Cork belts for your belt grinder - worth buying?

I've always wanted to try cork belts on my belt grinder, and after hearing Craig Lockwood on the Knife Talk Podcast praising them, I figured I should try it out.
#2X72 #beltgrinder #knifemaking
Check out the article on breaking in cork belts here: gfsknifesupplies.com and I bought the belts from trugrit.com
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[@philw8049]

You may have better luck pushing the corner of that stock in to break the cork in. You REALLY need to break that surface down for it to work well.

[@mrfholmes]

For the uk gfs website is amazing for the knife maker

[@mass4552]

A lot of interesting info about these belts. Me: That is a nice knife.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Hahaha, thank you 🙏👍

[@shawncook8672]

@@Simplelittlelifewill that knife be on your website?

[@dropbearknives4831]

I use these belts after running through an A160 and A45 Trisact belt then a medium 3M scotch brite belt. The instructions I was given say; spray the belt with a light lubricant like WD 40 or equivalent. I mainly use High Carbon steels, so I etch them with Ferric Chloride. It makes a lovely matt finish.

[@RedBeardOps]

Hell yeah, I've been playing with 220 and 400 grit cork belts too! I really like their finish. If you're going to be hand sanding they seem to cut the time down substantially. If you're going to be stone washing... they're golden!!

[@griffithshandmade-knives]

JKeetonKnives So J is your progression now 120G ceramic, a 180 belt and then to the cork 220 and 400 belts? It would probably look awesome going from that to this cork polishing belt 👍

[@MrMisterMysterMan]

I've been using the same cork belt for a few years. I use it for finishing sharp edges and they work great. I think you missed the break in part. Because the cork is kinda elastic using the flat stock wont really work. You need to knock down the high spots. Use a piece of steel like you're profiling a blade. It does take a long time (20-30 minutes give or take) and it's a dirty process. It seems counterintuitive that you want to knock all the "grit" off but you pretty much want a belt that looks like an 80 (grit hight if that makes sense) not a really new 36. This is how it was explained to me and it's worked out pretty well. The polished with more visible grind lines is pretty typical you do need to work through the grits and make sure to get out all the lower grit scratches or it's just as bad as handsanding.

[@h2tym]

Awesome thanks for doing this. I have a cork belt that I haven’t tried out yet. I will give it a go with this info!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Right on. I’m really happy about it.

[@peterspaltman]

Thx for the heads up. Will order some next time im shopping for belts

[@Simplelittlelife]

Right on! I hope you like them as much as I do 👍

[@griffithshandmade-knives]

Thanks for sharing Jeremy. These belts look very promising, now to figure out the most efficient belt progression 👍 I wonder what result going up to a 320G trizact on standard belts, followed by a fine scotch-brite belt and on to a cork polishing belt would yield!

[@uClash]

yeah i think as others said you need to break it down more, which you said as well. I want to see a full blown real deal build using this cork belt. I really liked the finish, and I'm only assuming it will be even nicer once you get used to it. I hope to see more!!!!!

[@flyphishr]

Holding that blade, in the video at least, I was afraid yer edge was gonna catch the blade. Should you be facing the blade up? Yers are the best knife vids out! More, more ,MORE!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you! I get that comment a lot and I’ve never had it grab before. When grinding (not polishing) it’s about the only way to see where your grind is ending you coming into your edge. Thanks for the compliment, I really appreciate it 👍

[@REKKnives]

I grind edge up all the time too, never had an issue even with cork 👍

[@markgutierrez7000]

thanks Jeremy great video very informative

[@Simplelittlelife]

You’re welcome 👍, glad you found it useful.

[@mariogutierrez3432]

Awesome video that little knife looked great 👌

[@vladislavgorbunov3832]

Good workshop. Good tools

[@franks.8799]

Just picked up the cork belt-thanks for the demo!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Right on. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Cheers 👍

[@xMrjamjam]

Honestly let seem like a great thing to have, if you don't have a motorised polisher but are starting out knife making this is a great cheap inbetween that you can always go back to in the future for whatever reason

[@dom8420]

Iv always wanted to get some but never knew how to break them in, thanks for the help Jeremy!!

[@Simplelittlelife]

You're welcome.

[@phillipvorster3718]

After watching this video, you still don't know how to break them in...

[@dom8420]

Phillip Vorster yes I do, what do you mean??

[@BobJones-bh9qz]

Dominik Schwab he’s saying that he did it wrong in the video

[@reorg]

Hi there love the channel, was just wondering what size contact wheel are you using?

[@natek1993]

Very neat.

[@medicmike4906]

Yo, On another video you show yourself cutting those serrations on the spine of another knife you made. Where did you get that file? I have been looking for that and thanks ahead of time.

