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+--- Thread: honing compound grit sizes (/showthread.php?tid=123)
honing compound grit sizes - Ken S - 06-26-2017
I just ordered some boron carbide 1 micron honing compound. With compounds like Tormek and Lee Valley's green compound, the grit breaks down with use and becomes finer. Does the boron carbide compound become finer or maintain the same grit size?
Thanks.
Ken
RE: honing compound grit sizes - Mark Reich - 06-26-2017
Anything green is aluminum oxide, which is a very fragile abrasive. It breaks down and plugs belts quickly, so it's best to clean the belt all the time.
Boron Carbide doesn't seem to break down much. I'm not sure if it's because it's not friable, but it keeps on deburring very effectively for a surprisingly long time.
That's about all it does though. It always leaves a slick, polished edge, pretty much like aluminum oxide. It just works much longer, and the belt seems to stay cleaner. I only clean the belt after 3-4 applications.
RE: honing compound grit sizes - grepper - 06-26-2017
How do you clean the belt?
RE: honing compound grit sizes - Ken S - 06-27-2017
Thanks for the info, Mark. I have the same leather belt cleaning question as Grepper.
(That reminds me, yesterday evening I put my Scotch-Brite belt in a tub of hot water and Dawn detergent. I must remember to retrieve it this morning. I saw this technique on a youtube, and will report the result.)
Ken
RE: honing compound grit sizes - Mark Reich - 07-03-2017
I only use high quality wet/dry paper in my shop, and I always cut full size sheets into 16 pieces. I just mount a hacksaw in the vice so the blade is facing up, and at a comfortable angle towards me. I fold a sheet in half (grit side out), then run the crease back and forth a little bit on the hacksaw blade. It tears easily. Keep folding in half and you end up with 16 pieces about 2 1/4"x 2 3/4".
I don't ever waste a speck of sandpaper this way, and it makes it easy to sand things an equal amount. Just use the same number of pieces of sandpaper to sand equal amounts of material, like one piece for each side of the handle or blade.
I usually clean leather belts with 320 grit sandpaper. Just turn the machine on and hold the paper on the top wheel. It usually takes two pieces to get a 1x42 belt clean.
The only other way I clean leather is with Lexol, from Tandy.
RE: honing compound grit sizes - Ken S - 07-04-2017
Thanks for the info, Mark. I like the idea of having a two pronged way to clean the leather belt.
Ken