Messages

Baz and TGBTO,

Sometimes a good video will activate my "little gray cells". Your going an extra mile refining the convex grind makes me see the possibility of more refined convexing. I am not convinced about the practicality of rapid fire farmers market convex grinding. However, well controlled careful convexing might have a lot of potential, either for the sharpener/owner or a discriminating customer with a fine hunting knife.

I believe the keys to this control are allowing more grinding time with lighter pressure  and a finer stone AND consistent rhythm with the back and forth movement. "Fast or slow" is generally not consistent enough.

The great photographer, Ansel Adams, was also an accomplished pianist. He developed his large negatives in complete darkness. He kept a metronome in his darkroom to keep track of the developing time and insure consistent agitation. After some trial and error, the ticking of a metronome should insure consistency in the motion time. Adjusting the beats per minute would fine tune the consistency of the motion. Both mechanical and digital metronomes are very reasonably priced. Some of the digital metronomes are even USB rechargeable.


Ken

PS my next little gray cells thought is using the round collar lock of the SE-76/77 as an adjustable second stop with the SVM-45. That is in very early stages.

I agree, this is only an initial experiment. There must be a better way to do this although I was impressed that it worked at all. On my channel I've been dared to try to polish that knife with the SJ. It's a good idea for content if not for anything else.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with to refine this technique

Don't worry, this isn't Facebook. I can tell it's convex because of it's shape. It might not come through on the video but it's definitely rounded.

I just wanted to give it a try as Tormek suggested. The results are actually pretty horrible and I'd never do this for a customer but at least it proves it can be done (sort of) on a Tormek.

I found the exercise interesting and there wasn't any detailed videos on how to use the (horrible) new knife jig to grind a convex edge so I thought I'd try it. Mostly to shut up the smart mouthed Facebook trolls. Thought maybe someone in here might get a kick out of it.

The fast moves are essential or it looks like a dog's breakfast with a million obvious facets. It was more of an experiment and exercise than a serious attempt at proper, decent knife sharpening. Barely more than a bit if fun really. A break from my normally serious videos.

[Convex Grinding On A Tormek T8: Is It Really Possible?]

Had a go at convex grinding on the T8. Obviously I'm not an expert at it but a Facebook troll said it was impossible so I had to try - right?

It came out "ish" and with practice and refinement it'd be nicer. I'd love to try it on the Jap wheel. Imagine a perfect mirror convex grind. That'd squash the trolls and would look marty purdy.

I had a search around and couldn't find much in the topic apart from the French version that Tormek officially did. As atrocious as YouTube's translater is, just watching him do it was all I needed to give it a go. My biggest tip is "fast is better than slow". I made a short of me giggling when I floored it.

If I had to give myself a score out of 10, Id score myself a solid "at least he tried" 

Enjoy...

Convex Grinding On A Tormek T8: Is It Really Possible?

Do you print your own wheels?

There are a couple of printers in the family, my son and son-in-law. The first couple the pins broke off since they were fragile. I drilled them out and used short screws in their place. The next time I'll get them to use 100% infill around the pins to see how that goes.

I have been given a print file and was looking around for someone with a decent 3D printer. I'd love to get one printed and attempt a kangaroo tail wrap. I don't mind coming down to Willunga for a visit. Send me a text (my number is displayed all over my channel and easily found on google under Findon Knife Sharpening) and we'll tee up a time.

Baz,

I have a young friend who is presently studying to be a welder. I was particularly impressed by your comment that your very smooth sharpening technique came from having previously been a welder. (I noticed the same smooth control with Wootz.)
Your comment struck a chord with me; I think about it whenever I sharpen knives now.

Ken

Haha, that's so cool! Yeah, the stance, the movement, the "the body moves to where the eye is focused"...it all reminds of welding. The reason I mentioned it is that I see lots of YouTube users struggling with smooth movement that I was taking for granted so I thought about it and came to the welding conclusion.

As for wrapping kangaroo tails around wheels I made a prototype. I wrapped one around an old CBN wheel that had failed.

I got a couple of 3D printed honing wheels and used veg tanned (from DS Horne) (I keep a coupe of half hides of various thicknesses for leather projects) I think 1.5 - 2 mm, and some contact. I used a quality contact that I used for leatherwork and that works a treat. I skived the ends of the strip with a taper of about 10mm and made sure the overlap was front to back so that it would not tent to lift with the rotation. Any slight hump left I cleaned up; with the skiving knife and a sanding drum on the Dremel.

With the 3D print use 100% infill around the pins otherwise they will break off.

I have been using the first one now for months with no issues and the second is the spare.

I'd be very interested in making some of these wheels John. I want to wrap one of my kangaroo tails around it to make a rotating tail strop. If successful I'd like to start producing them for sale. I've had tremendous success following Dr Vadim's advice on using the kangaroo tail to remove the burr root and refining the edge after the standard Tormek honing wheel. I think a rotating version would be a winner. I don't have the skiving skills or tools of which you speak but would be interested in learning or contracting that part out.

