paper sharpening wheels - when your time is important to you

Amen to that! My mishap aside, I love the paper wheels, and will continue to use them. I had originally intended on mounting the wheels to a very old, 6" ball bearing grinder, which is actually about the same length as an HF buffer. However, at first glance I thought the spindle was too large for the wheels, plus it belongs to my dad, so I purchased the 6" Ryobi. After the mishap, I took the wheels off the Ryobi and found out that they indeed fit the very old 6" ball bearing grinder. Long story short, I am now using the old grinder, which I like even better, and my dad has a brand new 6" Ryobi grinder :)
 
There you go, everybody wins!

I was initially disappointed in my paper wheels and the results I was getting from them. I read this whole thread from the front to the end, and was convinced they would work. I bought about 15 knives from the local thrift stores and went to work. My results were less than great. I did some reading and watched lots of videos, but my results were no better. Then one day I read where someone was talking about raising a good burr before stropping.

Bingo!! A light went off in my head, and I realized that I was not grinding enough of a burr. I was being cautious not to grind away too much metal, and was failing to get a good burr. I was getting one, but just enough to barely detect it. I went back and re-ground my throw away practice knives until I had a good burr on them. I drew them across a piece of wood and then began my buffing on the slotted wheel. Success at last! Every one of them came out shaving sharp without any other work.

I am now a "Paper Wheel Fan". With practice, I was able to maintain a good grind angle and produce good results on a regular basis.

I took one of my throw aways that had the front third of the blade serrated, and ground it into a straight edge with my WSKTS and then sharpened on the wheels. It would make a great straight hunting knife if I can find a sheath for it. Lots of fun.
 
OHALLUM said:
There you go, everybody wins!

I was initially disappointed in my paper wheels and the results I was getting from them. I read this whole thread from the front to the end, and was convinced they would work. I bought about 15 knives from the local thrift stores and went to work. My results were less than great. I did some reading and watched lots of videos, but my results were no better. Then one day I read where someone was talking about raising a good burr before stropping.

Bingo!! A light went off in my head, and I realized that I was not grinding enough of a burr. I was being cautious not to grind away too much metal, and was failing to get a good burr. I was getting one, but just enough to barely detect it. I went back and re-ground my throw away practice knives until I had a good burr on them. I drew them across a piece of wood and then began my buffing on the slotted wheel. Success at last! Every one of them came out shaving sharp without any other work.

I am now a "Paper Wheel Fan". With practice, I was able to maintain a good grind angle and produce good results on a regular basis.

I took one of my throw aways that had the front third of the blade serrated, and ground it into a straight edge with my WSKTS and then sharpened on the wheels. It would make a great straight hunting knife if I can find a sheath for it. Lots of fun.
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I should have a little free time today to practice more with the wheels. Now that the clearance issue has been resolved, I will be able to concentrate on more important things. The problem I am having is getting a consistently scary sharp edge from one knife to the next. Obviously blade steel is a factor here, as well as grinding a good burr, maintaining a consistent angle, etc., however after reading your post, I realized that part of my problem was not grinding enough of a burr. You also said something about drawing your knives across a piece of wood, presumably to remove the burr first before buffing? That being said, can I assume that your technique is to first grind a good burr on one side of the knife, then the other, draw the knife across a piece of wood to remove the burr, then finish on the buffing wheel?
 
i have been taking a rest from reading the forums and decided to drop in and see who was having problems with the wheels. i figured it might be a good idea to post the link to my wheel tips page for anyone that is new to the wheels. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=608864

ohallum, i have the wheels rotating twoard me so i can watch the burr form a lot easier. if you are not sure if you have enough of a burr, look straight down on the edge as if you were going to split your nose in half. you can see the edge real good this way and tell if you have enough of a burr or not.

kc8qv0, you need to stop down again and bring your knives so i can watch you sharpen and see if i can help you out.
 
Alcoholiday said:
I should have a little free time today to practice more with the wheels. Now that the clearance issue has been resolved, I will be able to concentrate on more important things. The problem I am having is getting a consistently scary sharp edge from one knife to the next. Obviously blade steel is a factor here, as well as grinding a good burr, maintaining a consistent angle, etc., however after reading your post, I realized that part of my problem was not grinding enough of a burr. You also said something about drawing your knives across a piece of wood, presumably to remove the burr first before buffing? That being said, can I assume that your technique is to first grind a good burr on one side of the knife, then the other, draw the knife across a piece of wood to remove the burr, then finish on the buffing wheel?
Click to expand...

Yes, that is pretty much what I do. The drawing the knife across a piece of wood is to remove the thin burr before using the buffing wheel. Don't know if it is needed, but it works for me. See Richard's comment about looking at the burr. A good way to see the burr if you have good light, which you should have by the way.

Keep practicing and one day it will all come together for you, and your results will be consistent. It really is easy and with a short learning curve. Good luck!:thumbup:
 
richard j said:
i have been taking a rest from reading the forums and decided to drop in and see who was having problems with the wheels. i figured it might be a good idea to post the link to my wheel tips page for anyone that is new to the wheels. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=608864

ohallum, i have the wheels rotating twoard me so i can watch the burr form a lot easier. if you are not sure if you have enough of a burr, look straight down on the edge as if you were going to split your nose in half. you can see the edge real good this way and tell if you have enough of a burr or not.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip Richard. I have my wheels rotating towards me also. I tried to sharpen from the top of the wheel like you do, but my bench is too tall to see over the top of the wheels without standing up. I have really bad knees and am unable to stand for any length of time, so i work from the front of the wheels. I can watch my angles and see the burr form this way with good lighting, which I have.

