Leather wheel problem - Peeling

[ega]

It sounds as though one tube of compound should last a long time. I should be interested to know, however, whether anyone has tried an alternative to the Tormek brand. Is it their own "secret formula" or just a standard product re-branded for convenience?

[cbwx34]

It sounds as though one tube of compound should last a long time. I should be interested to know, however, whether anyone has tried an alternative to the Tormek brand. Is it their own "secret formula" or just a standard product re-branded for convenience?

I think the fact that some people who don't even use a Tormek but buy the Tormek honing compound... might be a clue.

But can't really answer your question.  The only similar compounds I can think of are some of the auto chrome/aluminum polish compounds.  For a while some swore by "Meguiars Hot Rims & Aluminum Polish" (but I'm not sure if it was for the polish or the cinnamon scent).   There's another chrome polish whose name escapes me that acted similar (broke down as you used it), but never made a comparison.

Obviously there's other honing compounds but the differences are more than just the abrasive... for example wax compounds can be applied, but the wax builds up and need to be cleaned off more often.  I mentioned in another thread... some compounds that work well on one medium (paper wheels for example), may not work as well on the Tormek due to the speed difference.  And of course, if you change the grinding wheel, a different compound may work better. 

So the Tormek compound formula matches the purpose well... but not sure if it's "rebranded" from something else.

[brettgrant99]

I recall way back when, Jeff was advocating Dursol.  I see that it is still on Advanced Machinery's website  I've never used the stuff, though.

Brett

[cbwx34]

I recall way back when, Jeff was advocating Dursol.  I see that it is still on Advanced Machinery's website  I've never used the stuff, though.

Brett

Your post jarred some memories loose.  After you posted Dursol... I remember I had a tube of something I tried years ago... so I went and dug around.  Wenol is what I tried, and from what I remember, it was similar to the Tormek compound.  Even smells the same.  (No idea on how they compare $$$wise).  Couple of other random thoughts...

The MSDS on Tormek's compound... PA-70 MSDS... for an idea of what is in it.  If you look at some auto polish MSDS... they're similar.

An earlier forum thread... Honing Compound PA-70 - Alternatives?... that also mentioned Dursol.

So something tells me they're similar anyway....

Good question!

[ega]

cbwx34 and brettgrant99:

Thanks for the insightful replies. The MSDS route seems likely to provide the best answer; that said, I just took a sniff of the Tormek and followed up with AUTOSOL (Dursol) metal polish which smells similar to me. I notice that there is a Sweden-only health warning on the Tormek tube so I shan't be making a practice of "inandning" it!

I suppose the practical point is that using a different compound might help to achieve a desired result - but would you need to have a separate honing wheel for each compound?

[wootz]

We have an Australian woodworker whose job is in a microscope lab, and he checked the Autosol metal polish.
Autosol abrasive particles are 6 to 3 micron in size, while Tormek honing paste 3 to 1 micron.
That woodworker uses Autosol for honing after a coarser wheel, in his case a #280 CBN wheel; while Tormek honing paste should be used after #800-1000.

Dursol is one of Autosol products, but honestly have no idea if they are the same.

[cbwx34]

...
I suppose the practical point is that using a different compound might help to achieve a desired result - but would you need to have a separate honing wheel for each compound?

Pretty much yes... since one compound will affect the results even if another compound is added.  You can add a "more coarse" compound to a wheel that had a finer compound on it to see the results, but not the other way around.

Of course, you could attempt to clean the wheel between compounds... but not really practical, unless you're going to leave it that way for a long period of time.

We have an Australian woodworker whose job is in a microscope lab, and he checked the Autosol metal polish.
Autosol abrasive particles are 6 to 3 micron in size, while Tormek honing paste 3 to 1 micron.
That woodworker uses Autosol for honing after a coarser wheel, in his case a #280 CBN wheel; while Tormek honing paste should be used after #800-1000.

Dursol is one of Autosol products, but honestly have no idea if they are the same.

From my understanding, a lot of these "polish compounds" are designed to quickly break down in use (that's what gives the polish)... so I'm not sure it can be this easy of a comparison... unless you're constantly "recharging" the wheel to obtain the results of the more coarse compounds

[Sharpco]

Page 44 of the Handbook says: "One application lasts for 5-10 tools."
This seems to be the cause of the problem. I think it is too much to apply a compound every 10 honing.

I check the sharpness of the edge after each honing and decide whether to re-apply the compound.

[cbwx34]

Page 44 of the Handbook says: "One application lasts for 5-10 tools."
This seems to be the cause of the problem. I think it is too much to apply a compound every 10 honing.

I check the sharpness of the edge after each honing and decide whether to re-apply the compound.

Totally agree.  My main point was,,, not before every tool. Also, a little goes a long way.