I need to do some fairly extensive "grinding" of aluminum on belt
sander. I will be using a fairly coarse belt and would like to avoid
loading the belt with aluminum. I know there is a wax type lubricant
that can be used. What is the simplest, cheapest, most readily
available and effective solution??

On 2016-01-25, wrote:
I need to do some fairly extensive "grinding" of aluminum on belt
sander. I will be using a fairly coarse belt and would like to avoid
loading the belt with aluminum. I know there is a wax type lubricant
that can be used. What is the simplest, cheapest, most readily
available and effective solution??

I don't know about that -- but a warning. If you have use that
sander on steel previously, take care to clean out all the places the
grinding may have accumulated before doing the aluminum. The problem is
that the two dusts (aluminum and rusted steel) make thermite. You're
more likely to ignite it if doing steel after aluminum rather than the
other way around, but still a potential problem.

Good Luck,
DoN.

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On 25 Jan 2016 04:02:54 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:

On 2016-01-25, wrote:
I need to do some fairly extensive "grinding" of aluminum on belt
sander. I will be using a fairly coarse belt and would like to avoid
loading the belt with aluminum. I know there is a wax type lubricant
that can be used. What is the simplest, cheapest, most readily
available and effective solution??

I don't know about that -- but a warning. If you have use that
sander on steel previously, take care to clean out all the places the
grinding may have accumulated before doing the aluminum. The problem is
that the two dusts (aluminum and rusted steel) make thermite. You're
more likely to ignite it if doing steel after aluminum rather than the
other way around, but still a potential problem.

Good Luck,
DoN.
Particularly a problem with finer grit - but yes, rusty steel on an
aluminum loaded belt can be dangerous.

On Sun, 24 Jan 2016 23:24:36 -0500, wrote:

On 25 Jan 2016 04:02:54 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:

On 2016-01-25, wrote:
I need to do some fairly extensive "grinding" of aluminum on belt
sander. I will be using a fairly coarse belt and would like to avoid
loading the belt with aluminum. I know there is a wax type lubricant
that can be used. What is the simplest, cheapest, most readily
available and effective solution??

I don't know about that -- but a warning. If you have use that
sander on steel previously, take care to clean out all the places the
grinding may have accumulated before doing the aluminum. The problem is
that the two dusts (aluminum and rusted steel) make thermite. You're
more likely to ignite it if doing steel after aluminum rather than the
other way around, but still a potential problem.

Good Luck,
DoN.
Particularly a problem with finer grit - but yes, rusty steel on an
aluminum loaded belt can be dangerous.

I've read that candle wax can be used. Also read bar soap can be
used. Which is better? Does either really work well?

fired this volley in
:

I've read that candle wax can be used. Also read bar soap can be
used. Which is better? Does either really work well?

I cannot speak to sanding. We use Gulf Wax (paraffin) on saws to cut
screen room framing (which is thin-walled stuff, and will bend and
'snipe' if the blade hangs or an extra-large chip stuck to the blade hits
a surface).

I once had a surplus metals dealer cut a 3" slab of aluminum for me with
a hand-held circular saw, using liberal amounts of Gulf Wax rubbed on the
blade and on the surface of the work as he proceeded.

Lloyd

On Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:07:49 -0500, wrote:

On Sun, 24 Jan 2016 23:24:36 -0500, wrote:

On 25 Jan 2016 04:02:54 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:

On 2016-01-25, wrote:
I need to do some fairly extensive "grinding" of aluminum on belt
sander. I will be using a fairly coarse belt and would like to avoid
loading the belt with aluminum. I know there is a wax type lubricant
that can be used. What is the simplest, cheapest, most readily
available and effective solution??

I don't know about that -- but a warning. If you have use that
sander on steel previously, take care to clean out all the places the
grinding may have accumulated before doing the aluminum. The problem is
that the two dusts (aluminum and rusted steel) make thermite. You're
more likely to ignite it if doing steel after aluminum rather than the
other way around, but still a potential problem.

Good Luck,
DoN.
Particularly a problem with finer grit - but yes, rusty steel on an
aluminum loaded belt can be dangerous.

I've read that candle wax can be used. Also read bar soap can be
used. Which is better? Does either really work well?
When I had to belt sand a lot of aluminum I found the best method was
water as a lube and coolant. I used waterproof belts (well, sorta
waterproof) and a spray mister. Belt life went WAY up, easily 10 times
longer life. The belt sander wasn't made waterproof but it was easy to
protect the motor and other parts that needed it from the water.
Sanding time went down too. The clean belt just had more grit exposed
because it wasn't clogging the way it did with the solid type lubes
meant for sanding. It took me only a few minutes to apply protection
to the sander and the spray mister I already had, and still do. It was
a typical type found in every machine shop. I didn't need to use much
water either. I used the belt sander horizontally and used the stop it
came with to keep the parts from getting away from me. The biggest
problem I had was that after a few hours of sanding some of the glue
from the belts would bleed through the belts and stick to the platen.
This would cause uneven sanding. So I would remove the belt and scrape
the glue off and start over.
Eric