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Hello all.  I sharpened my first knife a week or two ago, and had some questions which you nice people answered promptly and intelligently. 

I scour this board habitually, and clicked a link to watch a You Tube video with the gentlemen from Sweden and Germany (I think Germany).  It was a knife-sharpening video that contained two verbal comments by the presenter that are not in the literature as far as I recall. 

It was the dark-haired gentleman who is responsible for Europe (I'm confident you know of whom I speak); who made a comment about holding the knife on the stone.  He said, "as long as the water is even climbing up the blade, that means you're holding it squarely on the stone," was one comment (and I paraphrase).  Another was regarding removing the USB so the handle of longer-blade knives don't touch the grinding wheel while honing (an issue I experienced my first time) and honing free-handed which he stated was, "easy to do once a feel is developed."  As they say--there's no substitute for experience, and I did my best to hold the knife tangentially to the leather wheel at the correct fixed angle.  I also held the blade askew to the leather wheel to avoid the grindstone and maintain clearance.  Voila.  As if like magic, for the first time I experienced what he said: "when held and honed correctly, you'll feel the friction disappear.  Just constantly check to see that the two sides have a congruent bevel, and you'll have a sharp knife. The knife on the leather felt like a wheel on a smooth road.  No vibration, no friction.  It meant the burr was gone.  I alternated sides until I felt the complete absence of a burr.   

I never tried it on paper, but it sticks like glue at a 45° angle to my thumbnail, and when I run a fingernail perpendicular to the blade, it's as if it's glass riding on polished steel with a bead of oil between the two. 

Oh my.  This is far and away, the sharpest knife I have ever had the pleasure to hold. 

As I told my wife after the first experience, "This was the first, it's only going to get better."  This second attempt yielded a blade FAR sharper than the first try. 

I can't wait for the next knife.  I know I'm preaching to the choir, but this machine is a Godsend. 

That's a great point, RichColvin.  I'm in the US.  I know the National Electrical Code (applicable to North America but used elsewhere voluntarily or by preference) states when an overload device causes a motor to stop, it is generally restarted manually, but is permitted by exception(s) to restart automatically.  (see Art. 430). 

By design, if a Tormek's thermal overloads caused it to shut down, the power button would have to be pressed to restart it.   

It might sound trivial, but a button that does double-duty is less safe.  With some "fixed" rotating machinery it is somewhat customary to have two independent buttons.  The buttons are electrically mechanically interlocked, so the operation of one button is not only single action, but also negates the action of the other.  Much like a drill press the user has some peace of mind with that intuitive contingency should the unexpected occur, and a second to think is a luxury.  Add edged tools to the mix, and the safety it adds is more significant. 

Thank you, cbwx34.  I am referring to the picture in the introductory portion of the manual.  I think it might be first picture in the book.  I don't have the manual at the moment, but it's the pic. where alpha and beta are defined.  I was focusing on the wrong image.  Your picture directly answers my question.  Thank you. 

I appreciate your point that by design, the entire blade is sometimes beveled tapered for strength, notwithstanding the bevels ground at the edge to make it cut.  That would certainly change the bevel angle one is shooting for.  I'm quite new.  I'll look into the calculators.   

With every post I learn quite a bit.  There are many very sharp folks who contribute!

I received my SVM-45 knife jig a couple of days ago.  I can't seem to wrap my head around what seems to be a pretty direct concept. 

If I have a knife and I desire two, symmetrical bevel angles of 20° for a total included angle of 40°, I place my Angle Master on the BLADE (because the bevel is too small to get a good visual).  To what desired angle do I set the Angle Master?

I know on a single-bevel tool such as a chisel, the edge angle and bevel angle are the same.  I also know on a knife with two, symmetrical bevels, that the edge angle is the sum of the bevel angles.  What throws me off, is the depiction in the Tormek user's guide that shows the "edge angle" is an imaginary line continued from the bevel, but the WM-200 can not rest on this imaginary line, but must rest on the blade.  I know, I overthink things.     

