I just kept a cup/mug/grass of water near by when I did my MPLE/HCLE/HCSE/BDLE on the HR 1X30. Each pass ended with a dip in the water to keep things cool.

I have a leather belt (intending to use green compound on it), but it seems really slack and not very functional. I end up using a leather strop with compound for final polish instead. Anyone have any tips to get success with the leather belts, or do I just have an 'out of spec' specimen?