About Abrasive Sanding Belts

Abrasive sanding belts may look as simple as any other sandpaper, but since different projects require varying grit, grade and hardness, each abrasive sanding belt manufactured serves a specific purpose. If you’re working on a project and need to take your new hand-held or stationary belt sander for a spin, you should learn all about abrasive sanding belts before buying.

About Abrasive Sanding Belts Features: Grit and Grit Sizes

Grit is a mix of small and loose particles of sand, stone, diamond, glass grains and other materials. Some types of abrasive sanding belts include only natural surfaces, while others include man-made materials. The grit contents used affect how fast you can remove rough surfaces of wood and other materials.

Another important feature about abrasive sanding belts that you need to take note is the grit size. The grit size, which refers to the size of abrading material particles used in an abrasive sanding belt, is grouped into two – macrogrits and microgrits. Macrogrits are grouped from extra course (used in removing materials very quickly) to very fine (used in sanding wood straight from a tree) and they are used in the first phase of a project. Microgrits are sub-grouped from very fine to ultra fine and are often used with finishing touches.

Grit Grade & Hardness Facts about Abrasive Sanding Belts

Grade – The grit grade is a type of standard used by manufacturers in rating their belts. While cheap belts only provide ‘fine,’ ‘medium,’ and ‘course’ grades, manufacturers that offer a wider range of sanding belts follow the United States CAMI with grit grades from 24 (extra course) to 1000 (ultra fine).

Hardness – Sanding belts are not created equally for a reason. If you buy a sanding belt that is made for rough surfaces, but used it for final sanding, not only would it not work, it may also damage your project. Some are used for sanding between coats, while others are used in removing varnish, preparing for finishing, quick removal of material, sanding of hardwood flooring, cleaning stains on wood, and other purposes.

Information about Abrasive Sanding Belts Pricing

Prices of abrasive sanding belts can be as low as $5 to as high as $500 or more, depending on different factors, such as brand, grade, size and length. Although many people may believe expensive belts are better in terms of effectiveness, this may not be always true. Make sure to buy a belt based on features instead of price.

Warranty of abrasive sanding belts depends largely between stores and manufacturers. When you buy online, returns are often allowed a week after delivery. If this period has passed, the warranty may only be granted by the manufacturer. The great thing about abrasive sanding belts is that they’re difficult to damage, so your chances of receiving a damaged belt is next to none.

Understanding all information you read about abrasive sanding belts not only helps you save money, but also ensures you go about with your project more quickly or more effectively.

About Abrasive Sanding Belts

Abrasive sanding belts are essential materials that you would normally use when doing cutting and finishing job on fiberglass, wood, stone, gems, metal surfaces, leather and plastic. Before you make the purchase, it is imperative that you take into account the dynamics and information about abrasive sanding belts. Knowing and understanding the intricacies of sanding materials will help you find the right type of sanding belts that is suited for the job.

Important Points about Abrasive Sanding Belts

There are 3 important elements that you need to consider when searching for the sanding materials for your finishing or cutting work. These are:

Size of the sanding belt
Type of the sanding belt
Grit sequence of the sanding belt

Size of Abrasive Sanding Belt

If you are planning to buy your own grinding machine, you have to make sure that you get one that requires abrasives of standard sizes. You may end up with higher order cost as there is a minimum order when purchasing custom-type of abrasive sanding belts.

This is one of the main reasons why it is important that you have to learn more about abrasive sanding belts. The common sizes of abrasive sanding belts are the following:

100 x 915
50 x 2000
50 x 1830
50 x 1220
50 x 915
50 x 686
25 x 762

If the space is not a limiting factor in your workplace, then it would be wise if you can get longer abrasive sanding belts. Longer abrasives provide you with cooler cuts, and retailers and suppliers would normally offer lower prices when you purchase longer sanding belts. Work on the numbers and see why it pays to learn more about abrasive sanding belts.

Types of Abrasive Sanding Belts

When we talk about abrasive sanding belts, we usually refer to the following types of abrasive:

Aluminum Oxide – This is the type of abrasives which offers the widest range in backing cloth and grit. The main options are the “J” or the flexible type, the “X” or the heavy type and the “JF” or the very flexible type.
Zirconia – The grit range for this type of abrasive is from 36 to 180. This is suited for coarse surfaces. It provides faster and cleaner cut and is known for its higher stock removal and durability.
Ceramic – The grit range for this type of abrasive is from 40 to 100 for those with heavy backing and 120 to 220 for the flexible abrasives. It is also known for its durability and ability to provide high quality finishes and clean cuts.

Grit Sequence of Abrasive Sanding Belts

Another important thing about abrasive sanding belts that you need to take into account is the grit sequence. There are important issues that you need to consider when it comes to grit sequence. For instance, if you are going to start off with coarser abrasives, you will have to spend more time later to get rid of the scratches. It is essential that you don’t allow big gaps when you shift from one particular type of grit to another. It is not cost-effective if you insist on reducing the number of grits for your finishing or cutting job. Remember the cardinal rule – more grades would give you better finish.

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