[@ryans1583]

I love these belts. Take my knives down to 800 with preloaded cork belt, then buff if i"m going that route. Hand sanding is for the birds. lol

[@onitramt77]

Hey Jeremy nice vid! How are the cork belts working out for you? Do you like them?

[@erikcourtney1834]

So glad you tried this. I’ve been curious recently about them recently but haven’t ordered one yet. Definitely does a great job at polishing. Almost looks like it’s had clear coat applied to it. I’ve tried crocus and not a fan. Way to thin of a belt. Have you seen the buffing belts? Looks like a buffing wheel but it’s a belt.

[@Simplelittlelife]

I’ve never seen those buffing belts. Sound really interesting. Also good to hear about the crocus belts. Great to exchange knowledge 👍

[@billbaggins]

I would imagine the method for breaking in a cork belt would be to use the back edge of a square bit of steel rather than the flat, seems logical to me that would knock the high spots off rather than trying to compress them

[@Simplelittlelife]

Yeah probably. I’ll have to give that a go.

[@billbaggins]

Lubricated with a touch of midnight oil? 😏

[@miketausig4205]

I think I read that it should be flat. If using the back edge of square I’m thinking it could actually break the cork. My cork is only a couple of days old, and while it feel durable enough, I worry that too much angular pressure could destroy the network of cork (for lack of a better phrase). These belts certainly don’t feel as sturdy as the ceramics, so I’m thinking the the break-in steel should stay flat, and maybe alternate speeds a bit with the VFD. Then again, what do I know. I’m just as new as anyone else who just got a box of cork belts.

[@billbaggins]

@@miketausig4205 I really don't know, got no experience with cork belts, just thinking with logic. A light pressure with the corner or edge should knock the top off without tearing big chunks away. I'm sure Jeremy will experiment with the suggestions and let us know

[@travisjames1490]

That's pretty cool. It'll be neat to see what it does with other steels that will take better polish. When is the next SLL build along???!!!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thanks. I am looking forward to try this on other steels. I think the next build along will be in the new year after the holiday rush 👍

[@jacksonbradley2756]

Love the knife

[@juliancannizzaro2906]

Curious if you get a piece of cork on your disc sander. Even just for the edge as a sharpening method

[@Simplelittlelife]

I was using my disc grinder today and wondering the same thing 😆👍

[@JustinTopp]

I like to make Damascus but hate hand sanding and this would be perfect for polishing the blade before the etch. Get some belts and take it to 800 than use the cork belt. For polishing. I need to finish my 2x72 first

[@edgreywolf]

why did you do it blade up to grind the cork off?

[@Samm7552]

I like your 2x72 set up, where could I acquire one?

[@lawrenceogden8682]

was in the belt business for 30 years in the uk have seen plenty of machines most very good, lots over engineered most running belts at the wrong speed, for cork belts condition them first, put the belt in a bucket of hot water for ten minuets or so, have a coffee and come back put it on the machine start it up water every where for a few seconds then use it it is more flexible when wet, you can also condition it as recomended but wet it first, it will help a softer contact wheel will help 35 shore light belt tension with softer wheels too much tension negates the effect of the soft wheel, 3m used to do cork with 800# and 1000# also plain i dont know if they still do them with abrasive in in the uk we could only get the ones with sc abrasives in. Another option use a old scotchbrite belt turn it inside out ,wet this as well to soften it it ,will also burnish the surface, the surface you get from trizact 600# is what i would expect, it is very good, but i would suggest trying wet belt life increased work piece is cool you dont have to stop your grind every 15 seconds or so to cool the part, i would suggest a garden sprayer held by somebody with a fine spray of water on the belt you only need a trickle or a misting to work results will be better. Good luck.

[@ThomasShue]

What are you using to do Jimping?

[@KIB85]

Another very nice blade👍🏻😃

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you!

[@I_Be_Clark]

Hey Jeremy, was wondering what app do you use for finding angles? Thought I saw you use one but not sure? Really enjoy watching your videos!!!

[@Simplelittlelife]

I don’t use an app for finding angles really. I have a digital angle finder that works well when I’m setting up stuff 👍

[@sullivansedc7662]

Do you clean your cork belt? I've been using mine for a few knives now and have some black build up from compounds and metal. I was wondering if anyone cleans them and how?

[@wlhlmknrd6456]

I guess you can just ram a peace of steal into it, just like when you‘re breaking it in and then reapply some compound.

[@christapherdane]

I go all the way to 6 micron on the trizact before I hit the cork. It will give you a mirror, but you have to make the grind lines go away completely.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Great info, thank you!

[@jameskent4411]

Have you tried the leather belts? Probably not a polishing belt like the cork but I have wondered if the leather belts are worth having.

