paper sharpening wheels - when your time is important to you

[richard j]

the bubble jig is so sensitive to movement it will distract you too much trying to watch it and to keep your eye on the point of contact. use it to find your angle then hold the blade at that spot. i have been playing around with my bubble jig and it works good for finding where to hold the blade against the wheel but you must learn how to keep the blade held at the proper angle.

[maximus83]

This is a great discussion and good for future reference as well. I'm learning more about sharpening all the time and currently into sharpening by hand on bench stones, but I'm definitely interested in eventually learning power sharpening as well. There's usually more than one right way to do things, and I can see some good applications for power sharpening.

I can see that the main applications for power sharpening are...
* Those who can't/won't do hand sharpening (don't like it, don't have time, health issues, etc.)
* Those who need to do a high volume of sharpening (for instance, they run a sharpening business, or a business where they use a lot of sharps that get dull quickly)

[Voodoosix]

hey Richard,
do you consider the wheels sold by "G.I." (not sure if i can name the store) to be of the cheap or of the good variety?

[richard j]

if they say "made by razor sharp edge making systems fortuna california, then they are the good wheels. you can go to the wheel website to find a dealer near you. http://www.sharpeningwheels.com/ dont buy cheap wheels like i did. they suck.

[richard j]

a little off topic but i thought i would post the link to the march of dimes knife (wip) thread. check it out http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...8#post10568238

the knife is done and pictures will be posted by john cohea. it looks sweet

[baliblaster]

Listen to Richard and order the good wheels,i ordered some from Jantz and they weren't near as good.I ordered the better ones immediately.

[WCB]

Richard,

I was just looking over the Knife Works site (http://www.knifeworks.com/sharpeners-1.aspx), and decided to check out their sharpening equipment. Low and behold, they got paper wheels in stock now. They have the Charlie's Wheel Slicing Edge set, which included a sharpening and a buffing wheel, for $22.95. No data was included about grout to refinish the sharpening wheel, and the ad did not say anything about jewler's rouge for the buffing wheel. Still, at $22.95, it is worth checking out. It would go good with the buffer from Harbor Freight for $39.99 as a good place to start.

Let me know what you think.

[richard j]

dont get the cheap wheels like i did or you'll be sorry. read what baliblaster posted right above your post. i bought a cheap set thinking they were the same but they were cheap like the price. they were out of balance and shook bad even though i trued them up. the imbalance was in the recycled paper they make them out of. they wore down faster too compared to the ones from sharpeningwheels.com.

[jbdarkblue]

I'm going to have to buy some paper wheels as soon as I pay off my medical bills. I had Richard sharpen some knives for me and they were really sharp and held an edge longer then they normally did. I can can get them sharp with my edge pro but it takes too long.

[richard j]

i was sharpening some knives the other day and thought of something when putting compound on the slotted wheel.
what if i ran out of compound and needed to finish up a few knives. i think i'm going to experiment with some toothpaste to see if it works. it could be an interesting experiment.

[mross]

I am now a believer! I have my wheels up and running. I am using a system similiar to 1scooter. I mounted my laser in the rafter over my wheels. I was able to get shaving sharp in minutes. So far I have only had one knife that I just cannot get sharp. The others where amazing; push cuts into tissue paper. Shaving. All good. richardj thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[richard j]

i tried out the toothpaste for buffing compound and so far it works just as good as the rouge. i found it best to apply it to each individual square on the slotted wheel and rub it in good.

wipe any excess out from between each slot and stand off to the side when you turn on the motor. i had a little bit come off at first but it was good to go after.

[JohnIrish]

I just started using paper wheels.... so far so good! Yesterday I sharpened a Dozier D2 blade. I can slice paper and even make an "S" curve in phone book paper with a push cut. I could feel the difference in the D2.. it could be my imagination but it did feel harder than some other steels.

I do have a few questions.. do you hold the same angle on both wheels? Is there any technique on the buffing wheel to make the knife even sharper? For example, a different angle or using lighter strokes? Richard, I think you mentioned before that stropping is not necessary.. but does it improve the sharpness? What angle do you suggest for good steel? Do you have any suggestions for an even better edge?

[rscoffey]

R.J. I have a grinder that I use for buffing on which I have installed tapered spindles. What is your take on using these with the paper wheels? When I use a new cloth buff, I soak the center with epoxy to harden it before use. Could this be done with the paper wheels as well? Would it need to be done?

This has been a great thread. Very informative.

Thanks,

Bob

[razor-edge-knives]

does anyone have any ideas as to what to use to true up your slotted wheel really well... i mean to make it PERFECTLY true? I tried 40-60 grit sand paper wrapped around a metal file... doesn't work that well.

I've been using my diamond coated wheel dresser (pic below) which works a lot better than the sand paper, but I was just curious if anyone else has found anything better?

[Bernoulli]

I do have a few questions.. do you hold the same angle on both wheels? Is there any technique on the buffing wheel to make the knife even sharper? For example, a different angle or using lighter strokes?

I use the same angle. I use progressively lighter pressure strokes with the buffing wheel. I try to feed at the same speed.

[TLR]

Looking at the two porter-cable grinders at lowes I noticed the 6" seemed to be a little underpowered. Would the 8" be worth the extra money 2.5amp motor vs. 5amp motor? Will the 8" wheels I already bought work with the 8"?

[Bernoulli]

I would recommend the 5 amp motor. The 8" wheels will work fine - as will 10" wheels.

[frc505]

I sent richard my ZT 0350 on tuesday he got it
yesterday (thursday) cleaned it and sharpened
It and got it sent back to me the same day he
Got it talk about fast service ! ... I cant wait til
It comes back home to try it out... I do have a
Few questions for you guys... 1) as you all know
the blade is S30V how will the edge retention
Be after being sharpened by the wheels ?
2) how often should I strop it if it needs it ?
3)how long will it have a servicable edge after
the razor edge is gone ? And finally 4) how
Does S30V compare to other steels after being
Sharpened by the paper wheels ? ...
Thanks for your time !

Frank

[richard j]

i have been taking a break from the forums for a while to give my eyes a rest. anyone with a question can send me an email and include your phone number.

johnirish, you do hold the knife at the same angle on both wheels. i have sharpened up a few knives that i made even sharper than i normally get them (what i call a novelty edge) but it is a waste of time since thoes edges usually fail rather quickly.
stropping is not necessary since the slotted wheel is a strop.

rscoffee, you need to mount the wheels on an arbor just as if you were mounting a stone grinding wheel. the tapered spindle will not work.

razor edge knives, use some 24 grit held in place on a wide board that is set under the wheel at an angle. make light contact with the wheel in order to knock off any high spots gradually moving the board into the wheel until you make full contact and have the wheel true. holding the abrasive against the wheel without knocking off any high spots will only exaggerate any of these spots.

frank, someone else that owns and uses a knife made from s30v will have to answer that question since i do not own any knife made with s30v and have never used one. i only own 1 production knife and it is a spyderco manx made from cts-xhp. all of my other knives are customs.