Has anyone got any experience with sia abrasive belts? I've only ever used Klingspor and they've been just fine but I can't find a local dealer for them. There is a place in halifax that stocks sia and will bring in whatever grits I want just wanted to quiz the collective wisdom to see if anyone has any experience with that product. Thanks.
I wandered into Mill Supply in Burnside last week at about 5 minutes to closing. They had exactly two belts in stock, one 36 and one 200. I didn't get pricing from the guy because I felt so bad about being there so late and them not having any stock. They come in a box of 6 or 8 so even if a guy had to order a whole box it wouldn't be prohibitive and Mill Supply is willing to special order a single box as a minimum quantity unlike Busy Bee who weren't interested in doing any special orders.
I bought some belts from Mill supply a long time ago. They were the blue Aluminum Oxide belts. Are these the same or different? I don't find the Aluminum Oxide belts last very long Busy bee is sort of like Canadian Tire, they have what they have and you can take it or leave it
I believe they are blue. I'll probably end up giving them a whirl. As long as they last comparably to Klingspor and aren't off the wall expensive they might be worth it.
If I remember correctly they were cheap, but did not last long. They worked great for handles and guards though. Let us know how they work for you. Since we are talking belts, have you ever tried the new black belts Rob is carrying? I find they cut and last great, at a reasonable price
I think they must be ceramic by the way they wear. I have a couple in 36 grit and they are scary, you do not lean into the grinder.
Don't do it... Got talked into trying a case of Sia a while back, waste of time imo. Very short life and some of them broke for me.
i believe the SIA belts i tried were either zirc or zirc/alox combo. They were blue either way. i mostly used them for handle material and some bevels and they werent bad. I know they were pretty cheap from Pops supply. I think around 4 bucks or less but his site isnt loading that page right now. I prefer to grind bevels with a zirc rather than a ceramic as i find it fractures easier at my slower speeds and less pressure which keeps it sharper, where ceramics will glaze. For the money they were good enough that i would probably buy them again. Maybe not quite on par with Nortons blue zircs but also cost less so its a six of one half a dozen of another situation. I do know that i have used some klingspor ceramic belts in the past and would rather make my own belts with sandpaper sheets and duct tape, than use them again. It may just be the way I grind, but found they threw grit like a sandblaster for a while, the belt edges went mostly bald super fast, then cutting slowed, and then they glazed to a useless point, pretty much on one or two knives. Hated them so much i took them to the hammer in, threw them on a table, and told anyone who wanted them to take them. As far as performance for your dollar I love the 3M 984 and the VSM belts from tru grit.
Cal was saying that the VSM ceramics cut like chainsaws. Not much selection of them on TruGrit but I suppose they cover the range a guy wants them for.
Just ordered suite of Siabite ceramic belts from Mill Supply in HFX. Cost about the same (save a buck a belt, meh) as the 3M from Rob, but save I will on shipping and hopefully set up an account for Net90 terms. Shrewd review pending
You can get the VSM belt at bimetalinc.com and yes try cut very good .I like them better that the Norton ceramic. VSM belts is all I use today plus they don't have that black crap on the back of them like the Norton ceramic ones do. Looking forward to the Shrewd review
