I read the posts on grinding with the 50 or 60 grit first , then going to say 400,,,,,, but the part on breaking in the new belts,,,, what do you do, just turn on the grinder and let it run for 10 / 15 minutes? thanks guys Mike in Oklahoma

Just to be sure we are talking about the same thing, the 'going to 400' grit meant cork belts, not regular grinding belts. Breaking the cork belt in meant taking a piece of steel and using the belt hard for at least ten minutes. This knocks down the bumps and takes a bit of the grit out of the cork. It produces a smoother finish when you put your buff compound on the belt. Hope that answered your question.

I seem to remember one maker rough grinding with cork belts. Anyone out there ever heard of that?

Yes, the cork belts need to be broken in or worn in as described. "Break" the corner of the belt around the edge of the wheel, gently and lightly, or the cork will peel off. Use compound during the latter stages.

At one yime I did only flat grinding. I found that cork belts with grits of 120 finer all would do a good job especially on hardened stainless.Cok belts made several years ago required a belt grease or something to keep them from clogging up and stop cutting. It was real dirty work but the cork belts being quite thick you would avoid the bumping of the lap and they lasted a very long time. The work got less messy when I found that I could use buffing polish to dress the belts. I believe this created a hydrostatic situation on the belt surface and this is what stopped the belts from loading up and not cutting. Of course you could clean them some with the a rubber eraser or as Bob Warner would use an old running shoe. Frank Niro

Interesting, Frank. Thank you. I agree, those cork belts can be very dusty if no compound or grease is used.

thanks guys,,,,,, iam learning ! running shoes?? lol,,, <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/embarassed.gif ALT=":o"> )