Klingspor cork belt

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Duncan Tipton

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,

I broke my third Klingspor 600 grit cork belt today. Do you have any advice for me? After the first one I decided that they are fragile so I have been very carful breaking them in with steel as Tracy explained. I also reduced my speed and tension. I use a KMG grinder and flat platen with a glass wear plate. I like want the belts do for me, but I have only been getting a couple knives out of each one.

Please let me know what is working for you when you get a minute.

Thanks, Duncan Tipton
 
Are you leaving them on the grinder under tension for long periods of time ? I also use them quite a bit and still using the same two belts for almost 3 years now. At that rate it may take another decade to use up all 10. lol. I take them off either machine when they're done doing their mojo. Maybe there's a hard sharp spot on your glass liner (?). If they're breaking at the taped joint, that's usually a hint that they're getting too hot, too much pressure. Or the edge of the joint is lifted and grabs your blade. I use moderate pressure and let the belt do the work which is fairly breif. I don't try to grind hard with them, it's more like blending. If they're lasting more than 1 knife, it doesn't sound like a manufacturing problem.

Rudy
 
I don't leave them on the machine, but you may be right that I am using too much pressure. They break on the tape of the joint every time. I'll try using less pressure. I wonder if the tape is getting compromised during break in. What is your break in technique? Thanks, Rudy

Duncan
 
Duncan many who do use the cork belts don't "break them in" they are used as is in the sizes stated on the back. I have not yet learned how to turn one into a truly good polishing belt. I am still going to chase this out. Is that what you want to know as well? Frank
 
Duncan,
I don't use the "jabbing the steel into the belt method."
That leaves different width lines in the grind pattern. I've used a hard fire brick pushed evenly into the belt until there's no more bumps on the surface. On the last one I used a peice of granite counter top (about 2" wide, 8" long). Polished side into the belt evenly for a minute or two. The grind pattern matches the trizac belts I use pretty close. On these 2 current belts, the grind pattern got finer and better with use. The two edges are paper thin but still work. I suspect they'll crap out soon but I definitely got my money's worth. I think the biggest thing is not to try to remove stock but use it as a blending tool. By the time I'm using the cork belt, the blade is pretty much done anyway. Also after looking this morning, the belt for my hollow grinding machine looks way better than on the platen machine. The wheel exerts less pressure than a big wide platen.

Rudy
 
Frank Niro said:
Duncan many who do use the cork belts don't "break them in" they are used as is in the sizes stated on the back. I have not yet learned how to turn one into a truly good polishing belt. I am still going to chase this out. Is that what you want to know as well? Frank
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Frank,
Years ago when I was visiting the Bob Loveless shop for one of his open door saturdays I noticed that they added green Chrome buffing compound to the cork belts as they used them. About one year ago I started added the green chrome and I have not mastered this technique yet, It has given me improvement.

Duncan, It is very wet where you live? I use to work in my garage and was working in the shop during a big "S. Cal" rain storm. I thought it was the moisture and profiling on non covered Aluminum wheels made a few belts of different kinds break the week of the storms.
 
What is the benefit derived from using a cork belt anyway? I've never used them on my knives, but now I am curious.
 
J.Higgins said:
What is the benefit derived from using a cork belt anyway? I've never used them on my knives, but now I am curious.
Click to expand...

If the belt is doing the right thing, it leaves a nice even fine satin finish that you can call done. Others use it in combination with white or green buffing compound which gives a polished look to the lines. I get better results with a buffer and stay cleaner. I mainly use them for blending any imperfections before getting into the high grits that don't remove stock quickly.

Rudy
 
Frank Niro said:
Duncan many who do use the cork belts don't "break them in" they are used as is in the sizes stated on the back. I have not yet learned how to turn one into a truly good polishing belt. I am still going to chase this out. Is that what you want to know as well? Frank
Click to expand...

Frank, thanks for joining in. I'm not sure what you mean when you say you are "going to chase this out".
 
Laurence,

I haven't mastered the technique yet either. I do look the polished/satin look. Not too wet here this time of year. It's -10 F right now anf the humidity is below 30% in this type of weather. I think I must just be to hard on the belts.

Duncan
 
I have to give an fellow maker a phone call now I live in the same city and have him come over for a lesson or two. He like many others including S.R.Johnson have used a cork belt with work down surface and green chrome polish to maintain grinding lines and accomplish a polished mirror or near mirror surface. I've tried to get the results I've seen a few others get but sure haven't had the success. Do believe this is accomplished by them but for what ever reason not for me. Now, many years after having seen this done I want to see if I can finally learn the proper method to get the results it can give.
By the way with cork belts to be used as they are , at least the old ones, it was necessary to use either a buffing compound or a grease bar of a type on the belt in order to keep it cutting. Can you imagine how messy that was? It was real bad. I used cork belts for a long spell. It would avoid the slap as the joint came around on a regular belt when flat grinding. Frank
 
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