1" x 30" Surface Conditioning Belts (Non-Woven), 12 PACK

Most of these belts go onto the 1" x 30" bench sanders that knife makers and small shops run, machines like the WEN 6515, Rikon 50-151 and 50-1305, and the Grizzly H6070 our original listing named. After the coated belts have ground the bevel and refined the flats, a 1" x 30" non-woven belt puts an even satin finish on the blade, cleans scale and heat colour from small steel parts, and breaks sharp corners on handle hardware without changing a dimension.

We convert these in Anaheim, California and pack 12 of one grade per box. The grades are colour-coded: Coarse is brown, Medium is maroon, Very Fine is blue and Ultra Fine is grey, each leaving a scratch pattern that corresponds to a band of coated-belt grits.

• Fits WEN 6515/6515T, Rikon 50-151 and 50-1305 and other 1" x 30" bench sanders
• Nylon web with aluminum oxide grain blends and cleans without removing measurable stock
• Coarse, Medium, Very Fine and Ultra Fine: 40-60 through 320-400 grit finishes
• Even satin on blade flats, bolsters and guards; no loading on brass, G10 or micarta
• Runs cool on a small bench motor and resists loading
• 12 belts per pack; converted in Anaheim, California

Which grade should you choose for knife and small-parts finishing?

Choose by the surface you want when you stop, and remember that a non-woven belt refines what is already there rather than cutting a new surface.

• Coarse (brown, 40-60 grit equivalent): removing forge scale and heat colour from blanks, cleaning rust off salvaged steel, stripping a finish from a small part. It is the only grade that takes noticeable material, so keep it moving and light on a finished blade.
• Medium (maroon, 80-120 grit equivalent): the working grade. It blends the scratch from a 120 grit coated belt into an even matte, cleans the heat tint from a tempered blank and breaks the corners on guards, bolsters and pins. Start here on most blades.
• Very Fine (blue, 180-240 grit equivalent): the classic working-knife satin. Run it lengthwise along a blade that has been taken to 220 grit and you get a uniform, directional finish that hides handling marks. Also the #4-style grade for stainless fittings.
• Ultra Fine (grey, 320-400 grit equivalent): the finest satin and the last step before a buffing wheel. Use it on stainless and high-carbon blades headed for a hand-rubbed or mirror finish, and on titanium and aluminum handle parts.

For handle materials: Medium then Very Fine on G10, micarta and other fiberglass or resin laminates gives a clean matte without the fuzzing a coated belt can leave. On brass and copper, Very Fine or Ultra Fine only; the softer metals show every scratch.

Grit guide: grade, colour and equivalent finish

The numbers are finish equivalents. A non-woven belt of any grade cuts far slower than a coated belt of the same number, which is why it can refine a ground blade without rounding the plunge line or washing out a crisp grind if you keep the pressure light.

Which machines take a 1" x 30" belt?

• WEN 6515 and 6515T 1" x 30" belt and disc sanders.
• Rikon 50-151 and 50-1305 1" x 30" belt sanders.
• Grizzly H6070, named on our original listing, and any other bench sander built for a 1" x 30" belt.

Mounting on a bench sander: back off the tension, slip the belt over the drive and idler wheels with any direction arrow on the inside pointing the way the belt runs, re-tension and turn the tracking knob until the belt runs centred on the platen. The web is thicker than a coated belt, so plan on a small tracking adjustment when you switch. If you want a longer or different-width belt for another machine, we make custom sizes in about three days.

How to get the most out of it on a bench sander

1. Slow it down if you can. On a variable-speed sander run the belt well below coated-belt speed. On a fixed-speed machine, compensate with lighter pressure and shorter passes.
2. Let the belt float. Present the blade with light pressure and keep it moving. Heavy pressure folds the web against the platen, heats the steel and shortens belt life dramatically.
3. Use the platen for flats and the slack for curves. Flats and bevels ride the platen for an even satin; the unsupported belt above it wraps the spine, choil and curved handle parts.
4. Run the satin lengthwise. Draw the blade along its length so the grain line runs tip to ricasso. Cross strokes show immediately on a satin blade.
5. Come in from 120-220 grit. The web will not remove coarse grinding scratches; it blends the last coated grit into an even finish.
6. Keep the edge off the belt. Finish the flats and bevels before the final edge, or protect the apex; a non-woven belt rounds a sharpened edge.
7. Store belts loosely, flat or hung, away from solvent and damp air.

Use it for / don't use it for

Use it for

• Satin finishing blade flats and bevels on carbon and stainless steel after 220 grit
• Cleaning forge scale, heat tint and light rust from blanks and small steel parts
• Breaking corners and blending guards, bolsters, pins and pommels
• Matte finishing G10, micarta, fiberglass laminates and plastics without loading
• Deburring and blending small stainless, aluminum and titanium parts

Don't use it for

• Grinding bevels or removing stock; that is the job of your coated and ceramic belts
• Sharpening or deburring a finished cutting edge; it rounds the apex
• Producing a mirror on its own; go from Ultra Fine to a buffing wheel and compound
• Heavy pressure, which tears the web and burns the blade

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

Related products and guides

• All surface conditioning belts, discs and flap discs
• Knife making belts and supplies
• 1" x 30" Metalworking Sanding Belts, 12 pack
• 1" x 30" Belt Starter Kit
• Custom sanding belts made to order in about 3 days