Need a good belt source

[Toddzio]

I am looking for a one stop shop for 2x72 belts. Some other knife makers I know say get X belts from Y through grits 36-120 then for 220-400 get A belts from B and for AO get D belts from E. I am looking for a place I can get good belts, in all grits in one order. Price is not a concern within reason, as I am not a pro, and only need a few of each grit.
Thanks,
-Todd

[DaveRuhlig]

Todd- There are a lot of great suppliers. Jantz, Sheffield, Texas Knife Supply, etc. If I were you I'd try Tracy Mickley:
http://www.usaknifemaker.com/store/i...index&cPath=79
He's a knife maker himself so he'll definately be able to help you.
-Dave

[Toddzio]

Sadly, Tracy's e-mail is not working.

[mdagley]

I've been using Tru Grit for many years and highly recomend them.

Here's the link: http://trugrit.com/

-Mike-

[DaveRuhlig]

Todd-
Tracy lists his phone number on his site 507-947-3760. I'd give him a call.
-Dave

[Ray Rogers]

I second Tru-Grit. There are many places where you can get the same high quality belts that are sold by Tru-Grit (as noted above). But, no other place sells all the belts that Tru_Grit handles and no place sells belts of any higher quality, nor does any other place sell the same belts at any lower price. Tru-Grit sells every high quality belt of every type from every manufacturer that makes anything worth having. If they don't have it, you probably don't need it ........

[Toddzio]

Thanks for the advice, Tru-girt seems good, but Can you give me some advice on
which belts to buy, in what grit, and how many? I am trying to do maybe 5-8 knives a month, and I really don't know how long a belt will last. The guy who has been teaching
me brings his knife up to mirror polish, and then back down to a scratch using 3m belts I think. So I know I like the look for those non woven belts on steel. So at least I know I want one of those. Also, I just have a Grizzly knife grinder now, so I roll the edge off the platen to do the concave parts of the knife. I have heard some belts are better for
this than others. But I don?t know which ones. Also, I am not a pro so cost is not my #1 concern, within reason at least.
This Forum is a big help,
Thanks in advance.

[DaveRuhlig]

Originally Posted by Toddzio

Thanks for the advice, Tru-girt seems good, but Can you give me some advice on
which belts to buy, in what grit, and how many? I am trying to do maybe 5-8 knives a month, and I really don't know how long a belt will last. The guy who has been teaching
me brings his knife up to mirror polish, and then back down to a scratch using 3m belts I think. So I know I like the look for those non woven belts on steel. So at least I know I want one of those. Also, I just have a Grizzly knife grinder now, so I roll the edge off the platen to do the concave parts of the knife. I have heard some belts are better for
this than others. But I don?t know which ones. Also, I am not a pro so cost is not my #1 concern, within reason at least.
This Forum is a big help,
Thanks in advance.

This is exactly why I recommended Tracy. He IS a knife maker who started this business later. He can answer all of those questions and more. Many suppliers are just that - suppliers - great products but may not be as familiar with your application.

[marc34]

I second ordering from Tracy I have been ordering from him for almost a year and have not had any problems. Tru grit has a great supply but I have had shipping issues on the last 2 orders from them so I don't deal with them but the products are fine.

[Toddzio]

Yeah, I will try and give him a call after work. E-mail is much easier to use than the phone.

[tmickley]

one of my email addresses is acting up. I got my web host guy working on it. tracy@usakms.com works and is my 'main' address lately.

[Andrew Garrett]

Here's what I use on steel:

60g Norton ceramic 'hogger' (for profiling, tappering the tang, and primary bevel grinding)
120g ceramic, zirconia, or new Hermes A/O [for pre and post heat treat (low speed only)]
220g ceramic or new Hermes A/O (post heat treat low speed only)
400g new Hermes A/O (post heat treat low speed only)
600g new Hermes A/O (post heat treat)
'Hard Metals' compound (green capped tube) from Lowe's (first polishing step)
'Fine Polishing' compound (red capped tube form Lowe's (final polishing step)
* From a mirror polish, I then decide on my final finish, i.e., satin via scotchbrite (non-woven) belt with WD-40 sprayed into it, or a ferric chloride etch for damascus or hamon revealing finish. A light polish on a dry buff always follows the etching process just to give it a little glow. Turtle Wax seals the deal (thank you Alan Folts).

For handle material (all low speed opperations):

60g Hermes A/O or worn hogging belt (for basic shaping)
120g Hermes A/O (for refining the shape)
220g Hermes A/O (for further refinement and flushing the material with the tang)
220g shop roll or sand paper (for hand sanding front of scales)
500g sand paper (for finish sanding front of scales)
*I then buff the front of the handle scales with a compound appropriate for the material. THis is ussualy 'Light Polishing' compound (orange capped tube) from Lowe's as it is a white, non-coloring formula. I will polish black G-10 or black Micarta with the same compounds I use for steel. When the fronts are done, I afix the scales to the finished blade. After the epoxy has cured I grind off excess pins/tubes and go back to hand sanding with 220G shop roll, 'shoeshine' style with the blade secured in a vice. Finish it off with 500g and polish remainder of handle as before.

I don't always use top quality belts and I experiment with many brands, but I can make a decent knife with what is listed above. I also have 3M Gators, but rarely use them for anything. I always use top quality belts for hogging as this is the most destructive opperation when it comes to belt life.

Clean your belts often with those big eraser thingys!

I have bought from every supplier listed here. Tracy Mickley is by far my favorite for..., everything. Good luck!

[Toddzio]

Thanks everyone, I got a message back from Tracy, and now I know what kind of belts I want, but I don't know how many. I have no idea how many blades a ceramic belt will make. and how many handles I can shape with a AO belt. I would hate to run out of one, and I would like to minimize shipping costs.
Thanks!

[AcridSaint]

I plan on using 1 belt of each grit per knife.

[dbalfa]

A lot depends on how YOU use the belt- are you hard on them, how often you clean the belt, are you grinding pre- or post- heat treat, etc.
When I bought my KMG used, the fellow gave me about 30 belts all in varying condition. I used the ones I thought were in good shape and a few were new. I have since learned the benifit of a truly sharp belt for doing initial blade grinding. I use a selection of older belts for profiling when heat is not an issue.
I've got some belts that I have ground out multiple blades on and I've got some that seem to only be good for 1 or 2 blades.
The green Zirconia belts seem to last a while as well as Cubitrons. Get some cheap A/O for hogging. However, I've got a couple of 60 grit cubitrons that were already used and they still will and have hogged out several profiles likity split!