Very sharp and brittle (we call that friable in the abrasive industry). A relative newcomer to the abrasive sanding belt realm, ceramic belts are a specially heat treated aluminum oxide grain that is extremely hard. I was pleasantly surprised when I received them and tried them out. We consider this the best of all Ceramic Products! Good for portable belts, edge sanders and stroke sanders. These 25" x 48" red ceramic belts are designed for abrasive planning, sanding, grinding, deburring, surfacing, and finishing on wide-belt sanders and are available in 36 grit, 40 grit, 60 grit, 80 grit, and 120 grit. J-Weight is a light, flexible cloth backing that is suitable for applications where you are sanding over contours. It has a top-size grinding aid which helps resist loading & aids in cooling. N95 (NIOSH-Certified) Respirator And, if youre more of a visual learner, skip to the bottom of this article and download the infographic with all this information. J-flex belts are typically only for fine finish as well so they are only available in grits 120, 220, 320, 400 & 600 grits. 100% patented SG (Seeded Gel) ceramic abrasive grain, Patent pending color stabilizer technology. It is very important for all knife makers to know the difference between these two as J-flexes are very handy for handle work and putting an edge on a blade using the slack of the belt! There may or may not be other added fillers or coatings, such as stearation. Pink aluminum oxide is available in coarse through fine grit products on a variety of different backings and in a variety of formats. Ceramic sanding belts are only offered in grits 24 through 120 grit and we have a special ceramic J-flex belt available in 220 grit. Price, quality and quick shipping. Long Life & Fast Stock Removal self sharpening Our most popular Zirconia product. For high tensile steel, stainless steel, titanium & other heat sensitive material. It is our top performer on carbon steel, 400 series stainless (4500sfpm) and also Inconel. The most common natural minerals used in abrasives are emery and garnet, while four common manmade types are silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, ceramic alumina and alumina- zirconia. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. First, and lets be real, does anyone really enjoy sanding? Great for stainless steel, alloy & aluminum applications. Excellent in both softwood and hardwood appplications on wide belt sanders and stroke sander.. R203 is considered by many to be the #1 Zirc product. Y-Weight is a heavy duty backing with the most strength to withstand the pressure of heavy sanding and product removal. The Mohs scale places common minerals on a scale of one through ten, starting with Talc at the bottom and Diamond at ten. Aluminum oxide, J-Flex 100% Egyptian cotton: A highly flexible product for use on most metal applications, also good on hard woods. Picking the correct sandpaper Used primarily on wood, in wide belt applications. In this article and accompanying materials, well detail the most common abrasive grains we offer and some of the conditions and materials that they work best for. Zirconia Alumina, X-wt. This grain is very similar to the rock called slate or shale. Zirconia Alumina, Y-wt. Includes a grinding aid to help reduce heat. $20.95, 556353 60 Grit - 3x21 Ceramic Sanding Belt (4 per pkg) It generally works well for harder substrates, such as metal (particularly softer metals), fiberglass, drywall, painted/primed surfaces and wood. It works well on most metal applications, but it excels on severe grinding applications. It is available in coarse through micro grit products, coming affixed to a variety of different backings and in a variety of formats. Often simply referred to as ceramic, this grain works best on metal, stainless steel in particular, and requires a hard surface/pressure in order to activate the friability. J-flex belts belts can be used on stainless steel, steel, aluminum, wood, epoxy, or plastics such as G10. 556352 36 Grit - 3x21 Ceramic Sanding Belt (3 per pkg) $20.95, 556356 120 Grit - 3x21 Ceramic Sanding Belt (4 per pkg) High performance grain offers the fastest cut rate. Good for both narrow & wide belts. Structured abrasives were popularized by 3M for their revolutionary Trizact material which was made famous for a GORGEOUS fine finish on metal. And, what are the differences between the various abrasive materials? 2" x 72" X-weight Aluminum oxide belts are some of the most common and versatile belts you can buy and are incredibly affordable. Four Times Faster ), even if youre an experienced sander. $20.95, 2 Reviews -- Average Customer Rating - 5.00 out of 5 -- Read all reviews. These are great belts at a great price. Good for both narrow & wide belts. This is because the zirconia grain does not break down very well when it gets past 120 grit and thus is counter intuitive to achieving a fine finish in your work piece. The belts seem like very good quality, but unfortunately I try to use the 2" by 72" belts on my 82" grinder and I could not get them to stay on. Ceramic sanding belts are the most dense, long lasting abrasive grain you can get in a sanding belt other than say a diamond belt.yes i said diamond.but you can imagine how expensive those are! It requires medium to heavy pressure to keep the grain sharp. These belts range anywhere from $ 1.50 to $ 2.50 and provide a great finish and decent life for pretty much all grits. