2" x 48" Surface Conditioning Belts (Non-Woven), 6 PACK

The 2" x 48" belt grinder sits between a bench sander and a full 2" x 72" knife grinder, and it is a serious machine: our original listing named the Kalamazoo 2FS, Burr King BURX400, Dayton 6Y945 and PRM PR72248 for this size. This non-woven belt is the finishing step on those grinders. It puts a uniform satin on a ground blade, blends and deburrs machined and welded parts, and cleans scale and heat tint without removing measurable stock.

Six belts of one grade per pack, converted in Anaheim, California. The grades are colour-coded: Coarse is brown, Medium is maroon, Very Fine is blue and Ultra Fine is grey, each leaving a finish that corresponds to a band of coated-belt grits.

• Fits Kalamazoo 2FS, Burr King BURX400, Dayton 6Y945, PRM PR72248 and other 2" x 48" grinders
• Aluminum oxide grain in a nylon web: finishes and deburrs, holds part dimensions
• Coarse, Medium, Very Fine and Ultra Fine, 40-60 through 320-400 grit finishes
• 48" loop runs cool and lasts under continuous production deburring
• 2" width covers a blade flat or a bar edge in a single pass
• 6 belts per pack; free shipping on orders over $200

Which grade should you run on a 2" x 48" grinder?

One web, four grain sizes. Pick the grade by the finish you need when the part comes off the machine, and step up only while the previous scratch is still visible.

• Coarse (brown, 40-60 grit equivalent): forge scale and heat colour on blade blanks, mill scale and rust on hot-rolled bar, heavy burrs on sawn stock, old coatings. It removes noticeable material; on a finished part use it lightly or not at all.
• Medium (maroon, 80-120 grit equivalent): the everyday grade. Blends the scratch from a 120 grit coated belt, breaks edges on machined parts, cleans heat tint from stainless welds and tempered blanks, and evens a steel weldment before paint.
• Very Fine (blue, 180-240 grit equivalent): the working-knife satin and the #4-style finish on stainless bar and fittings. Run lengthwise after a 220 grit coated belt for a uniform directional grain.
• Ultra Fine (grey, 320-400 grit equivalent): the finest satin and the last belt before buffing. For stainless and high-carbon blades going to a hand-rubbed or mirror finish, and for aluminum headed to anodizing.

On handle materials, Medium then Very Fine gives a clean matte on G10, micarta and fiberglass laminates. Use Very Fine or Ultra Fine only on brass, copper and other soft metals that show every scratch.

Grit guide: grade, colour and equivalent finish

The numbers describe the scratch pattern the web leaves, not the removal rate. A non-woven belt of any grade cuts far slower than a coated belt of the same number, which is why it can finish a ground blade or a machined part without altering its geometry.

Which machines take a 2" x 48" belt?

• Kalamazoo 2FS 2" x 48" belt grinder.
• Burr King BURX400 2" x 48" belt grinder.
• Dayton 6Y945 and PRM PR72248, both named on our original listing for this belt.
• Other 2" x 48" belt grinders and belt/disc combination machines used for knife making, tool sharpening and general metal finishing.

Check the length before ordering: 2" x 42", 2" x 48", 2" x 60" and 2" x 72" are all common grinder sizes and none is interchangeable with another. To mount, release the tension, slip the belt over the wheels with any direction arrow on the inside pointing the way the belt runs, re-tension and track it centred on the platen. The web is thicker than cloth, so a small tracking correction is normal. Other sizes are made to order in about three days.

How to get the most out of it

1. Slow the belt if you can. On a variable-speed grinder run non-woven well below coated-belt speed. On a fixed-speed machine, compensate with lighter pressure and shorter passes.
2. Light to moderate pressure. The web does the work by contact. Leaning on it folds the fibres, heats the part and strips the belt in minutes. Coarse especially will remove material if pushed.
3. Platen for flats, slack or contact wheel for contours. Blade flats and bar faces ride the platen for an even satin; curves, spines and radii use the unsupported belt or the wheel.
4. Keep the work moving in one direction. For a linear satin, draw the part along its length in overlapping strokes. Cross strokes and dwell marks show immediately on stainless.
5. Come in from 120-220 grit. Non-woven refines the last coated scratch; it does not remove 36-60 grit grinding marks.
6. Keep cutting edges off the belt. Finish flats and bevels before the final edge; the web rounds a sharpened apex.
7. Lubricate lightly on aluminum; run steel, stainless and titanium dry. Store belts hung or loosely rolled away from solvent and damp.

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
• Edge breaking and burr removal on machined, sawn and laser-cut parts
• Cleaning forge scale, mill scale, heat tint and light rust from steel and stainless
• Blending coated-belt scratches into a uniform finish before paint, plating or anodizing
• Matte finishing G10, micarta, fiberglass laminates and plastics without loading

Don't use it for

• Grinding bevels, removing stock or knocking down welds; use coated, zirconia or ceramic belts first
• Removing deep scratches from coarse 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 or dwell, which tears the web and heats the part

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

Related products and guides

• All surface conditioning belts, discs and flap discs
• Knife making belts and supplies
• 2" x 48" Metalworking Sanding Belts, 6 pack
• 2" x 48" coated sanding belts, 6 pack
• Custom sanding belts made to order in about 3 days