceram is great. Never had a chock from it either. I do 90% of my profiling on a 10" wheel. Platen for bevels.
 
I use and like the pyro-ceram. Not much of a pain to install, from what I recall, plus it's not very expensive from e-bay. I have definitely experienced the static electricity problem with it though up here in the cold dry north.
 
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