Do you print your own wheels? I'd love to buy one or get one (or a few) made. If you shop at D.S. Horne I'm guessing you're in Adelaide. You're welcome to drop into the workshop or I could pop in to visit or buy one off you.

I agree, nice channel. I learnt a few things. Keep up the good work @iSharpen ! 👍

Thanks Brocko! I take requests.

Yes Baz's videos are amazing. I have subscribed. Love them straight to the point concise, clear and very informative. I would strongly recommend as well.

Phil.

Thanks Phil!

I only vaguely remember the start of this topic. However, I have been watching several of Baz's videos and am impressed by them.

Years ago, I thought of an imaginery around the world study tour I wanted to make. The tour would include spending time with my friend and mentor, Steve Bottorff, and with the late Terry Beach, in the US. Heading to Europe, I would like to see Glenn Lucas in Ireland and Rob and Robin Bailey in the UK. Then across the channel to meet Dutchman, the father of precision knife setting, and the late Jan, possibly our most intelligent, educated member. Then off to Sydney, Australia to enjoy meeting the late Wootz, Dr Vadim of Knife Grinders. Sadly Wootz is now deceased. However, I would still include Australia to meet Baz of Findon near Adelaide.

One of the common threads with all of these experienced Tormek users is that while being Tormek users, they all incorporated their own ideas into their technique.

I like Baz's videos and ideas. I especially like his style, lean on slick video tricks and music and full of solid technique.

Ken

Ken, first of all, I have a guest room. Just saying. Glad to have you as a viewer. Any requests?

Curious why the videos linked above have all turned out to be "No Longer Available".  Just me/my computer?  (We'll see if that happens to the links below.) 

No matter, I have found the YT website for this fellow and have bookmarked it.  "iSharpen" is his user name here and his YT name, for "Findon Knife Sharpening".  Haven't watched any yet, but it should be interesting, given the discuss that precedes. 

Link to the "Home" web site here, but I prefer going directly to the Videos page as my starting point. 

I have one of Vadim's kangaroo tail strops, so I wonder how/why/when they became unavailable for export.

Thanks Rick. My old channel was cancelled by the lefties at YouTube because I kept making jokes about the woke mind virus...while holding knives. Accidental but big no no. I lost all the videos with no appeal possible. I went offline for a while but then restarted my current channel https://www.youtube.com/@iSharpen along the same lines. I think this channel is better anyway and I've recently surpassed my subscriber count and have become monetised and about to receive my first payment which of course be immediately spent on BESS clips...haha. No but seriously, it will.

Good idea to link to my videos page instead of the home page on YouTube. I'll change my link on my GMB (Google My Business) page.

As for how Dr Vadim was able to sell them, he had an export permit. The fine for selling kangaroo hides (or products) without an export permit is $210,000. I'm really working very hard to get one but the government has a lot of demands which I'm trying to meet. The wheels are in motion. I have 120 tails for sale and can sell to any Australian address but not international at the moment. I hope that'll change soon.

I certainly watched the first one also maybe even the second. Very informative I love his style of simplicity and more, so damn his patience.

Also, the kangaroo tail strops. Oh my God. But damn unfortunately, with all the regulations concerning those tails, they can only be shipped within Australia. Because I'd certainly buy a couple of the doctors recommended size in length which may have been 24 or 26 inches by about 6 inches wide.

Anyway, somehow, I've gotta find a way to get them to Canada.
With all those damn regulations.

Talking about this, I wonder why, even if it was locally made and sold in Australia, why haven't they ever made kangaroo tail adhered to a Tormek styled wheel?
And not necessarily a Tormek style But for any grinder type.

I get it may be more expensive I gather, but how I'm sure there's enough of us crazies that would really consider it.

Anyway, thank you Ken.

Thanks Ken, I appreciate the kind words. I haven't given up on the export permit for the kangaroo tails. The wheels are in motion and if granted I will be doing everything in my power to get one to everyone who wants one. Export permits for kangaroo hide products are very difficult to get. Basically they want receipts for every single tail from the killer to the processor and tanner. Some of my tails are really old but I've got a few ideas in motion that might push me through. I'll be making announcements if they're granted.

As for wrapping kangaroo tails around wheels I made a prototype. I wrapped one around an old CBN wheel that had failed. There's a few short videos and a few of me using it for various purposes and I'm thinking of making one around a smaller honing wheel. Also I think they could be wrapped around a wooden wheel. But the circumference has to be kept small as only the largest tails will make it all the way around a large wheel. I was thinking of using an old worn out 180mm diam SG wheel which I'm currently using as a counter balance for my spare machine (flex...lol).   

As for pricing I really want to stay around the price of what Dr Vadim was selling them for. Compliance is crazy though. For example, to export into the U.S. I need a physical wet stamp from Border Force (Australian customs) for each and every strop or tail which means I have to go to the airport every time and deal with customs officers for every shipment. It's something I'm willing to do though and I don't live very far from the airport fortunately and the Sharpery keeps me working from home so I have the time. It won't be long and I'm not giving up. 

