I'm a young hobbyist bladesmith and am unable to afford a decent 2x72 belt sander, so right now I am forced to use a small 1x30 belt sander or angle grinder. I was wondering if anyone would have any tips on using these machines to grind bevels or finish blades? I am also new to this forum so I apologize if this is posted in the wrong place, feel free to correct me if that is the case.

They do make belts to fit the 30" sander. Ranging from 40 grit up to 5000.  Check on amazon for 1x30 sanding belt knife sharpening.  I use the HF 1x30 sander also and a jig i made for the proper angle.

A 1x30 will work just fine. Some good tips on YouTube about them. Not going to hog material as fast as a 2x72 but who’s in a hurry? Don’t buy the cheapest belts and go ahead and get a good assortment of grits.

there is a post in the knife making classes section explaining that you do not repeat NOT NEED every grit size made

Welcome aboard Nateglider, glad to have you. 

Check out the section suggested by Steve, it covers everything you'll need to get started. To clarify a little here, there's a difference between a "good selection" to an experienced bladesmith and a newbie. Being a newcomer to the craft you don't know what a good selection is so it's normal to buy every darned grit size and type just to make sure. 

Steve's a great guy though not the wordsmith some of us are so he can sound gruff. What he's doing is telling you where to find out what you need so you WON'T buy every size and type belt made for a 1x30 belt grinder. 

The lessons will walk you through each step and up your chances of making a successful first knife from possible to very probable. Doing some reading will give you a handle on the jargon. Like any craft it has a language of it's own that lets practitioners talk and know what each other means without having to explain everything. You'll be able to ask good questions and understand the answers without driving everybody nuts. Yourself included. 

Frosty The Lucky.

I've used a 1x42 belt grinder for years.  Smaller grinders work OK but are slower than the big boys.  I hope a 2x72 is in my future soon.

Use a coarse grit (80 or less) to shape your blade and then use finer grits to remove the grinding marks of the previous grit.  If you want to go finer than 400 or 600 you can use a cloth wheel with different types of buffing compound depending on your metal and how shiny you want it to be.

One piece of advice:  Don't be afraid to toss a belt once the grit starts wearing down.  There is a temptation to keep using a belt until it is worn flat.  Don't do it.  Your time is more valuable than saving a little in belt cost by using a worn belt.  Toss it sooner than later.

Second piece of advice:  More expensive/better belts are worth it in the long run.  Cheap belts either wear out faster or break.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

The best advice I've gotten about belts is, "Treat them like they're free." A dull belt is harder to use, produces uneven results, and generally creates more issues than its worth. If you're really trying to be frugal, you can stretch the life of some of the coarser belts a little bit if you reserve them for utility grinding (e.g., deburring, initial reshaping of the factory faces of hammers), but in the end, the additional effort spent isn't worth the money saved.

Not to mention that Steve has actually written and published several books on knifemaking; so you can get the book learning AND direct contact with the doers.  I've been smithing for 40 years now and I have bought Steve's books anyway.  Always good to get a different expert's take on things!

Ditto the JHCC comment. Particularly after heat treat. Dull belts cause you to press harder to get them to cut. That generates heat which leads to overheating the thin edges. 

You might also like Wayne Goddards book. The "50 dollar Knife Shop". 

I'd get Klingspor belts in 36 and/or 60, 120, and 220 grit. Klingspor makes really good stuff, and is usually a good bit cheaper than 3M or Norton, and there aren't a thousand options to muddy the waters.

And to be honest, I wouldn't go the book route starting out. I would never have recommended it in the past, but I'd just go to YouTube and search for hand forging videos. There's so many good bladesmiths putting out free content, it actually makes sense these days. Jason Knight, Walter Sorrels, and others are great resources for forging and finishing. Kevin Cashen's site is also great for heat treat info on the more popular knife steels, too, and it's also available for everyone. It's more technical than what you're likely geared for, but still. You'd be well served to also find a good chart like this one https://images.app.goo.gl/jy4nGY1QXQM7puex6. It's not perfect, but it's definitely a great place to start.

At some point, though, I'd definitely find a good class focusing on bladesmithing when it's feasible.

One of the pet peeves I have is watching the various knifemaking and blacksmithing videos and seeing the folks take their fire scale covered hunk of steel to the belt grinder.  That scale is hard and tough and will kill a belt in short order.   Okay if you get your belts for free but I have to pay for mine so I remove scale first with an angle grinder and disc or flap wheel or a short soak in muriatic acid and water rinse, outside of course.

I usually use a block wire brush at red heat to remove the majority of the scale prior to grinding.

A little vigorous work with a butcher's block brush on red steel will remove scale fast and easy. A regular steel brush works but not well, a cup brush on an angle grinder works a treat but can be dangerous. . . REALLY dangerous.

Frosty The Lucky.

Warm white vinegar will also take scale off. It takes longer than muriatic acid, but is cheap and very effective.

When I started I used a regular  belt sander flipped upside down and clamped in a vice.   Took forever to get stuff done.  1 x 30 is a good start.   Take your time and don't rush. 

Every time you make something with the 1x30, put aside some money for a 2x72!

I didn't have that kind of patience myself.