More questions about prepping cork belts

[Steve]

Thanks for your patience Darren. I hope it helps. Like I say, don't try to get that much smoothness at the start, just wear some of the roughness off, so the belt is cutting smoothly and cleanly, no ripples in the blade, etc. 10 full min. pretty much odes the trick, pushing fairly hard.

[Messinger]

The posts in this particular cork-belt thread have answered quite a few questions I had after reading the other threads. Now I think I might have messed up. After reading the older threads I thought "Well why pay for the grit if you're just going to strip it off when breaking in the belt" so I ordered my cork belts plain (no abrasive). You think they're still going to work as described if I follow the same break-in and load them with green-chrome? Anybody using them this way?

-Ben

[Steve]

Didn't work for me. The green chrome is working more as a lubricant than an abrasive. The silicon carbide embedded in the cork is what cuts, the compound just keeps it smoother and helps it run cooler, I believe. Not that I've scientifically studied any of this, just my thoughts.

[Steve]

OK Jamey and Darren, how goes the polishing?? hope everything is working out OK.

Thanks, whenever you can drop a line.

[Jamey Saunders]

It worked pretty well. I'm still getting some scratches from the grit on the belt, but I expect that to go away as the belt starts to hold some more buffing compound. I manly wanted to use the polishing belts to bring the blades to the point where the hand-rubbing involved would be at a minimum...

Frankly, it's been to cold, rainy, and just plain nasty down here the last week to get outside and do any knifemaking...

[Darren Ellis]

Originally posted by Steve
OK Jamey and Darren, how goes the polishing?? hope everything is working out OK.

Thanks, whenever you can drop a line.

Hi Steve,

I like it! I'm glad you turned me on to this, so far I like the results!

Originally posted by Jamey Saunders
Frankly, it's been to cold, rainy, and just plain nasty down here the last week to get outside and do any knifemaking...

outside!?, ohh, yuck! Best thing I did for my shop was to put a heating/air conditioner unit in there, 19,500 BTUs, keeps me cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter!



-Darren

[Steve]

Thanks for the report.

Don't be afraid to wear on it a little more with the edge of the steel bar. That might smooth things out a bit, maybe for another 30 seconds to a minute longer. If that doesn't get rid of the scratches, do it a little more.

Cold huh? It's warm here, almost up to freezing for a change. All month it was about 15-20? every morning at this time, 0800-0830.

My shop has 6" fiberglas in the walls, 1" of foam and a heater and also an air cond. in one wall. The temp is good most of spring early summer and fall. Need heat in winter and air for about a month in hottest part of summer. I'm spoiled. My first shop, in the milk shed, was never warm when it was cold and never cool when it was hot!

Keep working with them, you'll work out the kinks. Thanks again.

[Jamey Saunders]

Originally posted by Darren Ellis
outside!?, ohh, yuck! Best thing I did for my shop was to put a heating/air conditioner unit in there, 19,500 BTUs, keeps me cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter!

I have a shop. Unfortunately, my brother has been in control of it for the last three years restoring his 69-70-71-82 Chevelle SS. Wish he'd hurry up and finish it so I could have my shop back. I don't think he'd appreciate grinding dust on his Viper Red paint job!

Originally posted by Steve Cold huh? It's warm here, almost up to freezing for a change. All month it was about 15-20? every morning at this time, 0800-0830.

Anything below 50* is cold here in the Deep South...

[Frank Niro]

I found that without the green chrome polish the pores in the belt will load and then the belt will end up doing little or no cutting. About a dozen yeas ago when I was using these for a lot of ,major cutting I was told to use belt grease on them. When I asked why, they didn't have an answer but I found that without the grease they appear to have a very short life because of the pluging up problem,which of course is the opposite. I also found that they cut better on hardened steel better than on the soft stuff. Just a note that may be an answer for someone. Oh buy the way you can still get the grease to use but man, what a mess it makes when you put it on. It was a big day for me in my shop when I found the polish worked. Frank

[Jerry Shorter]

Steve, If the green chrome is acting as a lubricant, Then maybe some belt wax/grease would work in the same way, or have you tried that?
Jerry

[george tichbour]

I will use the same belt for months before they wear too smooth to cut. The grit on the belt is necessary to remove scratches and leave a smooth surface. The cork grains are to hold the compound.

I have experimented with Scotchbrite Type T Low stretch belts which are a white polyester felt belt with no grit at all but they give an irregular surface, much like the surface that has been buffed to death.

[Jerry Shorter]

Steve, We are proably thinking of the same thing, I think that I just called it wax because that is what it looks like. Sorry for the confusion.
Jerry

[Steve]

Originally posted by Jerry Shorter
Steve, If the green chrome is acting as a lubricant, Then maybe some belt wax/grease would work in the same way, or have you tried that?
Jerry

The wax lubricates, for sure, but seems to be not as slick as the compound, a bit more messy, too, perhaps. Whatever works best for you is the way to go, after giving other ideas a shot. (I modified your quote to include "grease" and then deleted my question, since we're probably talking about the same thing here. Hope that's OK).