Surface conditioning belts
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Eric Brinkerhoff
Active Member
They've been a total game changer for me! Love them!
Nice
I will be getting one what grits do you use?
tkroenlein
Well-Known Member
Get one of each. They last a very, very long time.
Also, they are no replacement for getting deep scratches out or straightening up anything. What they are great for is making a very uniform final pass after you have a nice clean grind.
Also, they are no replacement for getting deep scratches out or straightening up anything. What they are great for is making a very uniform final pass after you have a nice clean grind.
Thanks will do.but can't take the place of hand sanding ???
CDHumiston
Well-Known Member
I love these things! I have 3 different grades of coarseness. They take out some mild surface scratches and put a great matte finish on a blade if that's what you are looking for.
Eric Brinkerhoff
Active Member
I've got two extra fine ones from different brands. I actually hand sand right up the grits to 600 or finer as if I were pursuing a real mirror polish. I used to try like hell to get a mirror polish and I probably even got real close a few times, but now I just jam through the grits until I have a foundation or the beginning of a mirror shine then , once I'm satisfied that I don't have any ripple in my blade I give it a couple of light passes on the surface conditioner belt and Viola! A nice brushed look thats better looking than anything! This has become one of my favorite stages of knife making now!
tkroenlein
Well-Known Member
I am an admitted sluggard and an avowed machine finisher. I very infrequently hand finish the flats.
Properly done, they're different finishes.
I think the overly long sanding sessions are derived from the lack of belief that a good finish and crisp lines can be achieved on the grinder, when in fact, they can.
Surface finishing belts aren't magic. You can't fix a faceted grind and make it look good with non woven belts. It's the same effect as using a hand pad on a hand finished blade. It just evens the appearance of the "scratch pattern" if used correctly. They're bad about rounding over grind lines and generally making the blade look sloppily finished if you over use them.
jmforge
Well-Known Member
One f the best moderate effort machine finishes that I have ever seen was done by Claude Bouchonville uisng regular belts with the old graphite canvas backing, then a Scotchbrite flap wheel followed by a buff. My limited experience is that the Scotchbrite belts give you the same effect as the flap wheel. I used Gator belts then the Scotchbrite belts on some stuff a year or so ago and it worked well. The will NOT take deeper scratches out of wear resistant stuff like Cru Forge V. You know, those pesky little scratches that hide out in place like near the tip? 
I don.t think i ever seen a bob loveless or jim merrit video or any of the old school makers hand sanding a blade......mind you when i think about it most of their knives were hollow ground....i think that tkroenlein is right on that the scotchbrite belts will wash out your crisp grind lines.....i like the 3m micron finishing belts myself
jmforge
Well-Known Member
I do full height flat grind or, on occasion, VERY shallow full height hollow grinds using an 18 or 36 inch "radius"convex platen, so I probably don't have any "crisp grind lines" to wash out.
For me, the 3m belts just don't work. Now, I have tried to "buff" with the broke down cork belts with green compound like Steve Johnson suggests. That seems to work okay.
Eric Brinkerhoff
Active Member
I'd really like to try the cork belts!
chrisstaniar
Well-Known Member
I use the surface conditioning on hollow ground and it can wash out the grind lines if you let it get close. I put lotsa blue tape along the grind line and am very careful not to let it get on that line. I'll hand sand at the bevel line at least it cuts down on the hand sanding.
Everyone is right, they won't take out deep scratches but I see that as a good thing. It "points them out" to me and then I go back with a 1000 grit norax belt and fix those. The norax belts are nice as you can get the high grits but without the annoying "bump" from the seam.
Everyone is right, they won't take out deep scratches but I see that as a good thing. It "points them out" to me and then I go back with a 1000 grit norax belt and fix those. The norax belts are nice as you can get the high grits but without the annoying "bump" from the seam.
jmforge
Well-Known Member
If you plan to use them for polishing, you have to knock off the grit with the edge of a piece of steel before going ot the compound. It can take a few minutes.