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for your interest in Uneeda. abrasives available. Guide on what material to choose when selecting 2" x 72" sanding belts for your belt sander: Drum Sander Replacement Conveyor Feed Belt. Aluminum oxide, Y-wt. Still very popular with the knife makers & blacksmiths. Becuase we are the manufacturer we offer the best prices on the internet, bar NONE! Good for both narrow & wide belts. AO/X PC is an inexpensive product providing outstanding performance for the money. Silicon carbide can also be used to sand between finishing coats in woodworking projects, so it is common to use aluminum oxide for rough sanding of raw wood, and switch to silicon carbide when in the finishing stages of the same project. Great for all metals, but especially titanium (2500sfpm). High performance flexible product with a grinding aid.. Great for polishing or when using the slack of the belt. Powered by Shopify, A plunge line is theline where the bevel meets the ricasso. These belts are smooth and cut like mad. Learn More. Silicon carbide is also effective on MDF and cork. Brown, or semi-friable, aluminum oxide is the most common type of aluminum oxide, because of its versatility. Than Standard Abrasives. We built our brand on providing EXCELLENT products, and we built our cult following on having the BEST pricing. Please contact us and let us know what your looking for. Only used for narrow belts. Please call for details. Dry use only. Anyway, so 2" x 72" ceramic sanding belts are usually identifiable by their color which are most commonly RED or ORANGE but can also be yellow or purple depending on the manufacturer. Works well on most metal applications, but it excels on severe grinding applications as well as aluminum. I'll let you know when i put them to use. Silicon carbide is frequently used in wet sanding applications, such as polishing stone and marble, as well as automotive polishing applications. 65/35 Poly/Cotton: The backing, a Polyester/Cotton blend is very durable. These belts are not that rigid but are slightly more flexible than a zirconia or ceramic sanding belt. Zirconia's last 3 to 4 times longer than aluminum oxide belts becauseof the zirconia grain which is a much harder, longer lasting grain. when sanding to filter out 95% of airborne particles. 2000-2022 Home Depot. Eye Protection - Glasses Goggles Eye Wash Etc. Sandpaper is actually a type of coated abrasive, meaning, it is made from some type of abrasive grain, such as the types we are going into in this article, which is affixed to some kind of backing often paper, cloth, plastic, or even foam sponges or mesh. As you can see, there are certainly many aspects that will influence which abrasive grain, and therefore, which sandpaper will be best for your particular application. If youre reading this article, it may not come as much of a surprise to you that the term sandpaper is actually a misnomer, as the grittiness of sandpaper is not actually made from sand, like at the beach, and this grit is not always even attached to paper. New improved grain offers the longest life, it can last up to 30% longer than our Original Firestorm product. It has a top-size grinding aid which helps resist loading & aids in cooling. 555 East Church Road King of Prussia, PA 19406, 107 Sandy Drive, Unit 108 Newark, DE 19713, Compatible with 8" belt sanders such as the Lagler Hummel, Clarke Floorcrafter, Galaxy 2000, Bona Belt 8 and Kunzle & Tasin Taurus. Picking sanding belts can be somewhat of a daunting task with the combination of all the different grit sizes as well as the types of grain and backing materials on the belts. Bi-Directional - the belt can be run in either direction. How To Create a No.4 Stainless Steel Finish, How to Measure the Length of a Sanding Belt. All Rights Reserved. Aluminum oxide, X-wt. Aluminum Oxide J-Flex - Our aluminum oxide J-flex is fantastic for contour and slack belt sanding when NOT grinding or finishing against a platen. While you sometimes see them being used in knife making, they are generally used by the old school knife makers that like the low price and long life of the belts and didn't care to even try the longer life ceramic belts we mentioned above. Copyright 2018 RLFShop LLC-Shopsmith All rights reserved. While it can be used on wood, it will be very aggressive ploughing through the wood instead of cutting it. The reason why ceramics are only offered in this grit range is because ceramic grains are very tough to break down hits a point of not providing the best finish once you go past this grit other than special cases