Paper wheel 101, tips for beginners

[richard j]

NEVER GO EDGE FIRST INTO EITHER WHEEL THE BLADE WILL CATCH AND GO FLYING WHO KNOWS WHERE.

NEVER TRY TO MAKE SOMETHING HOME MADE. WHEELS ARE CHEAP AND STITCHES AND FUNERALS ARE NOT!!!!

here are some helpful tips for beginners using paper wheels. (THEY ARE NOT CARDBOARD) i will add new tips here and answer any questions for members who have the wheels in my other thread. any questions for thoes that dont have a set of wheels but are thinking of getting any, please post questions in this thread. (i am locking this thread to keep all questions in the thread linked here) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=578787

TO PROLONG THE GRIT ON YOUR WHEELS, FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS. some guys said the grit wont last long.
One reason the grit is not lasting may be that they're not using the wax correctly, or not at all. Just enough to have steaks of wax on the wheel. The wax has two purposes: Help control heat & help the grit stay on longer.

use a light that can be put in a position to allow you to see where the blade makes contact with the wheel and allow you to see the burr form. keep your mind on what you are doing.

make sure you wont have any distractions. lock the kids, (wife) and or animals out of the shop if you need to. and just as if you are in a car, dont get behind the wheel when you are drinking and dont think you can do it when you have been.

i started practicing on an old hacksaw blade just sharpening a straight section first. later i went around the end to simulate the belly of a blade.

make sure to have the edge facing the direction of rotation and not against the direction of rotation or you will cut into the wheel. there is a label on each wheel to remind you of this.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THE ANGLE THAT IS PUT ON THE BLADE SO BE CAREFUL HOW YOU HOLD THE KNIFE
first learn what position to hold the blade at for the desired angle and practice drawing the knife along the wheel at this angle. do this with the motor off and use light pressure. some tape on the wheel will protect the blade from scratches.

to find the angle, take a knife with the desired angle and lay it on the wheel flat. then slowly move the spine away from the wheel until you see the very edge make contact with the wheel.

it takes practice so dont expect a pretty edge starting off. if you dont get the hang of it right away just keep practicing and it will come to you eventually.

a knife thats not very dull will not take very long to work up a burr or take much pressure to sharpen. removing the burr is the same way but some steels do require a little more pressure to remove the burr. once you finish with the paper buffing wheel, you are done. there is no need to strop since the paper wheel is a strop.

sometimes if you have been at it for a while and are getting frustrated, just walk away for a while and give it a rest. come back to it later and try again. dont try cheap pakistan steel knives and if you do, dont expect a miracle. i wont even let that steel touch my wheels since its so soft. its not worth the wear on the wheels.

a slightly dull knife can be brought back to razor sharpness with just a few passes on the paper buffing wheel. this only applies if the edge is only slightly dull and no flat spots are on the edge.

when sharpening narrow blades i find it helpful sometimes to widen a blade by attaching some stiff paper with tape. this will help you to keep the blade at the desired angle you want.

I ADDED SOME INFO ON MYTHS ABOUT THE WHEELS AT MY WEBSITE ALONG WITH SAFETY TIPS. http://sites.google.com/site/richardjsknives/using-the-paper-wheels

here is a link to a variable speed buffer at lowes which will work just fine with the wheels.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_78808-46069...ntURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=bench+grinders&facetInfo=

 

[richard j]

i am thinking of putting together a list of PAPER WHEEL users for customers who dont want to ship a knife but want it sharpened. to be on the list you must sharpen with the paper wheels. you can use a belt sander to work up a burr but you must use the "paper" buffing wheel to remove the burr and polish the edge. you must also be 21 years of age to get put on the list and prove you sharpening ability with a video sent to me. i wont post the names but i will tell the person who they can take the items they need sharpened to that is closest to them. this will keep things private and keep the people on the list from getting any spam or junk snail mail.

 

[richard j]

i am thinking of making a small fixture for sharpening broadheads on the paper wheels. is there anyone who has a set be interested in this fixture. it will only be useful when used with the wheels.

 

[richard j]

when sharpening serrations DO NOT GRIND ON THE (FLAT) BACK SIDE OF THE SERRATIONS!!!. they are ground this way for a reason and should never be done this way. you can buff the serrations back to sharp but if they are beyond buffing then you need to get some diamond files and reshape the serrations from the ground side. a burr should form on the back or flat side of the blade. this burr can then be removed with the slotted buffing wheel safely and you will have a properly sharpened serrated blade that will cut like factory or better.

when you grind the back side of a serrated blade, you change the angle from chisel to a v which will over time make the serrated section wider and cutting performance will be diminished not to mention shortening the life of the blade. do this enough times and the serrations will be worthless for cutting. i would not do this to an expensive serrated kitchen knife.