Difference between hot rolled steel stock and Wide belt ground

T

thomster

Member
Maybe the group wisdom here can help!
My question is pretty much in the title, Im looking at the NewJersey Steel Baron website, I see the option to choose hot rolled or wide belt flat ground steel stock. If it will save me issues with trying to flatten the steel before I grind the bevels, Its seems like a good thing?
$6 more For 2"x 12 AEB-L steel - Wide belt flat ground.
is it worth it or a come hither to spend more $?
 
thomster said:
Maybe the group wisdom here can help!
My question is pretty much in the title, Im looking at the NewJersey Steel Baron website, I see the option to choose hot rolled or wide belt flat ground steel stock. If it will save me issues with trying to flatten the steel before I grind the bevels, Its seems like a good thing?
$6 more For 2"x 12 AEB-L steel - Wide belt flat ground.
is it worth it or a come hither to spend more $?
Click to expand...
If I’m forging it I don’t bother. Stock removal, it does take the bark off and makes it a little easier. I forge most of my stuff, and rarely have it done. It’s only $6, if you want it, do it.
 
Even with stock removal I don't bother with the flat ground stuff. Since I do mostly Full Flat Grinds on blades nothing is really gained with flat ground steel. There really isn't any bark" on AEB-L anyway.
 
Its worth considering for the CPM grades they offer. It will save some time and belts getting through rough outer layer. Keep in mind it is not precision ground. Usually when belt ground it will be .010" thicker than the fractional width it is sold at. exp .125" will be roughly .135"-.140"
 
Their AEB-L is hot rolled, but to your point it is pretty clean. I don't think it would be necessary. Especially as you stated on flat grinds. I would consider it however on their CPM alloys.
 
It grinds most of the mill scale off. I did it on some damascus bundles I ordered to save time cleaning up each piece on the belt sander; they come pre cut and wide belt ground to speed up the process versus buying bar stock, cutting the pieces down and cleaning them individually.

Normally, I just clean up the pieces before I sent them off for HT if doing stock removal. With CPM steels, they tend to have a scale on them, thicker on one side than the other, that it's good to grind through before heat treating.
 
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