I dont seem to get much life out of my 60grt.disk 8in. and belts 2 X 72in.Im forging my blades from spring steel.How fast should I run my grinders?Should i only use enough pressure to stay in contact ? The disk wears out quick,I only use it to clean up the sides of the ricasso.I use the belt to profile and grind the blade.
Thanks for your help

i use an 8 inch disc for all my grinding and i can grind 2 knives per 50 grit disc..i think it depends on the brand..i use the blue zirc from Norton they cost $1.90 canadian

I am not sure what you are using, but I have found that the more expensive belts are a much better value than the inexpensive ones. I use 3M belts almost exclusively. I use ceramic up to 220 grit (977, 967, and 707 belts) and Trizacts from A45 to A6. The 977's are designed to be run fast with a bit of pressure, and I use them for profiling, flats, and tapering tangs. The 967's are designed to be run slower with very little pressure and I use them for my initial grinds and handle shaping. Hope that helps some.

Brett

I use 36 grit Norton's to hog with followed by Klingspore 120, 220, 400 & 600 grits on heavy "x" weight belts to prevent rolled edges.
Spending a little more on good belts will definitely pay off in the long run.