why are you people not using paper wheels?

English is not my native language.

Can someone explain "kiwi injection", and "lazy Susan"?

I live far from US, have no resource to get wheels, space to install. I get by using combination of 3-15$ stones, sandpaper and home made strop.
 
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Not to waste the double post .. here's the result of using limited tools above:
6817943215_754ff9a329_b.jpg
 
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Kiwi injection - kick in the butt (kiwi is a popular brand of shoe polish)
lazy susan - a circular tray on bearings that spins around.
 
because I like freehanding. It's very zen and relaxing for me. All I need is a cold beer, some good music, a smoke, a dull blade, and my DMT bench stones, and I'm just a happy bear in his cave.

also, because knowing how to use paper wheels is worth jack in the woods... or anywhere else where your paperwheel and power source is not. Knowing how to put an edge on by hand is worth gold in the woods. Just sayin.
 
I use em and love em... but there's no comparing a paper wheel edge to an edge finished on a diamond stone (especially on the WEPS). The edges off of my WE are not only toothy and will bite into whatever I cut, but they will shave hair like butter. There really is no comparison for an edge that you will be EDC-ing. I will say that I love the paper wheels, especially for kitchen knives and serrated knives - they excel in these two instances and are very quick.
 
sodak said:
Kiwi injection - kick in the butt (kiwi is a popular brand of shoe polish)
lazy susan - a circular tray on bearings that spins around.
Click to expand...

Thank you Sir ! .. was thinking about kiwi = the fruit :) .. if it's shoe polish that I also know well .. easier to interpret :p
 
I had a set nothing wrong with them just not for me didnt have the right grinder setup and like some guys said here i live in a small apartment . I also enjoy sharpening my knives by hand if i was sharpening a lot of blades and got a slower speed grinder i wouldnt hesitate to get another set plus you can get all the help you could ever ask for from one of the really great guys here Richard J .
 
Chris "Anagarika";10671001 said:
Not to waste the double post .. here's the result of using limited tools above:
6817943215_754ff9a329_b.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice edges, you obviously know what you are doing!
 
Thank you.

It is a long way to what the masters here can do and only serves to demonstrate what is achievable with minimum tools.

OP is correct that manual free hand takes longer (don't ask me how long :eek: ), but I enjoy the process ;).
 
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Nothing 'wrong' with paper wheels. They just aren't the 'end-all, be-all' of knife sharpening. They have a place in the selection of tools to be used, and it's a matter of choosing the right tool at the right time for the right reason. For the hobbyist, speed shouldn't be the reason.

If I had a shop set up, and was sharpening several knives every day trying to make money at it, I'd put in paper wheels or a belt system. It's the only way to run a profitable sharpening business. They are good for production work.

But as a hobbyist, although I 'have' dozens of knives I don't need to sharpen them all every week. I have a couple of 'user' knives that I need to maintain; an EDC or two, and several kitchen knives.

So lets say I have 7 knives that get used. With daily 'steeling' and a weekly brush along the Sharpmaker's 'fine' stones, my 5 kitchen knives only get taken to the EdgePro and actually sharpened no more than 2-3 times a year. And 5 knives that don't need re-profiling, on the EdgePro take less than 45 minutes. My two EDCs... EdgePro 3-4 times a year... 10 minutes each... The key to good edges is to maintain them 'between' sharpenings. Do that, and your need to re-sharpen drops considerably.

But do take a look at the average butcher's knife that he sends out for commercial re-sharpening every week... Look at the shape of the blade. Half of it has been ground away by weekly sharpening on a commercial system. I don't want that for my knives. It happens slowly so you almost don't notice it until a quarter of the blade is gone, and by then, it's too late!

Time.... We aren't talking about wasting my life away sharpening my knives. Speed isn't important. Beautiful edges are, and if I can keep them going spending less than a couple of hours A YEAR, I don't feel any need to sacrifice edge for speed. Speed has its place in the commercial shop. Just not in my home hobby shop.


Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
Nothing 'wrong' with paper wheels. They just aren't the 'end-all, be-all' of knife sharpening. They have a place in the selection of tools to be used, and it's a matter of choosing the right tool at the right time for the right reason. For the hobbyist, speed shouldn't be the reason.

If I had a shop set up, and was sharpening several knives every day trying to make money at it, I'd put in paper wheels or a belt system. It's the only way to run a profitable sharpening business. They are good for production work.

