Cleaning Conditioning Belt?

MTBob

Well-Known Member
My conditioning belts look like they are getting clogged up with crud. Is there a way to clean them, or is it necessary?
 
Buy new ones. At least that is what Ed Caffrey says. ;) Sure they are pricey, but considering how log they normally last they are a pretty good deal. Appartently, some stuff can gum them up more than others. I have heard people say that if you use them on say G1`0, they get crudded up fast.
 
Are they still working well? My only concerns would be whether they have grit in them that would scratch the blade or they weren't "cutting".
 
I think with any belt with a waterproof/water-resistant backing it'd be fine to wash them out in a bucket of water and dish soap. After that, dry with compressed air or a shop vac.

Not sure how aggressive I'd get regarding chemicals on Scotchbrite

Not really the same thing, but if I'm sanding wood and it gums up the belt, I wire brush the belt while it's running.
 
For the cost of a new one I can't see trying to renew a shot-clogged scotchbrite. I have on old beat red one that's been relegated to removing rust from oddball stuff, destined for the trash heap soon.
 
For the cost of a new one I can't see trying to renew a shot-clogged scotchbrite. I have on old beat red one that's been relegated to removing rust from oddball stuff, destined for the trash heap soon.
I use wire wheels for rust. The brass ones do a good job.

Way I see it, you just have to weight out time/effort vs reward.

If it doesn't take much time or effort - especially if it's something you can have going in the back ground while you do other things - and you can get a reasonable amount of addition use out of the belts, go for it. It is takes a lot of effort and use only get a few hours extra out of a belt, not worth it.
 
I use wire wheels for rust. The brass ones do a good job.

Way I see it, you just have to weight out time/effort vs reward.

If it doesn't take much time or effort - especially if it's something you can have going in the back ground while you do other things - and you can get a reasonable amount of addition use out of the belts, go for it. It is takes a lot of effort and use only get a few hours extra out of a belt, not worth it.
Good comments, standby, I'm going to try the dishwater/soaking steps.
 
Our temperatures finally moved from -30 range to the +teens, so I'm now getting caught up on chores.
I lightly ran a wire welding scale brush over Fine grade conditioning belt at about 50% speed. That seemed to take off some loose material. I then put the belt in a bucket of hot soapy water for about 6 hours. That loosened up some embedded crud - then rinsed and dried. The belt then looked very clean with no clumps of crud in it.
After testing it on a nearly finished hardened blade, it appears the cleaning helped a lot. Previously the belt created uneven, random lines. Now the surface finish is much smoother and uniform.
So, next I'll try the same thing on a Medium grade belt.
 
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