where a blend of aluminum oxide and ceramic is used. When it comes to hardwood flooring, our wood floor consultants have seen it all. The most versatile of the synthetic abrasive grains, Aluminum Oxide commonly comes in three types: pink, white and brown, or semi-friable. Very cool cutting & long life. These belts are great for use on many different surfaces to complement its already wide range of applications. Each of these steps clearly requires different sandpaper grits to get the best results, but the grain type will also impact your overall results and believe it or not, it may even be best to change types depending on the material youre working with and the stage youre at. While ceramic sanding belts can be more expensive than zirconia or aluminum oxide belts, they are FAR superior in their grindability, longevity, stock removal and price if you were to run a part by part comparison. You know that you would use it to smooth edges after a cut, and you may have been told to sand between coats of paint, but when you head out to buy some, you might be faced with more kinds than you could have imagined. Start enjoying the benefits of four-times faster cutting and four-times I love them! Shopsmith Ceramic Abrasive 3" x 21" Belts are available in Aluminum Oxide Close Coat F Weight paper ACT Coating Poly: Great for most materials. The codes on the back of a sanding belt are the way abrasive manufacturures designate their different sanding belt materials While silicon carbide tends to wear quicker than aluminum oxide, it is also sharper and more friable, therefore it is still a long-lasting product and is ideal for uses on harder materials, rougher surfaces, and for polishing, due to its hardness and sharpness. Good durability. Grits 150, 180, 220, 240, 320, 400, 400, 600 and 800 are for final finishing surfaces, or in some cases (flat materials) you may move at this point to a sanding disc instead. While it can often be more expensive, it lasts longer and provides a cooler sanding experience than aluminum oxide. Ive been using the same belt for weeks now and havent had to change one out. We have proven that American made abrasives & polishing products can still be made here at an affordable price. Long Life & Fastest Stock Removal self sharpening Our original Firestorm Ceramic product. Very durable. I'm very pleased and Maverick is my go to place for sanding belts from now on. Can be use wet, but not in fully submersed applications. Ceramic belts really shine in hard metal applications such as Stainless Steel, Iconel & Tool Steel. Combat Abrasives City Floor Supply distributes hardwood and sport floor products and provides customer service. Details are shown below. Silicon Carbide, Y-wt. Get the latest updates on new products and upcoming sales, Adding to cart The item has been added, 25" x 60" Ceramic Sanding Belt - 3 Pack (Case), 25" x 75" Ceramic Sanding Belt - 3 Pack (Case), 25" x 48" Aluminum Oxide Sanding Belt - 3 Pack (Case), 25" x 48" Zirconia Sanding Belt - 3 Pack (Case), 8" x 3" x 5/8" - 16 Ply White Domet Flannel Airway Buff. When used in finer grits, around 600-800, this material is great for finishing and polishing metal. I will be back for more. Shopsmith 3" x 21" Ceramic Abrasive Sanding Belts, These Belts Cut Unrivaled Performance. The main thing that sets these belts apart from their zirconia or ceramic counter parts however is that they are available in the finer grits from 120 to as high as 800 grit which can pretty much give you any type of finish you desire. Aluminum oxide-based coated abrasives can be used in belt sanding, power sanding or for hand sanding applications, and are available on a range of backing materials with both open and closed coatings. Ceramic grains have a fracturing characteristic which continually exposes new sharp edges to provide consistency throughout the useful life of the belt. Which one do you need? Why you should care about the abrasive grain you choose for your project. Although ceramic grain is more expensive than its counterparts, it will make that up for you in production when you look over the longer term life of the belt. We do find that some knife makers that are accustomed to ceramic belts will sometimes buy zirconia belts to heavy stock removal on handle materials that are soft and will tend to clog up the belts such as soft wood handle materials. Furthermore, the friability, or the characteristic that allows grains to break to form new, sharp edges (self-sharpening), allows you to go longer before the sandpaper wears out. It sure is enjoyable to use a nice SHARP belt when you need to peel of metal fast and not half to worry how long the belt will last, these belts last. While aluminum oxide is the most common, and generally most affordable of our products, choosing another material, or combination of materials and grits, might ultimately be more cost effective, longer lasting and even more effective at the job, even if you only work with one base material. Good for both wood and metal applications.