Did I make a mistake?

[Rossy66]

New Tormek user here and I am excited to start using my new equipment. I just received my order of a custom T8 with the DF 250 Diamond wheel and the composite wheel. I was watching some YouTube videos for further education as I am starting a knife sharpening business and want to learn as much as I can to be able to give the best customer service I can (I am an ex-chef and have been using stones to sharpen my knives for over 40 years).

I came across the video that I have posted below, and was wondering if I have made a mistake buying the composite wheel instead of the leather. If anyone could suggest any recommendations on how to get the best honing experience with the composite wheel, I would be most grateful.

https://youtu.be/m_FyLV6zSXw?si=w8Q8xqLya-rsBqqg

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, David. I do not think you made a bad decision with the composite honing wheel.

The original purpose of the composite honing wheel (in combination with the 600 grit diamond wheel) was to provide the T2 with wheels which would require neither water nor honing paste. This was judged more efficient in a commercial kitchen environment.

The composite wheel can be made to work more efficiently by modifying the grinding technique slightly. Make the last few passes with very light pressure. This removes most of the burr before using the honing wheel. Johan demonstrates this in the online class about the T2.

Ken

[Rossy66]

I appreciate the response. It definitely has put me at ease. Now off to learn how to use this beast.

[Ken S]

David,

In learning how to use"the beast", you have two definite advantages. First, you have experience as a working chef. While it is nice BESS testing knowledge and a digital microscope, you have in the trenches experiences using kitchen knives. This will stand by you in both sharpening and talking with customers. Second, your years of sharpening with stones is good related experience. It is not the same as wet sharpening with a Tormek; however, it will assist your learning process. with diligence and patience you will succeed.

Please keep us posted.

Ken

[tgbto]

As a matter of personal preference, i like to sprinkle a few drops of water on the composite wheel before I use it. It gives better control and feedback IMO.

[Rossy66]

David,

In learning how to use"the beast", you have two definite advantages. First, you have experience as a working chef. While it is nice BESS testing knowledge and a digital microscope, you have in the trenches experiences using kitchen knives. This will stand by you in both sharpening and talking with customers. Second, your years of sharpening with stones is good related experience. It is not the same as wet sharpening with a Tormek; however, it will assist your learning process. with diligence and patience you will succeed.

Thanks Ken, yes, even though I did mostly touch ups each day In the kitchen, I always did a thorough evaluation of my knives (mostly Japanese) once every week to make sure they were in good condition. I was always shocked when I would meet a new chef who didn't know how to hone or sharpen, not sure if culinary school puts as much effort into teaching as they did when I went there ( a very long time ago  )

I have bought about 12 "loaner" knives that I got from Costco to practice on (I'm not even thinking of touching my Japanese knives until I am very confident) so I will learn on them. I played a little last night and found it a little difficult keeping the knife flat to the diamond wheel as I pulled it along but I guess that's just muscle memory, the same as I learned with my stones. Off to watch more videos.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Please keep us posted.

Ken

[Royale]

My workflow for majority of customer knives is to reprofile them with the SG-250 graded coarse, then the DF-250, then LA-220.

To date, I've sharpened about... 140 customer knives, and only 6-8 knives did not require reprofiling and repairs.

Where I'm at, almost all customer knives have been "sharpened" with $5 pull through sharpeners, a $2 mystery whetstone, or handed to a "professional" who uses a wonky grindstone on a bench grinder.

Long story short, if you're planning to start your sharpening business, I highly recommend adding a SG-250 to do the majority of heavy lifting, and to speed up your workflow.

Most of my customers are like animals with knives. And they keep surprising me with damage never thought possible.

[RichColvin]

And they keep surprising me with damage never thought possible.

Old sergeants and shop teachers are always the best at summarizing such activities:

What did you shave with, private? A bowl of milk and an angry cat?

• Unknown Sergeant

I will give you an A+ in this class if you SWEAR to me that you will NEVER take this class again.

• Unknown Shop Teacher

[Rossy66]

thanks for the advice Royal, I went with the DF250 as my main wheel as I watched a bunch of videos and this seemed like a great overall wheel to give a great edge all around. Most videos and forums state that the honing side of the process is the key to getting the knife really sharp and so that is where I am more focused on right now. It's a big difference going from 500, 100, 500, and in some cases 12000 grit stones to the Tormek but after practicing on some cheap knives, I am starting to get a sense and feel of the knife on the wheel. The KS-123 is a god send and I am excited to use it on my Japanese knives when I get the skill and confidence to sharpen them.

Thanks to everybody who have contributed to this thread, It's a great community.