But as a hobbyist, although I 'have' dozens of knives I don't need to sharpen them all every week. I have a couple of 'user' knives that I need to maintain; an EDC or two, and several kitchen knives.

So lets say I have 7 knives that get used. With daily 'steeling' and a weekly brush along the Sharpmaker's 'fine' stones, my 5 kitchen knives only get taken to the EdgePro and actually sharpened no more than 2-3 times a year. And 5 knives that don't need re-profiling, on the EdgePro take less than 45 minutes. My two EDCs... EdgePro 3-4 times a year... 10 minutes each... The key to good edges is to maintain them 'between' sharpenings. Do that, and your need to re-sharpen drops considerably.

But do take a look at the average butcher's knife that he sends out for commercial re-sharpening every week... Look at the shape of the blade. Half of it has been ground away by weekly sharpening on a commercial system. I don't want that for my knives. It happens slowly so you almost don't notice it until a quarter of the blade is gone, and by then, it's too late!

Time.... We aren't talking about wasting my life away sharpening my knives. Speed isn't important. Beautiful edges are, and if I can keep them going spending less than a couple of hours A YEAR, I don't feel any need to sacrifice edge for speed. Speed has its place in the commercial shop. Just not in my home hobby shop.


Stitchawl
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Nothing can be added to that, you sir truly described the perfect way to maintain your blades, and obviously you have enough experience, skill, and knowledge to maintain your knives without drastically changing the blade shape. Fantastic statement
 
Why do people take the scenic route?

The sharpmaker is excellent, made me feel like a PRO. I do think that the diamond and UF stones are a must tho, they should really be included in the kit.

"dont think of it as you have to sharpen your knives, but you get to sharpen your knives" - Sal Glesser.
 
videl said:
Why do people take the scenic route?

The sharpmaker is excellent, made me feel like a PRO. I do think that the diamond and UF stones are a must tho, they should really be included in the kit.

"dont think of it as you have to sharpen your knives, but you get to sharpen your knives" - Sal Glesser.
Click to expand...

I guess I do not understand the meaning of your post.

The scenic route?

Powered methods like the subject paper wheels are going to be faster (in the correct hands) for repairing moderately, to badly damaged edges than the Sharp Maker (even with the diamond rods). I would suggest that the scenic route is generally more time consuming but hopefully visually appealing...thus I do not understand your comment.

I would suggest that freehand stones/hones are even faster than the Sharp Maker (I know this from a great deal of personal experience). Perhaps you were referring to the Sharp Maker as a slower but more enjoyable method?

Regardless, I stand by my (much) previous statements that attempted to convey that there are many ways to "get there from here" and the best route should be left to the traveler.

"all good, just different" - Sal Glesser. ;)

No offense, I just did not understand...it probably has everything to do with my coffee intake thus far today.
 
I use a work sharp knife & tool sharpener. I've convexed all my knives to a mirror's edge with it. Takes a little practice at first but totally worth it.
 
I have a belt sander and paper wheels. I use them to get the edge I want when I first buy a knife. However, after that point, the Sharpmaker takes over. Takes less time to pull the Sharpmaker out of my kitchen drawer and touch up the edge than it does to walk down the hall to the garage and turn on the machinery.

I can get a marginally sharper blade on the power tools, but not enough difference to make it worth the effort for me. Law of decreasing returns and all that...
 
unit said:
I guess I do not understand the meaning of your post.
Click to expand...

The feeling is mutual. Yes the senic route is generally the slower but more enjoyable way to get somewhere, and it was a metaphor so maybe put down the coffee cup and dont take everything so literally. If your still confused, the point I was trying to convey is that ill sharpen my own knives however I want ;)
 
videl said:
The feeling is mutual. Yes the senic route is generally the slower but more enjoyable way to get somewhere, and it was a metaphor so maybe put down the coffee cup and dont take everything so literally. If your still confused, the point I was trying to convey is that ill sharpen my own knives however I want ;)
Click to expand...

Great, that was the point I was making also.

Now that I re-read your post, I understand that you were repeating a question and not asking the question:

Why do people take the scenic route?
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I see now. Like I said, no offense. I am not (and was not) trying to argue...just trying to understand;)
 
Haha yes sorry that was a rhetorical question, things like that and sarcasm often lost over the internet.

No offence taken, I have thicker skin than that :)
 
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