Honerite Gold

[Ken S]

I have been interested in Honerite Gold foe some time. It is a solution which is diluted 1:24 with water to prevent rust. I have never had a problem with tools rusting while using the Tormek, so have put thoughts about it on the back burner.

The possibility of using CBN wheels wet with the Tormek adds the possibility of either the steel (or aluminum) wheel or the steel reducing bushing rusting becomes a real possibility.

The US importer for Bora, which distributes Honerite Gold, is Affinity Tool, which also happens to be the US importer for Tormek. I emailed Affinity with a question about filtering and reusing used diluted Honerite. I received a prompt, helpful reply with a logical question: Why would I want to reuse the diluted Honerite when only a capful is needed for the water trough of the Tormek? Good point.

CBN wheels do not absorb water like conventional grindstones. There is no need to add more water once the trough is filled to the desired level. I found I did not need to fill the trough to the full line. In my case, with the smaller trough of the T4, even less solution was needed. $29.50 US for a liter bottle should last a long time. If that small investment prevents a $200 wheel from rusting (which would be higher for the T7/8 and eventually more than one), it is money well spent.

Has anyone used Honerite Gold with his Tormek?

Ken

[Ken S]

" Honerite works very well in preventing rust with all Tormek operations. "

attributed to a Tormek importer

Ken

[Jan]

Ken, after sharpening plane irons of carbon steel the grindstone remains rusty. Do you think the Honerite Gold would prevent this?

Jan

[Ken S]

Good thought, Jan. I plan to purchase a bottle in the near future. For the present, having no experience with it, all I can say is, "it might". (Not the most satisfying answer    )

I will look into it when I get it.

Ken

[RichColvin]

Jan,

I never thought the rusty residue was a problem.  Am I missing something?

One solution by the way :  get an SB wheel (you can't see the rust).

Kind regards,
Rich

[Ken S]

Rich,

The next time we get together I would like you to demonstrate the SB wheel for me. I have owned one for several years, but have been unable to get satisfactory results with it. On second thought, I will bring it with me and we can compare your performing wheel with my non performing wheel. This would solve the riddle, Do I have a bad wheel, or, as I suspect, am I doing something wrong?

Ken

[Jan]

Rich, it's purely aesthetic problem. I guess I'm overly conservative. 

Jan

[Ken S]

Mt testing procedure for Honerite Gold has changed. Originally I wanted to answer two questions:
1) Does using the CBN grinding wheel wet in a Tormek cause the wheel to rust?
2) If so, does adding Honorite Gold to the water prevent rusting?

Dave Schweitzer of D-Way Tools has agreed to loan me a couple CBN wheels for the test. Another CBN vendor devlined my request to participate, stating he felt wet grinding was unnecessary with CBN wheel. Affinity Tool has agreed to provide a bottle of Honerite Gold.

The original test set up was to be side by side testing with water and Honerite water. My first use of the CBN wheel proved this dual test unnecessary. Even with good care and oiling, the CBN wheel showed early mild rust. The vulnerable areas were the reducing bushing and the shallow drilled balancing holes.

Not wishing to destroy any wheels, I will be proceeding only with the Honerite solution. I will begin cautiously and suspend testing at the first appearance of rust. It will either work or it won't work.

Regardless of the outcome with wet grinding, I am very pleased with the performance of the Tormek with the CBN wheel used dry. Heavy grinding is both efficient and controlled.

I will post my results, either way.

Ken

[grepper]

The vulnerable areas were the reducing bushing and the shallow drilled balancing holes.

If you really want to run the thing in water, why not paint the balancing holes?  I little Rust-Oleum should work well.

Stainless bushings are inexpensive and readily available.  I would guess that you could just order one to fit.  Less than $5.00 U.S.

[Ken S]

Good thought about the Rustoleum. (I would expect no less from you...   ) I will look into a stainless reducing bushing.

Ken

[Herman Trivilino]

Which CBN wheel would you recommend for use on my SuperGrind 2000? I sharpen mostly knives, wood chisels, and scissors. No HSS. No turning tools, planar blades, or drill bits.

[Ken S]

Herman, you ask an excellent question.

Having only begun to work with only one CBN wheel I don't feel I can give as complete an answer as you deserve. However, I will share my gut feeling. Unlike the Tormek SG wheels with the stone grader, CBN wheels are single grit. Mine appears to be through most or all of the wear in period. It now cuts well, but not as aggressively as when it first arrived. That's normal, just like the SG is more aggressive when used after truing with the TT-50. I have not used it with a wood chisel yet. The grinding finish it leaves on a turning gouge is comparable to the SG graded coarse. It needs honing and polishing.. I can see why Dave Sweitzer uses the 180 grit for smaller turning tools and the 80 grit for reshaping larger turning tools. Dave uses a 400 grit for knives.

I purchased the CBN wheel because my curiosity had reached the point where I needed more than words. I needed to get away from my computer screen and do some actual field work. Like you, my personal sharpening is mostly non HSS. All of this is getting to my point that I lean toward the standard SG grinding wheel as being the most practical for general use. Things like chisels, scissors and knives are the core competency with the SG. Like the SB Tormek blackstone, the core competency of CBN wheels is HSS and harder alloys. They overlap, but their designed uses are different.

In my opinion, the wheel wear issue is overblown for most users. For a successful sharpening business which needs to replace the grinding wheel every year or two, wheel wear change is certainly a legitimate concern. For most of us, which includes me, the concern is really a mental issue.

My short answer (finally) is that I think the most practical grinding wheel for your use (and mine) is the Tormek SG. The time to get a CBN is when you get a lathe, decide to sharpen planer blades or a lot of drill bits. I actually have seven different grinding wheels for my T7. If I had it to do over again, a CBN wheel, probably the 180 grit, would probably be my second purchase after the SG.

Ken

[SharpenADullWitt]

Grit wise, you might be better to ask your seller what grit would be good for those type of grindings (probably not the only one that has asked them).
However, Ken, I might add, I would be interested in your expanding your thoughts on the CBN wheel type.  I would think the one with the square side would be the preferred one, so you could use the edge of the wheel for chisels and such (flattening the backs).

[Ken S]

Update......
My bottle of Honerite Gold arrived Monday. Kudos to Affinity Tool and Advanced Machinery for lightning service.

Borrowing Grepper's Rustoleum idea, I cleaned the rust and painted the exposed balancing drilled holes. I bought the smallest can of Rustoleum, which should cover hundreds of balancing holes. I painted the holes this evening.

The inner cap portion of the Honerite Gold holds approximately 14ml. The recommended dilution is one part HG to 25 parts water. Therefore a capful should protect 350ml of water. Tomorrow, when the Rustoleum is dry, I will measure how much water I need to barely cover the edge of the CBN wheel. I can guess what fraction of the cup I need or use a graduate. (Having old photo darkroom graduates is useful.)

I want to redo my five minute metal lathe bit test now that the wheel grit has stabilized. I will also sharpen a couple chisels, both wet and dry. I will keep posting.

Ken