paper sharpening wheels - when your time is important to you

Man, I was struggling with burrs today, public sharpening...
I couldn't get the paper wheel to pull them off the cheaper softer stainlesses. Seemed like I would have had to go to a really steep angle.
The only thing that worked reliably was the 5x Norax belt- even then I sometimes had to do a very light edge-up pass, spooky I know.
Must be the planetary positions, I dunno...the rouge wheel seemed to work fine last time.
Come to think of it though, I had the wheel down low and was sharpening at 1:00 edge toward me last time it worked...perhaps that's the magic ticket.
 
some cheap knives like anything made in pakistan for example are not worth the time and trouble it takes to sharpen them. sometimes a little more pressure on the slotted wheel can get the burr off. sometimes a knife can be aggrivating like that and i usually let it go and come back to it later.
 
element, I keep a scrap wood block close by, to make sure there is not a wire edge edge. I'll "cut" into it, ie. run the edge on the block with not much more than the weight of the knife, then make another few passes on the slotted wheel. If there were a wire, it will be removed by the wood.
 
Thanks- Yeah, Richard, I had one of those Pakistan knives yesterday...it was a sweet young thing bringing her grandpappy's pocketknife in for a touchup. Wanted to do a nice job on it, but wow that steel was soft.
Simple Man, I had a couple burrs on medium cheap knives that just were not responding even with the wood treatment- I need to practice more on the rouge wheel, it seems like a great way to deal with it.
 
Richard i was wondering if you had any tips on putting the grit back on the wheels,as in a better glue or any other help?
 
To Richard J:
What are your tips for resurfacing the wheels? I have had trouble getting the grit to stick. I'm careful about removing ALL of the grit and wax. I have tried Elmer's yellow glue. Do you roll your wheels through the grit on newspaper? Any details would be great!

Thanks,
Dave
 
Dave, here is some instructions from Steve Bottoff of Sharpening Made Easy, that is an authorized retailer of the paper wheels. His instructions are the way I have re-gritted my wheels. It is fairly easy done as he instructs. This link is to his instructions for re-gritting the wheels.

http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/paperinst.htm

Hope this helps you guys. There is a lot of good information on his website.

Blessings,

Omar
 
I find the re-gritting the most challenging task. I suppose my technique is the cause of the my issues with the grit not staying on the wheel very long. I need to get up to Willits and get some advice from the source and pick up some new wheels. I really like the flexibility of the wheels. Especially with the slotted wheel on serrations where they can really shine. I'll get it down eventually but it does take some time.
 
I followed the directions on the manufacturer's website and it worked great.I didn't really think it would work that great but it turned out like it was a new wheel!:thumbup:
 
So I have been at it for about 5 months now and have had some highs and lows. Ohallum just made a point a few posts back that resonates, start at the top and work your way down to get the burr (I run them away from me). I resisted the urge to regrit early and found that it was me, not the grit. I did take the wire brush to them for wax buildup, but at this point, I don't think I needed to do that, just needed to come down from the top. I also find that I often feel the burr on the first pass, maybe second. Is there any reason to keep going once the burr is formed, or go ahead and move on the the slotted?

I will say this, it is easily the best results I have ever gotten sharpening and I have been putting my best knives to the wheels after only a week. 5 months in and I am ready for the neighbors good knives. Thanks again to Richard and Ohallum!
 
Slowandlowsmoker said:
I also find that I often feel the burr on the first pass, maybe second. Is there any reason to keep going once the burr is formed, or go ahead and move on the the slotted?
Click to expand...

On some steels, like 1095 and other softer steels, it often brings up a burr pretty quick. If you are using light pressure and grinding slowly and the burr forms after a couple of passes, then I would go ahead and go to the slotted wheel. If after the slotted wheel, and the knife is not as sharp as you desire, then go back to the grit wheel and bring up another burr.

I had a problem when I first started in that I was fearful of grinding away too much metal, and would not get a good solid burr all along my blade, and therefore I would not get as sharp a job as I wanted, an would have to go back and get another burr. It is all part of the learning curve. Don't be fearful of going back and re-grinding another burr to get a good sharp edge. If you are grinding with light pressure, then you are not removing a lot of metal. I still from time to time have to grind twice to get where I want to be. On my grit wheel you have to look for the grit showing. It is there, but the wax covers most of it up, so my wheel grinds slowly and Cooley. Just the way I like it. I bought a bare wheel and applied the grit to it for a spare to use when I need to re-grit my existing wheel. It is nice and round and runs true on my buffer, so it is ready to go when needed.

On an aside, I used to be a slow and low smoker, but changed to "hot and fast" and would not go back as I can now get some sleep and start my briskets in the morning and they are ready for the evening meal. It's a win win for me. :D

Blessings,

Omar
 
if anyone has any questions for me, send me your number in an email and i'll give you a call. i can answer your questions better by talking to you on the phone. (you might even learn a lot more than you can by reading my thread on the wheels)
 
Custom Sponaugle 154CM droppoint hunter Loveless style from a Dutch forum member & professional hunter.
The knife has been in use for some time, and it was kept more or less sharp by the owner with the help of a Spyderco Sharpmaker.
However, due to the original edge angle being somewhat too large (35/40-ish near the heel developing into 35/30-ish towards the point), and also being a bit uneven keeping it in working condition was becoming a nuisance, and the point becoming rounded was not helping either.

A new very slightly convex edge of almost exactly 30 degrees inclusive was made with just a standard Paper Wheel, after which i removed the burr on my Tormek leather wheel (the edge keeps a little more bite that way, which works better for hunting knives imo)
The new edge now transitions smoothly into the ricasso and there's a new point too.

Before sharpening:












After sharpening:








 
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You did that with your paper wheels? I thought they would ruin a knife instead of improving them. (Said with tongue thoroughly imbedded into cheek.) Seriously though, you did a fantastic job on the knife! It only goes to show that with a little practice and attention to detail, you can get excellent results with a system that costs 1/3 of what the other "clamp" on systems will produce. A well sharpened knife is a well sharpened knife no matter what you used to accomplish it with. What matters to me is the actual time spent to achieve the desired results, and the paper wheels have all the others beat hands down. My hat is off to you kwackster for again proving this.

Blessings,

Omar
 
kwackster said:
Custom Sponaugle 154CM droppoint hunter Loveless style from a Dutch forum member & professional hunter.
The knife has been in use for some time, and it was kept more or less sharp by the owner with the help of a Spyderco Sharpmaker.
However, due to the original edge angle being somewhat too large (35/40-ish near the heel developing into 35/30-ish towards the point), and also being a bit uneven keeping it in working condition was becoming a nuisance, and the point becoming rounded was not helping either.

A new very slightly convex edge of almost exactly 30 degrees inclusive was made with just a standard Paper Wheel, after which i removed the burr on my Tormek leather wheel (the edge keeps a little more bite that way, which works better for hunting knives imo)
The new edge now transitions smoothly into the ricasso and there's a new point too.
Click to expand...

It's the tip I'm having trouble with. My tip after sharpening on the wheel looks more like your 'before' photos. How do you keep the angle so even on the point?
 
@Banksy:

1) Lower the "feed" just a fraction when the point comes onto the wheel surface during a pass. (as on many folders & fixed blades you have to remove more metal there in comparison to the rest of the edge)
2) Lift the blade up from the wheel when the point is still on the surface, do not continue your pass (this has a tendency to round the point)
 
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