paper sharpening wheels - when your time is important to you

making a sharp knife even sharper is easy with just the paper buffing wheel, the same with touching up a slightly dull knife. each time you work up a burr, you are taking life out of a blade which is something i try not to do unless i'm switching from a v edge to a convex edge or there are nicks that have to be removed. with the paper buffing wheel,
"there is no higher level of sharpness". i have experimented with a red rouge which is finer and didnt notice any difference that makes it worth going from white to red. even a leather strop cant do what the paper buffing wheel do in such a short ammount of time.
 
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richard,
Would you mind saying a few words about how the paper wheels compare to the Tormek leather honing wheel for touching up and edge, if this is something that you are comfortable mentioning?
Thanks,
 
i dont have a tormek but a friend showed me one a long time ago. he is a general contractor and used it to sharpen his chisels. he used it on his knives but once he felt the edge on a knife i made he was totally amazed at the difference. he had me resharpen his knives which werent too bad at the time. the only thing i had to do was give the knives a couple of passes on the buffing wheel and they were as sharp as if i had done them from the start. the paper buffing wheel does what a leather strop does only faster and a lot better. jtr357 sent me a sog that had a decent edge to begin with but he wanted it fine tuned. it took me a whole 30 seconds to get it fine tuned. here is jons post where he mentions the sog.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6289413#post6289413
 
another thing about the tormek that my friend didnt like, the wheel being soft went out of round so easy. i about fell down laughing when i seen how out of round his wheel was.
he only used it for wood chisels mainly. i talked to a few other tormek owners who have the same problem. the good paper wheels are hard and will last a long time. i still have and use my first set. here is another video of a knife i made slicing free hanging newspaper http://knifetests.com/kII.html
 
You are right about the wheel, it is necessary to 'true' and dress the wheel with a diamond-tipped gadget. It is not as easy as I would like. My complaint is that the wheel is so narrow. My knives are VERY soft and VERY thin so I would prefer a width of 3 or more inches. I never wear a groove in the stone but it does clog and I need to 'dress' it. If I understood correctly Tormek recently introduced a harder wheel for harder metals and I wondered if that might last better. Also there is newer knife sharpening model, not available in the US and it may also be better.

Despite it's limitations: I must say that I have re-shaped and gotten some of the best knives I own by sharpening freehand on the Tormek. Doesn't mean that it can't be done better or faster............
 
ann, my friend that has a tormek really likes the edge i put on his knives with the paper wheels. if i remember right, i even buffed some chisels with the paper wheels which he said were sharper than what the leather buffing wheel could get them. if you want to see for yourself, send me a knife and i'll sharpen it for you.
 
richard j said:
if you want to see for yourself, send me a knife and i'll sharpen it for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks Richard,
Can you also 'fix' edge bevels with the paper wheels? When I first started using the Tormek I certainly did not get a good result but saved the knives to see if I could salvage them.

Can you also change angles on the bevels with the wheels? That is one thing I often do with the Tormek.
 
when you sharpen with the wheels, you are holding the blade so you are in control if everything. thats why you must learn first how to use them. i used an old hack saw blade when i first started out and all i worked on was getting the hang of passing the blade over the wheels in a smooth and even pull. you dont press very hard either. any burr i worked up i just removed by cutting into my oak bench since i wasnt ready to switch to the paper buffing wheel yet. once i could go from one side around the end to the other side and have it look good i knew i was ready to switch wheels. the way i learned is different than what is suggested at the website. i was taught by my friend art summers buddy from around tiffin ohio 17 years ago so this was the only way i knew of. here are some links showing how i do it. the last video will show how to remove a burr and buff the edge at the same time. when you are done with the paper wheel, there is nothing more that needs to be done, no stropping on a leather strop since the paper buff removes the burr and polishes the edge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plMbnQMQJMg http://www.myculpeper.com/rj/2008richardj5.wmv this is the buffing video, i'm putting the finishing touch on a busse ash while macgregor22 films me http://www.myculpeper.com/rj/2008richardj4.wmv
 
i just posted some tips for anyone who has paper wheels. i will be adding tips to the list to answer any questions or help with any problems. here is the link to the thread. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=608864
to keep all questions on this page, i have locked that thread. if you make a post in this thread and it gets put on another page, please post this link for others to see. thanks.
 
The wheel in the second buffing video appears to be moving fairly slowly compared to the first buffing video. Is that the case, and if so, have you found any difference in edge based on wheel speed? It appears that you control the edge angle by holding the knife horizontally and controlling the angle by moving higher or lower on the wheel. Am I interpreting that correctly? Do you get a face full of compound and steel dust with the wheels turning toward you?
 
i noticed that too. thats in the video, sort of like an optical illusion. if i had a wheel running at 2x the speed it would look like the wheel was running slow. there is some stuff coming off but i have glasses on and what comes off doesnt bother me. (i'm sort of a hard core knifemaker, sparks dont bother me :D) most of what does come off doesnt hit me in the face but lower and very minute. if stuff like this bothers anyone, i suggest a full face shield. the way i sharpen is the way i learned from my friends buddy. there were no stickers or instructions with them. he just had an extra set of wheels that he sold me. i never bought mine from mike who makes them now. i do suggest for beginners to follow the safety tips and instructions at mikes website. also, make sure you read this thread before asking a question since its probably already been asked. me2, read post 47 & 48 :p:D
 
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i was thinking of having a list set up at my website for anyone that doesnt want to mail a knife out to get it sharpened but would rather take it to someone local instead. the people who are on this list will have to be approved by me as far as sharpening ability and the person must be at least 21years of age. do any of you who have the wheels think this would be a good idea.
 
I don't have the wheels but I like the idea, what are the qualifications for your approval?
 
I think I qualify, I seen that video the other day while sharpening my brothers BRKT bravo 2. I had to try it myself, it took a few more shakes but the news print was also half the size.
 
do you use the wheels? thats the whole idea about the list of people who sharpen with the wheels. they will know what to expect. i have friends that wont put their knives on a stone and only let paper wheels touch them. if i tell someone they can take their knife to someone, i want them to know it will be sharpened using the wheels. you can use a belt sander to work up a burr on recurves or convex edges but they must be finished off on the good PAPER WHEELS ONLY ;):D.
 
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didnt see anyone mention the felt wheels used for sharpening. lee valley tools sells a good selection and probably many supply companys
 
thats because this is a paper wheel thread ;):D. these do a much better job than felt anyways.
 
i sent mike an email after reading about some guys not having the grit stay on very long. here is what mike said in the email he sent me "One reason the grit is not lasting may be that they're not using the wax correctly, or not at all. Just enough to have streaks of wax on the wheel. The wax has two purposes: Help control heat & help the grit stay on longer".
 
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