paper sharpening wheels - when your time is important to you

stevenkelby said:
It's about time I posted here too. Richard put a convex edge on my Hinderer XM-24 a few months ago and I was so impressed I bought a set of wheels.
Click to expand...

Help me understand this. Wheels can't put a convex edge on a blade, can they? The wheel is convex itself and would necessarily put a concave surface on the blade. A slack belt, in contrast is concave and puts a convex surface on what it is grinding.
 
i used my belt sander to work up the convex edge and finished the edge off with the slotted paper wheel. it takes the place of a strop and its a lot faster too. no matter how you work up a burr, the slotted wheel works great for finishing the edge.
 
Thanks Richard. That's what I have assumed. But I've seen a number of people saying that they put a convex edge on with their paper wheels and it seems important to make it clear that the wheels themselves cannot put a convex edge on a blade.
 
Ben B said:
Help me understand this. Wheels can't put a convex edge on a blade, can they? The wheel is convex itself and would necessarily put a concave surface on the blade. A slack belt, in contrast is concave and puts a convex surface on what it is grinding.
Click to expand...

It's true a belt is a much better and faster idea to convex a blade, but you can turn a flat bevel into a convex on the wheels the same way you do with stones, just much faster.

I've done it with very short thick blades like GEC and Case folders, just by going back and forth lightly, varying the angle slightly each time, the bevel will round over and become convex. I've taken new knives with a factory flat grind like an Izula, and worked on the "shoulder" of the blade, then slowly moved along up to the very edge. The result is slightly, but obviously, convex.

I don't think it's possible to put a concave hollow grind on a blade with the wheels, the diameter is too large. At the thin line where the knife edge meets the wheel, the wheel is effectively flat. The radius is very large, relatively speaking.

If you're angle control is very good on the wheels you end up with more of a flat ground bevel but the edge naturally tends towar convex due to the human factor, as an edge sometimes with stones, eventually. I think most people probably end up with a slight convex actually.

Does that make any sense? :o
 
steve, you must have a little better hand control than i do but i never tried to convex a blade on the grit wheel since i had a belt sander. i might have to try that on my teaching blade since it has a funky grind on it anyways. a wharncliff blade would be gravy to convex since there is no belly. a recurve would be a good challenge :D.
 
richard j said:
steve, you must have a little better hand control than i do
Click to expand...

I doubt that :)

I will take a video and pics when I get a chance. It's slow and I've only done it to small blades and the convex isn't a huge curve but it's sure there.

I start on the gritted wheel with the bblade pretty flat, not near the edge, and grind off the shoulder, then keep doing passes, lifting the angle a tiny bit more each tim, until I get a burr up on the egde. Repeat the other side, and again on the polishing wheel and that's it :)
 
for anyone wanting to try a different grit on their wheels, here is the place to get abrasive grit. they do not have a website that i can find but here is their location and phone number. the grit wheel comes with 180 grit applied to it.

Detroit Abrasives CO,
11910 Dexter Chelsea Road
Chelsea, MI 48118-9539 map
Ann Arbor, MI Metro Area
734-475-1651
 
I sent the first big knife that I did - a cpm 3v machete - out to Richard for a little TLC this August. The thing came back sharp enough to shave my freaking face. Give me a week or two and I'll post a video of The Shaving -- part Deux.

Great results.
 
Last edited:
richard j said:
for anyone wanting to try a different grit on their wheels, here is the place to get abrasive grit. they do not have a website that i can find but here is their location and phone number. the grit wheel comes with 180 grit applied to it.

Detroit Abrasives CO,
11910 Dexter Chelsea Road
Chelsea, MI 48118-9539 map
Ann Arbor, MI Metro Area
734-475-1651
Click to expand...




I thought most of the wheels come with 220 grit?
 
in another thread i was reading about a chef wanting to sharpen his serrated edges. you can use the slotted wheel to touch up serrations that are not in bad shape. if the serrations need repaired or a burr worked up, you can use a dremel tool and the proper size stone to fix the serration and then go to the slotted wheel. i use the corner of the wheel to remove the burr and polish the edge.
 
I've used a commercial wheel with silicon-carbide glued, to it for the last 20 years. I wouldn't go back to hand sharpening unless dragged kicking and screaming.

I've looked at the edge after sharpening and there is zero roll over. There is little to no heat built up and I really like that, it helps keep the edge sharper longer; no temper is lost in the sharpening.
 
Last edited:
if you notice the grit wheel not cutting well and you know there is plenty of grit left on the wheel, get a small stainless steel brush about the size of a toothbrush and clean off the wax to open up the grit again. make sure to re apply the wax. i rub the wax into the wheel which seems to work better. do small sections at a time.
 
make sure to keep the slots in the buffing wheel cleaned out of compound. i use an old hacksaw blade to do this with. wrap some tape around the blade or you could grind the teeth off part of the blade. leave some teeth on part of the blade to help clean the slot out.
 
Wow - after weeks, I've FINALLY read each and every post in this thread - took a long time, but I still think it was worth it.
I am a proud new owner of the paper wheels, and had the benefit of Richard taking a LOT of time out of his day to teach me the proper operation of said wheels, as well as convexing on a belt sander, and more and more.
Thank you Richard, as so many before me have said, for all of the time and effort you put into helping us, it does not go unappreciated.
I actually had so much fun sharpening that when I got home I set the buffer up in my living room - much to the chagrin of my girlfriend and dogs - and sharpened everything in the house, followed by everything I could get my friends to loan me, and then I sharpened my butchers fillet knife - and thanks to Richards instruction was gifted with one of the greatest compliments I could have received "Wow! In 27 years as a butcher, I have never had a fillet knife go through a chicken breast so easily!" and then 4 days later - and about 200lbs of chicken breast later - he said that he still had not touched it to a steel.
I think I am going to start a part time sharpening business as a result of this - so thank you bladeforums and thank you Richard for opening another door into an income producing venture - and if anyone on here does hair shears and lives anywhere near Philly and wouldn't mind me watching you - I'd love to learn that next!
Super excited and grateful to all who contribute here, thanks again.
-SL
 
i really enjoyed the visit and anytime you and rick want to come back down just let me know. maybe you can get morrowj98 to come down with you.

i would still find a low speed motor to put your wheels on or get a variable speed buffer. i need to find out if the member in columbus i talked to found any 1/2 hp motors and see how much they are.
 
I just got my wheels yesterday. Like many of you I sharpened everything I could get my hands on. Fast fast fast FAST! I still have my stones, and can take those outdoors with me, but at the house I will use nothing else. My arm is missing a large patch of hair. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top