3M Gator Trizac belts and wet grinding.

J. Hoffman

J. Hoffman

Dealer - Purveyor
I've always been told that Gator finishing belts can't be used wet. Does anyone know why this is, and to what extent? Does this just mean that you can't use a misting system with them, or does it mean you have to dry your blade after each time you dunk it? I've always wiped down my blades after each dunk when using Gators, but yesterday I decided to be reckless and I didn't dry the blades after dunks. I didn't notice any adverse effects on the finish, in fact it seemed to leave a more even finish. I haven't been out to the shop yet today to see if the belt disintegrated over night. :) What do you guys do? Any insight is appreciated.
 
Just about all of the structured abrasives carry a warning (more like a suggestion) to NOT use them wet. I seldom wipe a blade down between "dunks", and noticed that when using Gator belts, after repeatedly doing that, as the belt wore, little "blocks" of the abrasive started popping off the backing. A few of those "blocks" popping off doesn't seem to mean a lot, but after a bunch of them do, the belt starts "banging", like a lap spliced belt does.

Personally, I don't use a lot of Gator belts anymore... because of what happens when they get wet....between the cost, and the fact that I have to change my grinding methods when I use them, I just don't buy them much. I've never been overly impressed with them from a grinding/finish standpoint anyway....I've never been able to see any difference between the Gator belts, and a high quality aluminum oxide belt when it comes to durability and finish quality.
 
I also noticed improved surface finish with the finer grit gator belts when spraying them with a light mist of water.

I dropped one of these belts into my quench bucket one time when changing out belts and when it dried, about 10-12 inches of grit (the part that got soaked) completely fell off.

Jesse

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 
As a new grinder I feel like they work good for me in that there appears to be more "cushion" to work with. I'm sure my feeling will change as I progress. I don't hear of many MS using them, so I'm not stuck on them. Just working for me right now. Nice to know about the water, I've always run dry with my single speed 1800 rpm Lil Buddy. WDL III
 
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