Metal "sanding" abrasives

[posixPilot]

Hey everyone,

Until I can get a cold saw, I was thinking about using my upright belt sander to true up cross cuts that I make with my reciprocating saw. I should be able to square the guide to 90 or 45 degrees and get a better joint than I would by cutting it alone. Does anyone know what kind of abrasive belt I should look for to use on Al or mild steel? Is there a risk of contaminating the aluminum?

Thanks
Mike

[Brian Ski]

I can't give you an answer on contamination, but I think you are going to go through a lot of sanding belts. Might be better drawing a straight line and using a grinder to true it up.

Did you check out the thread on the double cut saw from Harbor???

Here is a link...

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/forums/showthread.php/1453-New-saw-at-Harbor-Freight-Double-Cut-saw

[zoama585]

I can't speak on the aluminum but an 80 grit aluminum oxide or zircon works well on steel.

[Brian Ski]

I can't speak on the aluminum but an 80 grit aluminum oxide or zircon works well on steel.

Zoama..I see you have a pretty good size belt sander... ;)

Mike, What size belt sander do you have???

[zoama585]

Zoama..I see you have a pretty good size belt sander... ;)

Mike, What size belt sander do you have???

I bought the 4" HF model first but it was grossly underpowered so I returned it. The 6" has plenty of power for whatever. As always you need to change the lumpy drive belt to make them run smooth.

[Rambozo]

Hey everyone,

Until I can get a cold saw, I was thinking about using my upright belt sander to true up cross cuts that I make with my reciprocating saw. I should be able to square the guide to 90 or 45 degrees and get a better joint than I would by cutting it alone. Does anyone know what kind of abrasive belt I should look for to use on Al or mild steel? Is there a risk of contaminating the aluminum?

Thanks
Mike

I've done that a lot, too. Depending on how close you get with the saw, it's not that big a deal to grind the angle true with a belt sander. A 6x48 mounted vertically is great for that. My goto belts are 60 grit, but you could even go a little courser just for weld fitup. Be sure your table is square to the belt platen. Good quality aluminum oxide belts will last a long time, while cheap stuff will just frustrate you. I can't speak to contamination, there are belt cleaners that work nice to remove loading. I suppose you should change belts for different materials, but I never do. I've never had a problem welding aluminum that was ground with a belt that had ground steel. But it's not like I do aerospace X-rayed welds, either.

[posixPilot]

I can't speak on the aluminum but an 80 grit aluminum oxide or zircon works well on steel.

I have a zircon flap disk for my grinder that works pretty well, so I'll have to see if I can track one down. I didn't know they made those in belts.


Mike, What size belt sander do you have???

I think it's a 4x48, or there about. It's the vertical belt here in this picture:

6898


I've done that a lot, too. Depending on how close you get with the saw, it's not that big a deal to grind the angle true with a belt sander. A 6x48 mounted vertically is great for that.

Cool, that's good to know ... I think my machine will work well then, I just have to hunt down a belt.

Thanks
Mike

[posixPilot]

So, I tracked down the right size of zircon sanding belt and bought several 60 grit belts. I just got around to trying them out after they sat around on the floor of my office for about a month ;) .

7386

Seems to work pretty well on steel, but you definitely don't want to try and remove a lot of material ... truing up the angle should work pretty well though.

Not that I want to start another "how to grind tungsten thread", but I did sharpen about 30 tungsten on one of the belts that I've dedicated to the purpose. This worked really well, and it's a nice wide, flat surface to work on. I chuck the tungsten in my drill and spin it on the horizontal belt. This also has the advantage of having the belt moving away from the tungsten tip, so there's no chance of flinging the tungsten across the room. Does anyone know if zircon media will contaminate the tungsten, like AlOxide would?

Thanks
Mike

[Rambozo]

There would be a little contamination, but just like aluminum oxide, these are just fine particles left in the scratches, they will blow off as soon as you light up. So just light up on a piece of scrap or a copper bar, after you sharpen, to flash off anything on the tungsten, and you're good to go.

[fdcmiami]

Hey everyone,

Until I can get a cold saw, I was thinking about using my upright belt sander to true up cross cuts that I make with my reciprocating saw. I should be able to square the guide to 90 or 45 degrees and get a better joint than I would by cutting it alone. Does anyone know what kind of abrasive belt I should look for to use on Al or mild steel? Is there a risk of contaminating the aluminum?

Thanks
Mike

what do you mean 'cold saw'? buy a ten inch (or smaller... or larger for that matter, whatever) miter saw. throw a wood blade in there and have at it. for your aluminum, for steel get a chop saw till you can get a band saw. i'm thinking you can skip the cold saw; do you know how expensive they are?

[posixPilot]

what do you mean 'cold saw'?

Yeah, I'm referring to a miter saw geared to cut metal, so I'm probably using the term wrong. Sorry about that. I ended up buying the Rage miter saw, and it's a hunk of crap, so I will still be using the belt sander to true up the cuts.


There would be a little contamination, but just like aluminum oxide, these are just fine particles left in the scratches

Ok, that makes sense, thanks. It seems like any grinding material (short of diamond) would leave particles behind, so I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.

Cheers
Mike

[Brian Ski]

Ok, that makes sense, thanks. It seems like any grinding material (short of diamond) would leave particles behind, so I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.

Cheers
Mike

Yea that is what the doctor said when he is wiping his scalpel on his sleeve to clean it... Haha... Had to say it... Sorry guy!!!!

Yea, thinking any grinding wheel that would wear from the tungsten would leave some kind of dust on it.

[Rambozo]

What's the problem? I have a dedicated tool to sharpen my tungsten.

http://www.youthwork-practice.com/adventure-camps-events-programs/camps/stone-age/stone-axe.jpg

[undercut]

What's the problem? I have a dedicated tool to sharpen my tungsten.

http://www.youthwork-practice.com/adventure-camps-events-programs/camps/stone-age/stone-axe.jpg

Jody (from the fabulous Welding Tips and Tricks for those new) mentioned different methods of sharpening his tungsten. I remember one video where he said he sharpened one using a cutting torch and would talk about it in a future video. Does anyone know if he ever did? That would be a fascinating story I'm sure! :D

[CGCINC]

I have a 4"x106" upright belt sander... I use 80grit belts and they don't last very long if you really lay into them. But it Does make for quick easy work to take the sharp edges off!