Here's how I do it and my thoughts.

First, the knife must be high quality. No point trying to achieve a 100 BESS with a Wiltshire knife. You'll need VG-10 or better. Global knives will get you there. My best BESS was a 52 on this brand new IKEA (of all things) VG-10 knife. I did have a video on the event before my original channel was taken down.

I can achieve a near 100 (or better) BESS on the standard SG wheel but I grade it using diamond plates. It's important to start rough to achieve a fresh apex so I start by dressing the SG with an 80 grit diamond plate. Then once I achieve a strong and definite burr I re-dress the wheel with a 32 grit diamond plate making sure to settle all the grain. I check with my thumb to make sure I don't feel any raised grains. Then I grind away as usual making sure I do my best work. A super acute angle isn't necessary. I achieved the 52 at 15 degrees per side as set with a (probably worn out) WM-200 so it was probably even a bit higher. I'm guessing 32 degrees total. I grind until I'm happy the entire bevel has been smoothes so probably at least 4-10 passes per side. No less than 4.

I don't use the Tormek paste though (and haven't for years). I do all my honing with green Chrome Oxide these days. I was frustrated for a long time until I realised I was pressing too hard and honing too much. I use a light touch at an increased angle than the bevel. I do all honing by hand. I first lay the knife down until it grips the wheel (signifying that I'm on the bevel) then raise it slightly so I'm only honing the apex.

I hone and check for burr by running the blade against my fingernail. I check early so I can still feel a bit of catching and only stop after all catching is gone but NO MORE! I used to continue on the strop which is made of super thin Kangaroo body leather on a wooden block but these days I hardly use the hard strop. If I can achieve a nice glide on my fingernail I stop and test on a Tally-Ho cigarette paper. If I can achieve "glidage" through the paper I know I'm at or close to 100-125.

Using this method, a super thin japanese (or chinese) knife made from good steel (VG-10 or equivalent) such as a global will achieve a very low BESS score. I think the biggest factor is not to over hone.

Hope that helps.

Note: I haven't achieved a better score or result using the SJ wheel than I've been able to achieve on a standard SG wheel graded to 960 using the Dr Vadim diamond plate method (which has been a real game changer for me). I'm a fan of the foam backed chinese 320 grit diamond plates.

This surprised me. Thoughts?

https://youtu.be/u1mMoXjHWcQ?si=gAGpWFrQJulJnGBt

Ken

Only just found this. Don't worry, it surprised me too! Here's a bit more info.

I had a long discussion with the owner of the knife before he let me try. I set the SG to to about 960 grit (the fine setting) using the 320 grit diamond plate and started VERY gently as I was aware of the chipping issue. I was very surprised when I saw that the knife seemed to be accepting the grind so I continued ever so carefully and gingerly. I was using a super soft touch, expecting the knife to explode but nope. I was able to take a fairly chipped edge and turn it into a decent edge by treating it like a normal knife.

I didn't deburr as I couldn't detect a burr and it seemed to slice paper where as before it was tearing it and was useless as a fine slicer. It wasn't razor sharp though and he was happy to take it away vastly improved. The chips (damage) weren't large but there we very visible and numerous. I wish I'd take a video before I started but I really didn't expect it to work and just started grinding it as he was there watching. It was only after I had achieved a result that I knew I had to share it on YouTube. The edge as presented resembled a misused global edge if that makes sense.

I assure you all there was no trickery and my surprise (although slightly bombastic and cringey) was genuine. I caught some flack in the comments but I can assure you it worked. My advise, start with a smooth wheel and push down only just enough to maintain contacts on the wheel but yes, the SG wheel can "sharpen" ceramic knives. I love the SG wheel.

A little info about the knife would help.

It was a Kyocera INNOVATIONblack® Knife similar to this although I don't remember a soft handle.
https://cutlery.kyocera.com/innovation-soft-grip-3-ceramic-paring-knife-black-z212-blade

Hi folks,

I've developed a retrofit for the KJ-45 to make it more like the SVM. If you, like me are frustrated with the KJs, take a look! I also made the shaft longer and used a standard vs ACME thread.

https://magnoliaknife.com/products/tormek-kj-45-adjustable-retrofit

I love this! I hate the new KJ jig. My thumb has nowhere to sit. It's used to sitting in the "cup". The new jig has ruined the feel for me. I have a lot of muscle (thumb?) memory and I don't need this unnecessary disruption to my work flow. Plus, I hate plastic. I sharpen thousands of knives a year so I'm trying to buy ALL remaining KJ jigs on planet earth (kidding) in an unreasonable panic.

I'd love if the thumb rest actually emulates the "cup" feel instead of the flat surface that yours seems to be but it's better than nothing. I've left a comment on your video. I hope you can ship one to Australia as your cart won't allow it. Hoping we can solve this.

I didn't think his jig setting was "good speed".

What are you talking about? Is that all you can pick on me for?