ironsmith Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 hey guys, what do y'all think i need as far as belt grits to start grinding knives? I just ordered some 1080 and 15n20 along with some monel sheet for fun to make damascus , but I don't know what grits for my belt grinder to use to grind the edge out once i am to that point. any suggestions would be appreciated!!! thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy seale Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 hello,start with a 50 grit and progress up,but alot depends on what you have avalable.i think on a 2 x 72 it goes up to 2000 grit but on my 4 x 36 i get up to 320 localy.so i do alot of hand sanding.so see what's avalable and find what works for you.some of the professionals will chime in and get you pointed in the right direction,hope this helps,jimmy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironsmith Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 thanks for the advice jimmy, i have made a 2 x 72 belt grinder and put a 10 inch wheel on it. figured i would start with a real course grit belt but dunno what to finish with , gonna prolly go get an assortment of grits from pop's knife supply and see what i like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kahn Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 I start with a really coarse grit, like 24 or 36 grit to knock off the scale, get the basic shape in and set the bevels. I then usually move to an 80 grit to finalize the bevels and get closer to final shape. I finish grinding with a 180, and a flexible 220. After that, I usually go to hand finishing. (I've tried going finer on the belt grinder, but I've kind of come to the conclusion that for polishing, it doesn't really save much, if any, time, and I find the hand work more relaxing.) The Blaze belts, btw, are really good. For hand finishing, the 3M open cut psa rolls are wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironsmith Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 I went down to Pop's Knife Supply down in Washington Ga. and he was a real help, he was honest and gave me a good idea of what i needed and what i should start out with as far as belts. also bought some camel bone and ironwood for handles and i'm real happy with the 8 inch serrated contact wheel i got from him. now I'm waiting on some steel i ordered from Kelly Cupples, when it comes in I hope i can find the time to weld up some Damascus and start doing something instead of talking about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucegodlesky Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Pop is a good guy , for sure. Sounds like you're on the right track. I like tjhe atitude you have. Talk is cheap and time is short. Go out, make beginner mistakes and learn by doing and asking questions. There is no short cut to experience. Find a local smith who can give some guidance. Let us see how things are progressing. bruce/birdog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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