Ordered my 2x42, what belt grits/makes do you recommend to start?

Hawk45

Hawk45

Joined
Jan 28, 2005
Messages
2,154
Decided to move up a step and get motorized, ordered a Craftsman 2x42. I went out to truegrit.com to get some belts and wasn't sure what to get as a good start. I plan to continue making fixed blades (neckers all the way to bowie/choppers).

Seems like most choose to step grits at 36, 50/60, 120, 220, 400. Is this a good grit step for a 42" grinder or should I add remove any grits? Is going 36grit dangerous for a noob on a grinder?

Also, is there a make of one grit of belt over another? For instance, you prefer a Blaze belt over a Gator in 60grit but a Gator over a Blaze or Zirconia in 120 grit?

Thanks everyone!
John
 
my first set of belts were 40 80 120 blaze and from there I use norax 100x through 5x thats pretty much the full spectrum 40 through 1300 grit
 
I have the crafstman 2x42 and prefer to use the Blaze 60 and 120 grits. A new 60 grit Blaze will remove metal quickly. I get a 220 grit ceramic from supergrit. I find when I use the finer grits, the steel really heats up and I just don't get much benefit from them on my grinder. The machine just moves too fast for me. I have used the Gators as well and I always get a low spot in my blade 2 inches from the plunge. I do not have this problem with any other belts. I don't use them anymore for the blade, but I do use them for some handle work. The zirconias worked, but I found myself using more of them, but again, I use them on handle materials. I hand sand from 220, 400, and on depending on the blade. I've tried most of them and for me, have found that most of my work the way I do it can be done with Blaze 60, 120 and 220 ceramic. I use the worn belts on handle materials.
 
I primarily use the 3M Gator belts on the 2x42. They last longer than any other I've tried, IMO when you consider how long they last they are also the cheapest.

The grits you mentioned would be a good start, but I would add a 600 too. If you can't get a Gator close to the grit you need then go with a Ceramic or Zirconia.
 
I grind both small, thin blades and large thick blades on a heavily-modified Craftsman 2X42 (now running 2x72 belts) and after a great deal of trial and error, I see absolutely no reason to use belts coarser than 80 grit.

Removing mill-scale? Having your dealer surface-grind it is far less expensive and troublesome.
I can roughly shape my profiles faster with a drill bit and hacksaw than I can with a 36- or 50-grit belt, and clean them up with an 80 without throwing half the grit back up into my face.... I can set my bevels and tapers with an 80 nearly as fast as I can with a 50, and without the deep ugly PITA scratches.
 
I ran the zirc 36 grit for rapid removal, mostly for quick profile work and initial bevel work. Then 60 and 120 grit SY965 ceramics, but I would definitely try out the blaze that are now available in 2x42.
I used A160 through A30 gators for surface finish. The LS309J for cleaning up plunges and some handle work. They wear FAST but are very useful.

Get whatever AO belts you want for handle work, including the LS309J's.

Get a glass platen from usaknifemaker.com

It looks like trugrit's selection is much more limited than it was, it wouldn't hurt to call them to see if they have more than what's on the site.
 
You know the Blaze 2x42s mentioned in the original post went right over my head. When did Blaze 2x42s start selling!

Where can you get the Blaze 2x42s?
 
trugrit has them now. they started selling them just as I upgraded to 2x72. I'm a bit concerned with the reports of the blaze leaving a residue on the platen and wheels though. It seems to be related to heat/pressure, and with a 2x42 you're talking a lot of belt speed. They'd be worth a try though, if it's workable they're probably the best general purpose belt available for 2x42.
 
Remyrw said:
trugrit has them now. they started selling them just as I upgraded to 2x72. I'm a bit concerned with the reports of the blaze leaving a residue on the platen and wheels though. It seems to be related to heat/pressure, and with a 2x42 you're talking a lot of belt speed. They'd be worth a try though, if it's workable they're probably the best general purpose belt available for 2x42.
Click to expand...

Hey Remyrw, good to see you still here. I hadn't posted for a while. I ran into problems with residue winding up on my steel from heat buildup. The biggest drawback to the 2x42 is that it runs so darn fast.

You said in your post that the gators wear fast. I thought they lasted better than the zircs and ceramics Ive used. Which ceramics do you use that last better than the Gators?
 
Grinders up and running.. and belts on the way. Grinder mods start tomorrow. Thanks for the reccomendations.
 
I ordered a 2x42 this past weekend! Can't say no to free shipping. I ordered a bunch of the gators.
 
Jay, I had/have issues with Gator's wearing quickly when used for actual stock removal. It's not the actual time they survive, but how much work they do during that time. An A300 seems to remove far less metal before getting worn than the SY965 ceramic 60 grit that I normally used. Obviously the 60 is more aggressive, and the A300 did remove about the same amount of metal as the 120 grit sy965, but by the time I get to 120 I'm just refining. I love the gators for refining lines, working through the grits to cleanup the finish. For that they are excellent and last really well.

Heck, other than plunge line cleanup I could probably go from a 36 or 50/60 grit belt straight to the gators and be happy. Right now I switch to gators after using a 220 grit flex belt but I may start making the switch sooner and just using the flex belts for the plunge line cleanup. I am impressed with how well the 707JE belts last compared to some similar belts but for finish refinement they don't last as long or run as smoothly as the gators.

I also noticed that it's really easy to over use a gator. After the initial use the wear rate is so gradual that I would catch myself using a belt way too long. Sometimes it's just glazing and hitting them with something to remove that gives you more life, but eventually they're just not going to work well and it's time for a new one. As a relative newbie myself, and a penny pincher at that, I have to repeat the mantra of our more experienced folks. Use belts like they are free, a fresh belt can make the difference between a frustrating struggle and a smooth and enjoyable grind. It was tough when I was charging very low prices for my knives really early on. Using belts liberally could quickly eat my profit. Now that I'm more efficient and am charging a bit more it's even more important to work with fresh belts because it reduces the time and errors on each knife and makes the whole process that much more enjoyable.
 
Someone mentioned it before and my search-fu is weak but: Use a 60 grit blaze belt to dress the gators. Just a couple of seconds at speed will break the glaze up, reopen the grit and breath new life into the belt.
 
Here is what I ordered. I only got a few of each to see what I liked/don't like:

Qty Description Unit Amount
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 (BNRT242-060-980) 2x42-60 R980 Blaze $5.95 $29.75
Ceramic

5 (BNRT242-120-980) 2x42-120 R980 Blaze $5.25 $26.25
Ceramic

3 (BL3M242-240-A65CF) 2x42-240 A65CF $4.55 $13.65
Gator Structured Abrasive

5 (BKLG242-220-310) 2x42-220 CS310X $2.75 $13.75
Aluminum Oxide

5 (BKLG242-400-310) 2x42-400 CS310X $2.75 $13.75
Aluminum Oxide

1 (BKLG242-036-411) 2x42-36 CS411X $4.30 $4.30
Zirconia
 
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