I am really impressed with the short amount of time required to get "shaving sharp" results with these wheels. I have used stones all my life to keep my knives sharp, and enjoyed the time used, when I had the time to spend on them. With these, by the time it would take me to get my stones out and ready to use, I can have two knives sharpened, and ready for more. Love em! God Bless and thanks for all the help you have given to us all with your tips, wisdom, and time.
 
Everything's coming together now! I had gotten a shaving edge before, but I realized now the soft steel on my practice knives wasn't holding the 15-20 angle. I just did my first real knife, and it's a step or 2 above any sharpmaker edge ive gotten. It isn't especially pretty, but it pops hairs like crazy. That was my first try, I can see plenty of room for improvement. The only real issue is that sometimes the knife will skip along the grit wheel on occasion, usually towards the tip. This is probably due to some combination of angle and pressure, as I can start another pass and it goes away. Overall this system is great for a fast shaving edge, although you have to spend some time learning. Thanks Rayzcane for the angle template and videos, enjoy that sv650.
 
ohallum, i have fibromyalgia and if my buddy art summers had not showed me the wheels back in 91, i'm sure my hands would be a lot worse than they are now. i have been sharpening knives since 1973 and my hands show it. the fingers on my right hand are real bad. my index and ring finger are turning inward and my middle finger is turning to my ring finger. making knives has contributed to the problem along with abusing my hands when i took martial arts. my legs are not much better either.
 
Richard, I know what you are talking about, as a good friend of mine has fibromyalgia and it ain't no fun. My dad, a couple of months before he died, told me that "gettin old ain't for sissies". Since I retired from being an over the road truck driver 4 years ago, I have really begun to appreciate what he meant by that. No complaints, as I have a lot of miles under me, but I have seen and done a lot of things in my life. I am blessed in spite of myself. :victorious:
 
pain meds do nothing for me so i gave up taking anything for my fibromyalgia. i dont sleep but i do try to get some sort of rest when i'm not hurting too bad.

i wish i had not done a lot of things i did when i was younger but i guess i never thought i would regret it later in life (like i do now). i'm just glad i never broke anything but i have came close. i hyperextended my left hand (my knuckles touched the top of my arm in a fall) and it caused me to loose some strength and range of motion in my wrist.
 
has anyone else experimented with different toothpaste brands as a buffing compound? i tried some by applying it to my wheel and letting it dry before buffing a blade and it worked.
 
OHALLUM said:
Yes, that is pretty much what I do. The drawing the knife across a piece of wood is to remove the thin burr before using the buffing wheel. Don't know if it is needed, but it works for me. See Richard's comment about looking at the burr. A good way to see the burr if you have good light, which you should have by the way.

Keep practicing and one day it will all come together for you, and your results will be consistent. It really is easy and with a short learning curve. Good luck!:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I was able to practice for a while yesterday after work, however I am still having a bit of trouble. I am sharpening on top, with the wheels rotating toward me. First off, I know my lighting is far from adequate, so I will be taking care of that today, but I have some other questions on technique:

Hopefully I am understanding this correctly: If I am sharpening on top with the wheels rotating toward me, I am supposed to be holding the blade flat (parallel) to the ground, and contacting the wheel at the 11:00 or 11:30 positions, etc. to grind my desired bevel angle?

Assuming the above is correct, then couldn't I also hold the knife at TDC (12:00) and grind the bevel angle I want by simply rotating the blade to that angle? That is to say, if I am holding the blade flat (parallel), and I start grinding the edge at the TDC (12:00) position, I would be grinding myself a zero degree edge, correct?
 
banksy said:
With the wheels rotating towards you, the knife should be at 1 o'clock, not 11
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keep the knife paralell to the table at all times. you adjust the angle by moving up or down the wheel. for a steeper edge go up closer to the 12:00 position and for a more obtuse angle to closer to the 1:00-1:30 position on the wheel.

when i first mentioned the 1:00 position in the paper wheel thread, it was for a general location on the wheel. i tend to match up the existing angle when i get knives in for sharpening unless told otherwise.

here is a thread i started that some of you might find interesting and give you something to think about. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=819683
 
Sorry if this has been covered, but has anyone tried using a magnetic bubble level to help with holding the knife parallel to the table?
 
banksy, its better to practice holding a knife paralell to the table. trying to keep your eye on the level while sharpening on the wheels can only end up in a messed up knife or worse. not all knives will have a flat spot or one big enough to lay a level.
 
banksy said:
Sorry if this has been covered, but has anyone tried using a magnetic bubble level to help with holding the knife parallel to the table?
Click to expand...

I think that practice will be better than a bubble. I kind of wonder if the bubble would be much help on the grit wheel.

From the above about removing the wire edge: I make a few passes with very light pressure at the end - it works for me. I do rub most edges along a piece of wood (away from the edge) to remove some of the wax and polishing compound.
 
fred rowe makes a bubble jig for grinding knives. something like that could be used to do dry runs to get the hang of holding the knife horizontal when drawing the knife across the wheel without the wheel running.
 
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