What's the longest lasting belt for rough grinding?

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REK Knives

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Just curious on other's experiences... So far I get the absolute most life out of a Blaze 50 grit. Joey at pops turned me onto these...

On one belt I got 40 of the small knife, and 7 of the large rough ground (so 47 total). All the blades are magnacut and not heat treated yet.

Are there any better belts out there for roughing the grind in? I like the Blaze 50 grit over the cubitron 2 984 36 grit. They last much longer for me but I'm not going full speed and turning my steel blue either. I rough grind at about 30-40% power. Time wise the small blades take 7 min ea, and the larger ones are 8-9 min ea.

Oh and I didn't break any of the edges before grinding either. Maybe I could get them to last longer that way but I doubt it would make much difference. It seems to help produce fresh grit with each blade this way.

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Depends on the steel you are grinding....
I cant compare at all as I grind everything post heat treat

As said above, looks like it’s working great for you. How much more can you squeeze out....
 
Richard338 said:
I think you'll get the hang of bevel grinding pretty soon. Just kidding. If it's working that well for you then I wouldn't spend time second guessing it. Thanks for the info though, I'll have to order a few. I've been using the cubitron 36 grit.
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To be fair, I'm actually using the new Moen grinding jig. Hehe
HSC /// said:
Depends on the steel you are grinding
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Very true. Yes exactly, kitchen knives would be a lot different grinding post ht
 
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I use the Merrit Hoggers (Best Value Ceramics) from Tru Grit. I've tried the Blaze and the VSMs and come back to BVCs I start with a 36 but do probably 60-80 percent of the bevels with a 50. Most is post heat treat.
 
I really like the 50 grit Blaze. It just peals the metal off. I buy them 100 at a time, it's a staple here. Like you, for my application there's nothing better.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
I really like the 50 grit Blaze. It just peals the metal off. I buy them 100 at a time, it's a staple here. Like you, for my application there's nothing better.
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Well I guess I'm using the right thing then if it's what you use!

I'll have a good chance to maybe compare we a few different belts on hardened steel soon... I've got over 100 hardened folder blades I have to grind soon. I'll see if it's still the king!
 
So for an update I've gotten to do some more comparisons between the 984F 36 grit and the 50 grit blaze. The only situation where the blaze didn't cut it was with my large fixed blade (~4.5" blade length, .240" stock) where I was grinding annealed. Here I upped the speed (to 100% power at about 5000 sfpm) and went to the 984F and got around 10 blades per belt when rough grinding annealed which was about double what I was getting out of the blaze on these specifically.

Then on hardened blades (~3.5" blade length, cpm cruwear at 63rc) I found that I HAD to break the edges so as to not strip the belts right away. But once I did this I'm getting about 8 blades rough ground per 984F and 9 per 50 grit blaze. Also, the water seems to 'stick' to the 50 grit better which helps keep the blades cooler.
 
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U got 50 on one belt, that's awesome. I use the vsm low pressure belts and got about 30 annealed D2 skinners ground (about the same size as your small knives) but by #15 that belt was dull and i went from 2-3 minutes per knife to about 6-7. So I guess if the blaze last you that long and isn't slowing you down prior to knife 50 then honestly I think you should stick with that.
 
Anyone tried the Red Label abrasive belts? They sound good. I will likely try a batch since I have to re-order belts once I am up and running fully.
www.redlabelabrasives.com

Red Label Abrasives | Abrasive Company | Buy Factory Direct

Professional quality abrasive products. Sanding belts, sanding discs, rolls, sheets and accessories for DIY, small businesses, artists and artisans.
www.redlabelabrasives.com www.redlabelabrasives.com
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Anyone tried the Red Label abrasive belts? They sound good. I will likely try a batch since I have to re-order belts once I am up and running fully.
www.redlabelabrasives.com

Red Label Abrasives | Abrasive Company | Buy Factory Direct

Professional quality abrasive products. Sanding belts, sanding discs, rolls, sheets and accessories for DIY, small businesses, artists and artisans.
www.redlabelabrasives.com www.redlabelabrasives.com
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Stacy - when I first started I bought some red label belts because I could get them quickly through Amazon. As I recall, they seemed good enough when new, but I don’t have any real recollection about longevity (or knives per belt). On the other hand, grinding hardened blades in the larger kitchen knife sizes, I really tend towards finishing a bevel with new grit (so … 1-2 knives per belt). It’s a mystery to me how some folks here get 20 or so knives per belt.

On the other hand, with red label I was able to find some ceramic belts in the finer grits (220 and 400) that don’t seem to be available from other brands … and I still have some of those finer belts. Also, I still have some of the really fine AO belts (200, 400, 600) that I occasionally use for handles (though for handles I really almost always use scalloped edge belts on the slack fixture).

Not sure if that really helps you, but that’s what I can share…
 
HSC /// said:
Depends on the steel you are grinding....
I cant compare at all as I grind everything post heat treat

As said above, looks like it’s working great for you. How much more can you squeeze out....
Click to expand...
If you don't mind me asking, what do you prefer for kitchen knives and post heat treat grinding?
 
I heard they were good but haven't had a chance to try them
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Anyone tried the Red Label abrasive belts? They sound good. I will likely try a batch since I have to re-order belts once I am up and running fully.
www.redlabelabrasives.com

Red Label Abrasives | Abrasive Company | Buy Factory Direct

Professional quality abrasive products. Sanding belts, sanding discs, rolls, sheets and accessories for DIY, small businesses, artists and artisans.
www.redlabelabrasives.com www.redlabelabrasives.com
Click to expand...
 
killthelights said:
If you don't mind me asking, what do you prefer for kitchen knives and post heat treat grinding?
Click to expand...
Vsm xk870x 40 grit does the bulk of the grinding like 90% of it
Vsm 80 and 100
Then deerfos compact grain higher grits

despite all the talk about running at high speed, I probably run much slower than most. The belt speed doesn’t significantly change how long it takes to grind a blade

the grinding portion of making a knife isn’t that long, unless it’s like z wear
 
HSC /// said:
Vsm xk870x 40 grit does the bulk of the grinding like 90% of it
Vsm 80 and 100
Then deerfos compact grain higher grits

despite all the talk about running at high speed, I probably run much slower than most. The belt speed doesn’t significantly change how long it takes to grind a blade

the grinding portion of making a knife isn’t that long, unless it’s like z wear
Click to expand...
in my limited experience, it can significantly multiply the magnitude of f-ups
 
HSC /// said:
Depends on the steel you are grinding....
I cant compare at all as I grind everything post heat treat

As said above, looks like it’s working great for you. How much more can you squeeze out....
Click to expand...
If you don't mind me asking, what do you prefer for kitchen knives and post heat
Skiller1nc said:
I grind lots of chefs in aebl, 26c3, and w2 post heat treat. I use vsm low pressure from pops in 60 grit or cubitron 984s then a100 and A65 trizact gators. Then hand sand
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I do mostly aeb-l too but I start with 36 grit. If i started with 60 it would take me twice as long. And I'm not exactly fast in the first place!
 
HSC /// said:
Vsm xk870x 40 grit does the bulk of the grinding like 90% of it
Vsm 80 and 100
Then deerfos compact grain higher grits

despite all the talk about running at high speed, I probably run much slower than most. The belt speed doesn’t significantly change how long it takes to grind a blade

the grinding portion of making a knife isn’t that long, unless it’s like z wear
Click to expand...
Right on. Thanks! I'll check those belts out. I'm starting to think I'm using stock that's way thicker than it should be.
 
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