paper sharpening wheels - when your time is important to you

i am not going to go into much detail but i was asked to be on a show this fall by the host who likes what i do. i'll post more when the time comes :D
 
richard j said:
i am not going to go into much detail but i was asked to be on a show this fall by the host who likes what i do. i'll post more when the time comes :D
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Sounds great. Please keep us posted.
 
richard j said:
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.
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I talked with Mike, the owner of Razor Sharp recently about this. He said to make sure you remove all traces of grit etc. If you don't go down to clean paper, the glue will not have a proper surface to adhere to.
 
Ill bring this one back to share some tips..
1) If you need to true your wheels (like I did) try rotating the washer(s) first, If that doesnt work then go to tapping the wheel with a rubber mallet.

2) USE THE WAX! First knife I sharpened got the edge burned because I was stupid and went right to sharpening. Half way through I noticed the edge was blue and ancouple other colors.

3) Take your time. Dont rush through the sharpening. These wheels cut fast if you mess up you'll know you did.

Thanks for all of your help richard. I appreciate it.
 
When I apply the wax to the grit wheel, the coverage is uneven. The shiny areas in the photo are wax. It seems to work fine, but just wondering if this is normal?

Photo0184.jpg
 
banksy said:
When I apply the wax to the grit wheel, the coverage is uneven. The shiny areas in the photo are wax. It seems to work fine, but just wondering if this is normal?

Photo0184.jpg
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That looks normal to me. Mine looks pretty much the same and I get excellent results.
 
Richard J,
I just finished reading this entire thread. I have read it three times over the past year. I can't seem to find the answer to a question of mine. You state that you sharpen with the wheel rotating towards you. You also state that you sharpen at 1 o'clock. When facing the wheel and ir rotating towards you, where is the knife blade? On the back side of the top of the wheel, or, the front side of the wheel? This is a great thread and I have all of my supplies in my possession. Just waiting on your answer. Thanks so much for all of your help, along with everyone else's. Also, why is this thread not a sticky?

RoMo
 
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RoMo said:
Richard J,
When facing the wheel and ir rotating towards you, where is the knife blade? On the back side of the top of the wheel, or, the front side of the wheel? RoMo
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On the back side with the wheel rotating towards you. Don't try it on the front !

[video=youtube;yKIC2Q9_g5o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKIC2Q9_g5o[/video]
 
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banksy said:
On the back side with the wheel rotating towards you. Don't try it on the front !

[video=youtube;yKIC2Q9_g5o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKIC2Q9_g5o[/video]
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Banksy,

Thanks so much for the quick response. I'm ready to try it now. Is that you in the video?

RoMo
 
If you will apply the wax by hand turning the wheel, and not while turned on, you can get a good even coat that is not bunched up like it does when turned on. You only need enough to lightly coat the wheel with the wax. I only apply more wax after four or five uses. You can tell when it needs more wax applied, by the drag on the blade. Also watch for the blade beginning to heat up, as a sign of needing to apply more wax.

OHALLUM
 
banksy said:
On the back side with the wheel rotating towards you. Don't try it on the front !
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I don't get it. If the blade catches on the wheel the way they guy in the video does it, it's going to fly towards his body *fast*. There's no getting out of the way. If you do it on the front, and it catches, the knife will fly straight down. If you do what I think RJ does and spin the wheels the other way, a caught blade flies away from the person's body, which seems like the best to me. What am I missing?

Brian.
 
bgentry said:
I don't get it. If the blade catches on the wheel the way they guy in the video does it, it's going to fly towards his body *fast*. There's no getting out of the way. If you do it on the front, and it catches, the knife will fly straight down. If you do what I think RJ does and spin the wheels the other way, a caught blade flies away from the person's body, which seems like the best to me. What am I missing?
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Buffers can be dangerous and concentration is needed whichever way you have the wheels spinning. It's true that having the wheels spin towards you is probably more hazardous, but the idea is that you can see the edge, and the burr, more clearly.
RJ has his wheels spinning towards him - here is a video of him at work (I didn't post this before because it's dark and difficult to see).

[video=youtube;plMbnQMQJMg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plMbnQMQJMg[/video]
 
bgentry said:
I don't get it. If the blade catches on the wheel the way they guy in the video does it, it's going to fly towards his body *fast*. There's no getting out of the way. If you do it on the front, and it catches, the knife will fly straight down. If you do what I think RJ does and spin the wheels the other way, a caught blade flies away from the person's body, which seems like the best to me. What am I missing?

Brian.
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This is the reason that I have the wheels spinning away from me. The thought of a fast moving knife hitting me in the face, neck, or even the heart is not a concept that appeals to me. I can see the burr forming as clear as day with the wheels moving away from me and I get excellent results.

I respect the opinions of Richard and others that run the wheels towards them but those guys are braver than I am. I won't even try it.
 
Richard was taught the way he uses. If you pay attention (you should be), the blade will not get caught. The action is in the same direction as the cutting edge. I have the wheel going in the opposite direction and hold the blade flat at 11 O'clock.

Richard says he can see what's happening better. I've tried it. I see what he means, but I don't like leaning over the wheel. It hurts my back.

If you have through the Utube sharpening videos, you'll see a wide variety of techniques. As Richard has mentioned, you'll develop your own.
 
I tried it Richards way and not having much success. It must be my angle. How do you get your angle?

Thanks,

RoMo
 
I just went back to try again and noticed that there is a lot of wax on my wheel. I'm going to try and remove some. I would still like to hear your answer.
By the way, I haven't seen Richard on here in a while. Does anyone know where he is? Is he OK?

RoMo
 
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