I am a periodic woodcarver that has gotten along with a piece of cardboard and white rouge for sharpening small chisels. Today I purchased a pre-owned Tormek Supergrind in so-so condition. The unit appears basically intact. It needs a good cleaning, but aside from that, I think it was a good buy at $200.
My question has to do with the honing wheel: the previous owner presented me with a 85% used tube of honing compound. Looking at the wheel itself, I see where it ended up, and where it stayed. The honing wheel looks to be severely clogged. I cannot believe that it hones well at all, but, being a new to all this, maybe one is supposed to build up a moderate amount of scum, like seasoning a new cast iron frying pan. I think not.
On a buffing wheel, one periodically takes a sharp instrument and eases into the cotton rag material to shave off the ragged and clogged fiber. One then comes back and recharges the buffing wheel with new compound on fresh fiber. Should I take and use a chisel and turn the edge down to the point I see surface, then come back with more compound? The surface looks a little like my grandmother's makeup on a bad day.
It should be black, not white. Under normal use, you should never have to do anything to the honing wheel except use it.
I am about to use a new T7. I have studied many UTube video clips and this excellent forum. A recommendation for preparing the new leather honing wheels (LA-120) is to start with a light mineral oil followed with the Tormek honing compound. I expected that leather would be dressed with an organic-based compound and am surprised, therefore, to see reference to a mineral oil. I can not find a reference to preparing the standard (leather?) honing wheel. I presume I start with the Tormek compound and use only it on the main wheel. The appearance of the new LA-20 wheels are light brown and the new main honing wheel is black. Perhaps the latter has had a pre-treatment. I am guessing about the rational basis for the recommended preparation and maintenance of the honing wheels and would appreciate enlightenment. I do know that the wheels, oils and compounds are a structure and medium to expose the cutting edge to a grinding compound. That said, when I treat and maintain my leather goods I use an organic compound and would not use a mineral oil.
This forum is full of people that have over oiled their honing wheel. Use the suggested oil and only miserly application. It should not be soaked and only a few drops on the entire wheel is sufficient. The drops should not be so large as to merge into each other. They will spread of their own accord to a sufficiently large area without over saturation. Just a little goes all the way. It will be nearly impossible to remove to much oil.
If mineral oil is good enough for a baby's bum, I don't think it is going to hurt your honing wheel. ;D
Jeffs55 is right...a little goes a long way.
The honing wheel will be black just as soon as you start using it. They all start light brown, but get black very fast when you start cutting steel.
Thanks to the two Jeffs for good advice I should be able to avoid spoiling the honing leather. A few miserly drops of light mineral oil to new leather only and then the Tormek compound seems to be the way to go.