[@Simplelittlelife]

I never have. I want to but those are blinking expensive and I’ve heard sometimes you can’t even get them to track. But I would like to give them a try soon. I want them for sharpening. 👍

[@BuddhaOfDarkness]

Cork polishes wood really well

[@dom8420]

Do you ever experience power drop when your yawing your oven and grinder at the same time? Iv heard it wrecks the motor, is that true?

[@Simplelittlelife]

I think it could be hard on it, but I have the kiln and the grinder each on their own circuit so hopefully that would help a little bit. Having said that it's not all that often when I grind and heat treat at the same time. 👍

[@evaderknives]

For the most part, it all depends on the motor. The solution for this would be to find another circuit if possible to run the oven or grinder off of. Low voltage can lead to overheating & shorten the life of a motor, load(resistance & current V=IR) are what change from the grinder & oven. If you are having problems, it would definitely be better to find someone that knows electricity to wire a new circuit/breaker or have them test the amperage of each device & install a breaker that is sufficient... though I gotta say, I'm surprised the breaker isn't tripping if you are having a noticeable problem. Also, you need to know what the over & under voltage rating on the motor are, it might be within range or it could be a problem, these things all need to be tested...

[@dom8420]

@@evaderknives yeah makes sense, Thanks for the help mate!

[@dom8420]

@@evaderknives i don't have a kiln and im getting my grinder soon and what worries me is my brother is a welder and im not sure if him welding and me grinding will work well. we live out in the bush so having multiple circuits never really helps

[@evaderknives]

@@dom8420 Yeah, I kinda messed up when 1st writing that comment, so I fixed it, hopefully you didn't get the bad info... my suggestion, if you only have 1 circuit(especially with a welder), when you get your grinder, buy a cheap clamp on(amps) multimeter & test each component for amperage, then install a breaker to handle it Though you might have to figure something out, depending on the amperage of all 3, you might be limited to only running 2 at a time... If your breaker box is full, there is always a choice for a sub panel, then you have more choices. hope this helps...

[@UTUBELO]

Perhaps the flat metal platen would flatten the cork much more than the rubber contact wheel. How hard is the rubber on your wheel?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Yeah that might work better. My wheel is fairly hard.

[@leonpavlic4384]

I water them... they work amazingly well

[@Simplelittlelife]

Oh wow! I would never have thought of watering them. That is awesome information, thank you!

[@richardbohlingsr3490]

That cork belt can get you to a mirror polish. Got to tale it down to a higher grit though, maybe 1200. I think it's more for kitchen knives instead of work knives.

[@icwalk444]

Buying them now

[@Simplelittlelife]

Right on 👍

[@dillonkology346]

What kind of drill bits do you use for putting holes in the tang?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Dormer or SKF work great 👍

[@dillonkology346]

Thanks, I love the knives and clean informative content

[@williamhart4896]

Nice little knife man I'd take it happily sorry bro forgot to mention that I'm in Edmonton myself gotta love alta

[@rogerj412]

That is one nice polish for such little time.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thanks. Yeah, I’m pretty stoked about it 👍

[@jrk1666]

it would be cool to have a follow up on this one

[@lancehandmade]

I told you on IG they're good!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you! 👍

[@zgrywusbat471]

Thats cool :)

[@Simplelittlelife]

Right on 👍

[@ShelleyRaskin]

Might give one a blast...

[@Simplelittlelife]

Yeah I’m impressed. If you read some of the comments there are some good ideas about preparing the belts that I think I am going to try.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Even as I’ve done in the video though, they’re certainly going to make their way into my progression 👍

[@Danielson1818]

The cork belt seems like a cool idea, but basically any soft surface belt will work if it carries the polishing compound.

[@AnonYmous-ii4tc]

Thanks for the input on this. Really like seeing what different belts and grits can do before I buy them. Nice job getting the safety glasses too but please PLEASE remove your jewelry (watch, bracelet, ring, tie, etc) before working with machinery. Thanks again!

[@msrvfx]

Why wouldn't you use buffing wheels with compound like most metal workers?

[@albertosbrolla8424]

👍

[@GovannonForge]

Any update on these belts 6 months + later?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Working better than it did before.

[@GovannonForge]

Simple Little Life thank you! I found a blade smith forum post from 2012, saying that a Master Smith was using cork belts after 120g! So his belt progression was a like 36-120-400 Cork - 800 cork - No grit cork and green compound....crazy...will have to try it now. 👍🍻

[@drewsenthused6079]

Compote, not compound! Just kidding, never heard of such a thing, I agree, it looks cool. 👍

[@Simplelittlelife]

Hahaha, thanks 😆👍

[@AleksanderLydkunst]

Essentially a powered strop..?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Yeah pretty much 👍

[@garethbaus5471]

You can also get leather belts for a simmilar reason.

[@michaelrobertson8795]

I wonder if the leather belt would actually work better.

