garry
starting to shine!
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every moment of it!
Member since September 2007
Posts: 29
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Post by garry on Feb 10, 2009 17:09:24 GMT -5
I was lucky enough to win a used grinding/polishing unit on eBay, it is a Star Diamond GP-6. What I need help with is the sanding drum part, instead of the "traditional" wheel that takes a belt it uses a 3 inch strip of abrasive. The auction stated it would come with a new belt, which it did. It is in reality a belt cut apart. The wheel has a split that takes the ends and hold them while sanding/polishing. I hope this explanation is clear! The question(s): this belt is marked "Norton Metalite R262240-X", from researching on the net metalite is used for metal mostly, some references to glass beveling and a few products that can be used wet. There are several types of this product also. Has anyone heard of it? used it? Can it be used wet or dry? Some of the sites say some of these belts are made with zirconium. I have found rolls of silicon carbide at Kinsley North, but is this material better? I also found a seller on eBay that has a product that used "zircon", but does not list the size I need, but can get it, I am waiting on a response to an email now. Needless to say I'm really anxious to get it up and going, and cut some cabs!! Any help or advice would be appreciated and is needed!! Thanks in advance. Garry
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Post by mohs on Feb 10, 2009 22:43:56 GMT -5
That's really interesting. I've been around grinding (not particularly lapidary) stuff for awhile and haven't seen sanding wheel like that. Is the backing of the wheel hard or rubbery? What diameter is it? Can you tell how smooth the seam will be when the wheel is in rotation? .
As far as zircon, silicon carbide and the "Norton Metalite R262240-X" you mentioned experimentation will probably be your best bet for results. Most likely the Metalite won't give good results on rocks. The silicon carbide is for non-metals. That why it cuts rock well. I'm interested how the zircon would do. But whatever works and the expense shouldn't be excessive. My rule of thumb is grind wet whenever possible.
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DeanW
has rocks in the head
Member since December 2007
Posts: 721
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Post by DeanW on Feb 11, 2009 12:41:28 GMT -5
I'm guessing you are describing an "expanding drum sander" sort of like here? If so, lots of places to find belts for them.
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Post by catmandewe on Feb 11, 2009 13:20:56 GMT -5
I bought some old equipment that had one of those lock in drums on it. I played around with it a bit, then found it was much easier and cheaper to buy an expando drum and belts. I guess if you wanted to dedicate it to a rough sander, it would not be too bad, but it would be a pain to have to keep changing grits. Whether or not you can use it with water would depend on the sand paper you got. If you get wet or wet/dry paper you can use water with it. Good luck with it.............Tony
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Post by akansan on Feb 11, 2009 14:36:20 GMT -5
Yeah, my old Frantom unit originally had two of them. Switched one of them out for an expando and got rid of the other (couldn't use an expanding drum unless I wanted to take the grinder apart each time I changed grits!). I've been told they used to known as "thump-thump" wheels, as that's the sound they made each time you hit the seam...
If the place for that wheel is open with easy access to the wheel, you really would be better off just switching it out with an expanding drum.
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Post by kap on Feb 11, 2009 20:56:59 GMT -5
I have one on my machine .I used it a lot before I got my expando. I got my belts from Kinksley North and only used 600 grit. It is a pain to change belts. Keith
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garry
starting to shine!
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every moment of it!
Member since September 2007
Posts: 29
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Post by garry on Feb 11, 2009 23:45:06 GMT -5
Thanks for all the replies. Here is a pic of the machine: these are pic of the drum in question. It takes about 24 inches of "paper" to cover and the drum is about 6 1/2 inches across. I about broke the buget with this, where can I get expando drums,CHEAP!!?? Thanks again for the advice. Garry
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Post by mohs on Feb 12, 2009 0:40:43 GMT -5
Well that's a dandy of machine ya got ther pal. Never seen that type of wheel before. I can see how it could be stubborn changing belts! I paid 63.00 for my 6 inch expandable. Probably too much. But I was in a hurry and the distributor had it on the shelf. I would imagine that wheel is expensive with that tightening thread set-up. At least you have something to get started with and can take your time to find a good deal on expandable drum.
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Post by catmandewe on Feb 12, 2009 1:20:19 GMT -5
Garry, I just got an estate that has a bunch of equipment. I will look and see if there are any 6" expando drums in there. I will be moving the equipment probably sometime next week, so if you can wait that long I will check then. Tony
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garry
starting to shine!
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every moment of it!
Member since September 2007
Posts: 29
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Post by garry on Feb 12, 2009 18:47:12 GMT -5
Catman, I would be happy to wait, keep me in mind. Might be interested in some other stuff too. Thanks Garry
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mossyrockhound
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2011
Posts: 1,278
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Post by mossyrockhound on Feb 14, 2009 1:14:35 GMT -5
Keep in mind that the expando-drums are limited to something like 1800 rpm. It might be a good idea for you to check out the speed of your unit before switching to the expando.
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