2000 squaring help needed

[andyb]

Thank you sir.  I will report back.  It is black through and through.  It sanded smooth the other night but that was when I thought it might be rubber. I used some acetone on a cloth to wipe it down. Silly me.  Now that I think on it it is not rubber.  I just hadn't seen leather that looked like that.  It is glued down and not stretchy. But when you peek under it it is black and saturated all the way through so the black ain't comin' off.

Maybe I could peel it off and stitch together and glue on a new leather strip?  I know, I'm being frugal.  (cheap)

However, I am now able to grind square.  It just isn't square when flush against the side of the jig but a little sharpie and finesse and all is good.  I may not get a mirror finish without the leather wheel but the honing card gets stuff plenty sharp after the grind.

[cbwx34]

Thank you sir.  I will report back.  It is black through and through.  It sanded smooth the other night but that was when I thought it might be rubber. I used some acetone on a cloth to wipe it down. Silly me.  Now that I think on it it is not rubber.  I just hadn't seen leather that looked like that.  It is glued down and not stretchy. But when you peek under it it is black and saturated all the way through so the black ain't comin' off.

Maybe I could peel it off and stitch together and glue on a new leather strip?  I know, I'm being frugal.  (cheap)

However, I am now able to grind square.  It just isn't square when flush against the side of the jig but a little sharpie and finesse and all is good.  I may not get a mirror finish without the leather wheel but the honing card gets stuff plenty sharp after the grind.

You won't get all the black off... it just cleans it up a bit.  (The older leather wheels might have been black to begin with...).

The leather wheel is more durable than you might think.  I'd try my previous post before trying to replace it (can't get more frugal than that).

[andyb]

No question.  Gonna sand and clean it before i do anything.

[RichColvin]

CB is right.  Mine is black and 15 yrs old.  The older leather wheels last a really long time. 

Kind regards,
Rich

[Ken S]

Andy,

A pristine leather wheel on a you tube is a dead give away that the "expert" removed the Tormek from the box and has to move on to reviewing the next three tools. The black on the leather comes from steel being removed from the edge. It is a badge of honor; wear it proudly.

You are in the not bad position of having nothing to lose by trying to revive your leather honing wheel. Odds are good that, with some patience, you can revive it, saving some money and gaining some knowledge and the satusfaction of a restoration well done. If it doesn't work, you buy a replacement and march on.

Go for it! Keep us posted.

Ken

[andyb]

Well, don't I feel stupid.  That is black leather.  Sand paper didn't really do the trick but the Tormek grading stone did an excellent job.  Once I got all of that old oil and gunk off of it it was no longer mushy and smoothed out just fine.  Then a little oil and honing paste and it was good to go!  Not quite a mirror finish but it's square, smooth and very sharp. Can't remember which grit I left it at so I'm thinking I should go back and use the grading stone on the fine side and hone it again.  Can't thank you guys enough.

[Ken S]

Well done, Andy!

Enjoy the good feeling of having restored a good tool yourself; you have earned it.

Keep us posted.

Ken

[andyb]

Thanks.  Don't know if that really counts as "restoring" but it works!

[Ken S]

Who'se counting? You have a working tool component which was not working when you started.

When I was restoring my grandfather's wood lathe, the pin which controlled the indexer was stuck. The second round of light hammer taps loosened it, followed by some lubrication. Not a major accomplishment, however, I felt better. Enjoy the successes, large and small.

Ken

[RickKrung]

Who'se counting? You have a working tool component which was not working when you started.

When I was restoring my grandfather's wood lathe, the pin which controlled the indexer was stuck. The second round of light hammer taps loosened it, followed by some lubrication. Not a major accomplishment, however, I felt better. Enjoy the successes, large and small.

Ken

I agree.  Restoring has multiple levels.  Restoring a tool or item to functionality being one. 

As for Ken's freeing a stuck pin, and similar stuck items, whether rusty or not, a product I have found to be extremely useful is:

Kroil Penetrating Oil (or Liquid)

http://www.kanolabs.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Kano-Kroil-Penetrating-liquid-KROIL/dp/B000F09CF4
(I was unable to find it searching common hardware and big box stores, so provided the link to Amazon)


Often used alone it has made freeing stuck parts quite easy, reducing the amount and type of "force" required.  Sometimes making it possible to get things free even using extreme force when that same force wouldn't do it alone. 

Another, relatively well known, trick is to use heat.  Differential heating works best, applied exclusively or more on the part that is "holding" the other (smaller).  If using a penetrating liquid and using an open flame as the heat source, be very careful not to ignite the liquid, or to not burn it up to dryness.  Successive heating/cooling cycles may sometimes help. 

Rick

[Ken S]

Rick,

Thanks for the tips. I will try Kroiloil. I have never been impressed with garden variety penetrating oil.

I have a heat gun which has saved my bacon (English idiom for solved the problem) on two occasions. (No doubt it would have helped on more occasions if I had thought of using it.)

Ken