Grinding Steel With Sanding Belts Or Discs.

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Tozguy

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Most belts and discs that I have come across are for wood sanding it seems. They are brown in color with AO grit in the 35 to 220 range. There are also a few sizes and grits available in zirconia (blue ?) and ceramic (grey).
My question is what works best for grinding steel.

A main concern would be how long they last before wearing out. Is there any way to extend their useful life, such as applying a wax stick lubricant?

Lastly, what brands do you recommend? I hate it when the joint in a belt gives up before the belt is worn out.

Thanks for reading this far guys and gals. Mike
 
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I've been getting my flap discs from Empire Abrasives. The Zirconia discs work really well and seem to last longer than the ones I got from the home improvement store. Their website has materials suitability listed for each compound.
http://www.empireabrasives.com/
 
I employ a simple rule: blue for metal, brown for wood.
And one might think hey, if blue is so sharp it works on metal and steel, it should work GREAT on wood, right? Wrong. The abrasive fills almost instantly and renders the belt useless in a matter of minutes.
This is my experience anyway. I also make use of the crepe block to keep the abrasive open, and use a stick cutting wax on my belts as well.

I've seen purple belts and orange ones, but haven't tried them yet.

-frank
 
Mike, I have a DoAll stick wax tube that is not even half used after 10 years of use on my belt sanders and bandsaw. I love that stuff - a little goes a long way. Castrol and others make these wax sticks and they work. They not only extend the life of the belt, they help it cut faster and cooler.
 
DSaul, thanks for the link. Got some good info from it and will be trying some of the 6'' yellow PSA discs just out of curiosity.

Frank, your rule of thumb seems to jive with my experience as well. Oddly, Zirconia boride (with blue resin) is not quite as hard as aluminum oxide but it might be less brittle and therefor work better on steel.
There are also some grey ceramic belts (pricey) which I might try at some point.

Mikey, been using this wax lube on my hacksaws since I can remember. Wonderful stuff! Is this OK to use on the belts and discs too when grinding metal?

IMG_0043.JPG

Thanks everybody for your help. Mike
 
Tozguy said:
Mikey, been using this wax lube on my hacksaws since I can remember. Wonderful stuff! Is this OK to use on the belts and discs too when grinding metal?

View attachment 139045

Thanks everybody for your help. Mike
Click to expand...

Yup, that'll work. Just apply a light coat to the disc and go for it.
 
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