I suspect that I simply set my WM-200 to 20° and let the mechanism sit on the circumference of the wheel and the blade itself, then flip the knife and do the same.  Then when it comes time for the stropping wheel, I keep the 20° dial in place, but change from 250mm to 220mm.  Is this correct?

Thank you, all!

I pray I'm the only silly man who struggles with this problem.   

Again, thank you, Ken.  I just re-read my last post, and it's rife with lack of clarity.  I mean in no way to defend myself here, I'm only trying to clarify and reinforce the purpose of my OP. 

My main points were:

a.  I didn't know what type of oil Tormek supplied in that tube.  This you answered.  Thank you. 
b.  I was not suggesting I would be putting beeswax on the leather, I was saying I have mineral oil on hand (and lots of it) because I mix it with beeswax to condition my cutting boards.
c.  After observing that the leather looked quite dry the morning after application, I realized moving forward would involve continued application of oil to keep the leather supple.  Now that I know it is mineral oil, I'm happy that this is what I already have.  I am not a reinvent the wheel type of guy.  If Tormek supplies the machine with mineral oil, far be it from me to suggest I know better than them.
d.  I completely agree about the food-safe statement you made.  I go from strop to wash religiously.  Not being one to eat metal, I think it's better this way. 

Lastly, the purpose of this thread was to poke the community and see if anyone had any opinions on oiling then immediately applying the compound, or oiling, waiting and THEN applying the compound. 

Thanks, Ken.  I honestly don't know if the supplied Tormek oil is mineral oil or light machine oil, in the US there does not seem to exist a written distinction between the two. 

My takeaway is that for purposes regarding the Tormek, the oil makes the leather supple, which allows better absorption of the honing paste.  When I run out of the last third of the supplied oil, I'll use the mineral oil I mix with beeswax to treat my cutting boards.  I have several bottles of the stuff. 

My uneducated guess, is that (if it made any difference at all), it's probably more beneficial to add the paste soon after oil application rather than days after.  In my case, I'm not going to use the machine until I've read the handbook a couple of times.  I've read it once, and it's quite nuanced.  Alpha and beta, edge angle and blade angle are not terms I was familiar with before.   Perhaps not rocket science, but when I use this machine the first time, I will be using it right and would like to only move forward. 

My plan was to treat the leather, prepare the strop, so when I am ready to use the machine it's ready for me. 

People on this site seem very helpful, knowledgeable and humble.  My kinda folks! 

Hello all. 

I've just dispensed approximately 2/3 of the oil included to my leather wheel and it looks very evenly distributed. 

I have a choice to add the paste now and begin working it in, or to let the oil impregnate for a day or two first.  Is anyone aware of a preferred method?  I won't hazard a guess as to whether it makes a difference.  I don't know either way.  The oil will either aid in the absorption of the paste, or will have no bearing. 

It's not in the literature, the included DVD, and I've searched for an answer on the site. 

I know what to do once I put it on (work it in with a tool) but does it avail one to allow the leather to become supple and moisturized before adding the honing compound?

Thanks, all. 

Thank you, Ken.  I have.  I received my unit a few days early, and have been taking it slowly.  I want to everything right the first time rather than learn from my mistakes.  The handbook, the Tormek DVD, and You Tube and this forum seems to have everything I need. 

I've got a question that I'm going to create a thread for rather than hijack this one.   

Larry. 

Yes.  I just purchased a "Holiday Bundle," which included the rotating base for no extra charge, but it was $20 less before Christmas, so I guess "free" isn't the right word.  I figured if nothing else, it would be less lifting (not having to turn it around 180°) when it comes time to strop. 

Thanks for the heads-up.  That's a ca. $65 base depending upon whom you purchase from. 

Should have mine by the 11th of January, '22.  I'm excited and reading all I can before I receive it.