paper sharpening wheels - when your time is important to you

i do have a few out there that are real short and kind of dark. the way i have my pc set up, i'm unable to watch vids on line.
 
I prefer the technique used in #3. I make my passes in one direction only. His technique will remove more steel at the heel than any other spot - he's not done any spray painting. Technique #1 spent too much time on the grinding wheel. Technique #2 looked like too large an angle.
 
Apparently there are several techniques that will give good results. I use the technique in the last video. Wheels rotating away from me and the blade held level at 15-20 degrees from the top of the wheel.

Those first two videos are the first examples I've seen of setting the angle by the tilting the blade to the desired angle.

Interesting stuff.
 
i always sharpen with the wheels rotating to me and the blade held around the 1:00 positioin give or take a few minutes.
i have most of my vids linked to from my website. if a vid is not working then it must have been taken down by the person hosting it for me.

here is a vid of me removing the burr from a busse ash that i convexed for the member running the camera. http://www.myculpeper.com/rj/2008richardj4.wmv
 
richard j said:
i always sharpen with the wheels rotating to me and the blade held around the 1:00 positioin give or take a few minutes.
i have most of my vids linked to from my website. if a vid is not working then it must have been taken down by the person hosting it for me.

here is a vid of me removing the burr from a busse ash that i convexed for the member running the camera. http://www.myculpeper.com/rj/2008richardj4.wmv
Click to expand...
Thanks for the technique tutorial! I'll give it a try.
 
with the edge facing you it is a lot easier to see what you are doing. you can also match up an existing angle a lot better and you can also make sure you are not putting the blade against the wheel in the wrong spot (too high or too low)
 
I will agree with Richard that having the wheel spin towards you lends to being able to see the edge and match the angle a lot better. If you spin the wheels around and have them rotate away from you there is no way to accurately match the angle. Especially with V edges, as all my blades currently are (all sharpened with an Edge Pro Apex), it is important to me to match the same angle. Without seeing the edge and the contact with the wheels it is impossible to touch the edge where you want. For a convex edge it doesn't matter nearly as much - just rock the blade back and forth to cover the radius.

One additional comment I'll make is if you don't like the grit and rouge hitting you in the face (if you are using any type of motor driven sharpener you should be wearing safety glasses regardless) it might help to put a plexiglass shield in front of the wheels.

I don't think you can beat the speed and ease of use of the paper wheels. For what you'll spend on some of the higher end guided sharpening systems a paper wheel set up with a variable speed bench grinder combined is less than half the price. It isn't as "portable" and isn't an "old school" method, but it is much faster and the quality of edge you'll get is still top notch. Practice and you'll be a pro in a reasonable amount of time.
 
I presented the Paper Wheels to my brother-in-law who seemed impressed with the edge that was created. He has been sharpening his knife on a bench grinder at work, so it seemed like a step in the right direction.
 
that always makes me cringe when i see someone do that to a knife. the same thing when i see someone on tv using a pull through sharpener.
 
I just picked up a $30 bench grinder and razor sharp 8" wheel kit from grizzly. I'm diving into it in a couple hours. I am a total noob at free hand so ill post my results tonight. I am a little mechanically inclined so I have some decent time with tools and machines. My edgecrafter set of diamond stones serves one purpose today, wreck the edge on a cheap broken lock gerber remix knife. Will post a before and after if I can get my phone to work.

ETA: let me add that I am not going to destroy the knife completely, but rather take it to an almost useless edge, not chipped and broken, just dull.

-Chris-
 
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Well, after about an hour of practice I was able to get my two practice edges to a good newspaper slicing/shaving edge. Both blades were dulled on medium grit diamond stones in a convex style rolling of the edge except they were rotated way past the point you would stop to get them sharp if that makes sense. I have got about $90 between the Razor Sharp kit, the grinder, and the stand.

I plan on practicing a lot more, so I will be using practice blades for awhile before I dive into my Heckler and Koch Mini-Auto and my Benchmade Mini-Griptilian. I have one question though Richard. My Mini-Grip is an American tanto style blade. Do I just pull it through then rotate the knife and work the other edge as a separate edge or how do I do it?

I will say I am floored by how good the mirror edge on my practice blades are. I mean there is barely any cloudiness on either. I suspect this will improve with practice, but they are already very nice. My only issue is finding where I need to hold the blade and I haven't decided between holding it vertical facing down on the front or holding it horizontal in the backside with the edge towards me. I have only tried with the wheels turning towards me so I may switch around until I find what works.

Anyone have any ideas for keeping consistent angles or a rig to help with it?
 
i love my paper wheels, but after regritting its just not the same - cuts real slowly... any input?

i rubbed the wheel down with elmers then put the grit onto it and pressed it in.
 
triviamonster, send me an email with your number and i'll give you a call and give you some tips.

fierostetz, do not press the grit into the wheel, sprinkle it on with a salt shaker. send me your number too :D
rje196021@gmail.com
 
My paper wheels arrived yesterday and I mounted them up pn the Lowes's grinder. All I can say is AWESOME the set up worked very well. I am covered in band ais on the left hand from sharpenig most of my knives to arm hair shaving sharpeness. I am still working on technique as this is my first attempt. I know I will get better with a little time and knowledge. Still have a list of questions for Richard such as how often do I put rougue on the wheel and wax on the grinder? About every ??? how many knives?

The Lowes grinder worked excellent the 2000 RPM worked really well. There are some questions regarding using a Harbor Freight grinder. I have quite a few HB tools and I know only purchase them for items that are disposable. Basically a tool I don;t mind usig once or twice and then throwing away. The QC on anything they sell that has a bushig is very low IMO. Also if you want anything percise you don"t want HB. For instance the markings on their wood circular chop saws are stickers...... reallly a sticker. Many of their tools that require somethign spinning start to wooble or get out os synch very quickly. I just don't feel comfortable about their products for anything that I do not consdier disposable. I have had their angle grinders go out after 3 session; granted it was $9.99, but it should last longer than that. Just IMO as the wheels are not inexpensive and if you are spending the time and $ to do a good sharpening system it should last.
 
the wheels are guaranteed for life except for normal wear and tear. i have tried to tell mike at razorsharp that the 3400 rpm buffer is too fast for the wheels. i hope one of these days he listens to me :D

rwt, pm me your number.
 
I finally got my setup - the second knife was shaving sharp, but the bevel was not consistent throughout. Not too bad though.
I did have a question - the slotted wheel part - when I was done, there was inconsistent black marks. Looking at the wheel from the side, the black marks (metal) were at 12 and 6 oclock, and the 3 and 9oclock positions were pristine. There is no wobble - does this mean I should touch some sand paper to the slotted wheel to smooth it out?
 
foofie, to true up a wheel, get a flat piece of wood that you can rest on the bench below the wheel and slightly under it at an angle. have some coarse sandpaper stuck to the piece of wood and lightly make contact with the wheel so you are only getting the high spots. (do not try holding sandpaper against the slotted wheel freehand or you will make the wheel out of round) slowly sand away the high spots until the wheel is clean and flat. when done you should be able to hold your thumbnail real close (1/32" or so) to the wheel while spinning it and not have your nail touch.
 
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