Knife making and Blacksmithing both require top quality abrasives. Whether it’s high carbon steel or high alloy, most metals used in these trades can be quite difficult to grind or sand. When grinding plunge lines, belts that run true are an absolute necessity to knife makers. Our customers regularly complement us on how true our belts run, as well as the reliability and integrity of our belt joints.
Both of these industries often use these popular size belts (1 x 30, 2 x 42 and 2 x 72). We stock nearly every variety of grain & flexibility from 36 to 2000 grit in these sizes. We also stock 4 grits of 1 x 72 Scalloped Edge belts for immediate delivery. Most of these orders are shipped from stock – place your order by 4:30 PM EST and your order will ship the same day!
Belt Starter Kits – Great assortment for Knife Making and Knife Sharpening!
We created the “Original 2 x 72 Starter Kit” to provide an economical way for beginners to determine which grits will work best for their needs. That kit was so successful, that we now offer an “Ultimate” 2 x 72 Starter Kit, as well as kits in other sizes. Test kits are priced as if you were buying full box quantities of each item.
Click on the size below to order or to see the contents of each kit.
New knife making items in stock
- “Scalloped Edge” 1 x 72 Sanding Belts – Available in grits: 120, 220, 400 & 600.
Great for shaping handles. The scalloped edges help prevent gouging
when working contours – especially on soft handle materials!
Tip: use with light tension to maximize flexibility.
- Felt Belts – They are a great alternative to leather strops. Felt belts can be used with or without compound.
Other popular knife making items 
- 9″ x 11″ Wet or Dry Paper Sheets (60 to 3000 grit)
- Surface Conditioning Belts ( 2″ x 72″)
- Belt Cleaning Sticks
Popular Belt Materials
Firestorm Ceramic (stiff backing)
For aggressive grinding and blade shaping, users are enjoying the best results with this “next generation” ceramic belt material: (grits 36 to 120) featuring a durable polyester backing, and top sized grinding aid that helps reduce work piece temperatures and loading. Designed for dry use, but can be used wet.
For stock removal on knives, ceramic belts are the most productive. While all brands of ceramic provide self-sharpening characteristics & high stock removal rates, they are NOT all created equal! Our Firestorm belts feature the latest grain technology. Their unique micro-crystalline grain structure provides for “thousands” of new cutting points throughout the life of the product enhancing the cut rate and overall life. They don’t require as much pressure and many customers have reported 30-40% longer life than competitors ceramic belts. Many of our customers prefer these belts over Blaze® or Cubitron II® products.
Blue Ceramic (soft J-Flex backing)
We now stock 180 & 220 grit in these sizes:
1 x 30, 2 x 42 & 2 x 72. (Orders ship same day)
When you need grits finer than 220, we offer a variety of aluminum oxide products (shown below) that work great on both metal and wood.
Zirconia Alumina Cloth (stiff backing)
Due to the overwhelming popularity of our Firestorm Ceramic belts, sales of our Zirconia belts have dropped off significantly and we only stock a few grits for immediate shipment. For those customers that still want Zirconia, we will be happy to make them – with a 10 pc. minimum per grit.
Zirconia Alumina, Y-wt. 100% Poly, 24-120 grit: This is the “Original” Green Belt. Today it is still the top performing Zirc belt on the market. Featuring a durable polyester backing, and top sized grinding aid that helps reduce work piece temperatures and loading. Heavy pressure helps to properly break down the grains and keep these belts sharp. Good choice for your hard to grind metals. It even excels on aluminum, due to the grinding aid which helps prevent loading. Designed for dry use, but can be used wet.
Aluminum Oxide
AO works great on steel, wood or composite materials and is available in several different backings, from soft to stiff.
- Soft J-wt.
- General purpose X-wt.
- Stiff Y-wt.
Green Aluminum Oxide Cloth (soft J-Flex backing)
Our Green J-Flex is our most popular AO J-wt. belt. It is stocked from 80-800 grit, (800 grit is brown). The extra flexible 100% cotton backing works well for customers who like to tear their belts to a narrower width.
Aluminum Oxide Cloth (gen. purp. X-wt. or stiff Y-wt. backing)
Blue Aluminum Oxide Film (soft Film backing)
Finally, to create an incredibly smooth final cutting edge, the blue film belts provide a razer sharp, burr free edge.
We now stock 1200 & 2000 in these sizes: 1 x 30, 2 x 42, 2 x 72 (Orders ship same day)