[@Simplelittlelife]

I wonder that too. The one thing I do know is leather is 10 times the price so I’m happy with just using these guys and keep wondering.

[@michaelrobertson8795]

@@Simplelittlelife 👍👍👍😁

[@donhalligan7279]

Like it. Have you tried a leather belt?

[@Simplelittlelife]

No, I haven’t. I’ve wanted to but those are mighty expensive and I’ve heard horror stories and people getting them and they don’t track at all. I am very curious though.

[@miketausig4205]

Ditto. The price is a bit off-putting, and quite honestly, I like to control my blade when stropping, the way only hand stropping can do.

[@garethbaus5471]

@@Simplelittlelife I use leather belts on my 1 by 30, and have found that so long as you don't do anything stupid they can last a really long time.

[@TheGuyWhoDoesEverythingFun]

I really just want a belt grinder

[@Simplelittlelife]

I hear you. I remember how badly I wanted one when I didn't have one. Hopefully you get one soon 👍

[@TheGuyWhoDoesEverythingFun]

Haha yeah thank you. It’s kinda hard though because I’m sixteen and I don’t really have that much money to spend on one. 😕

[@jeffkushen5586]

@@TheGuyWhoDoesEverythingFun Build one! LOTS of vids and the steel is cheap! There is something to be said about building it yourself, especially from the 'knowing your equipment' and skill building side of the argument.

[@jordanperkins7588]

buy you a cheap little harbor freight 1x30 my buddy makes some really nice knives with one. ive built several 2x72 and i recommend you just buying one youd be better off in the long run. i understand dropping 800+ on a grinder is alot for some but its worth it

[@TheGuyWhoDoesEverythingFun]

I love that idea. I really need to look into that more. Thanks guys

[@evaderknives]

I use to use cork belts, I remember Ekim Knives recommended them. I stopped using the polish with them because it just leaves that polish build up on the blade... It's kinda like scotch brite belts & trizacts, they all have their strengths & weaknesses... My go to these days is Trizact to A30 & then the blue 1000-2000 AO belts, then buff, mirror every time... Hope all is well, take it easy...

[@Simplelittlelife]

Right on. Thanks buddy, I love hearing other people belt progressions. Always something good to think about and try 👍

[@dougbish1728]

That moment when you find guys from your facebook groups in the comment sections lol.

[@Islandbushcraftwildcamping]

Are u still using them

[@Simplelittlelife]

Yes I am 👍

[@TSGEnt]

2:29 Fifty-five five? That must be a Canadian way of saying it. Here in the US, we say, ' Five fifty-five for a number like that. Say it with me again, "Five Fifty-five". There you go we'll get you speaking "American English" in no time. You know the language everyone speaks in heaven? You did make me chuckle with safety glasses comment. Uh, yeah, you think? 😂 You know I love you dude right? I'm just feeling a bit feisty today.😇😜 Nice polish btw.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Hahahah, feist away 😆👍

[@johnstewart8849]

wow...you run the sharp edge TOWARD the belt’s running direction...coming at you??I do my machetes the other way., so I don’t catch an edge.

[@ironized]

John Stewart yea I thought that. Edge to belt for grinding, edge away for polishing is my practice

[@wiseguy9225]

it shouldn't be a problem if you don't penetrate the edge that much, few weeks ago I resharpend my machete this way but I didn't put attention on the edge which resulted in ripping of the belt and the machete flewing out of my hand

[@kk_knives8449]

Hey everyone, Guys do you know how i can get same this Grinder? Tell me brand name if you know please

[@waltersmith4743]

hi

[@michaelweston6083]

Go with the cork not against it. You'll ruin the belt.

[@kentchr76]

Yes - and the way he does it is very dangerous IMO. If the knife catches the belt he won’t be able to hold it and who knows where it’s going to fly.

[@Jmwtime]

I’d be interested to see what it does when it’s black and, “at its best”.

[@collinstphillip]

Ghost-mirrored. TM that, quick. My gift to you. lol.

[@Simplelittlelife]

HahHaha. Yeah 😆👍 Thanks.

[@simonhopkins3867]

It's a vegan leather belt that's all ;-) lol

[@Simplelittlelife]

Hahaha 😆👍

[@ThomasShue]

Why not just use a leather belt and compound?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Because it leaves a completely different finish.

[@guitarzarfun]

they last forever.

[@andersenkeller9825]

Hey

[@Simplelittlelife]

Howdy!

[@theo-uc6ot]

Hi

[@Simplelittlelife]

Hey!

[@dimitriseeberg5884]

How dies the video have no views I just clicked on it

[@avagoertz2087]

First

[@waynebrowning3416]

not fair you know when it is coming out.

[@kaizoebara]

Dude, safety first. Eyes and ears, maybe a respirator for good measure.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Oh my word.