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Also note that Tormek support will be able to advise you. From what others have said that have contacted them they are super helpful.

I can vouch for Tormek's dedication to older machines. Their stated policy (they call it "The Tormek Way") is that every Tormek sold be maintained in working order if possible.

The shaft uses two identical nylon bearings which press into the case into which the shaft runs. So yes, they would originally have been identical.

I agree with Ken. The old honing wheel looks pretty good to me. Some sanding should clean it up really nicely. It actually looks like it has not been used that much and apart from the nicks is on pretty good shape. You will need to recondition it with some light machine oil before use. Also make sure that you give the new wheel a good going over with some light machine oil (I use Ballistol) before your first application of the honing paste. (I fell in love with Ballistol when I discovered it. It is like WD 40 except better.)

You could do a lot worse than subscribe to the Tormek Innovation channel on YouTube and watch any videos relevant to your use of the Tormek. They do have one on honing which you should probably watch.

The ring is actually the bearing and is made of nylon. There should be another one on the honing side which will be identical to the one on the grinding side. They come with the replacement shaft, which you will need if you repair it. If it were me I would be tempted to make an epoxy repair but a 3D printed part should be fine with 100% infill to make sure it is strong enough.

TBPH most of the old jigs should work perfectly well so long as they are in good nick. Some, such as the new axe jig are a complete rethink which makes them worth while whereas some others are just upgrades. 

One of the great things about the Tormek philosophy (The Tormek Way) is that they want to keep every machine they produced in working order if possible. I know of no other company who goes out of their way to help customers maintain their machines however old.

I think it's fair to say that you shouldn't need a non-included truing tool to be able to sharpen properly

You don't need a true stone for plane irons and chisels. The only time I true the stone is if it is getting grooves, glazed or for the planer blade or drill jigs. I adjust chisels and plane irons for square as I go along and once I set the jig it is pretty much set for that session.

If you are using the planer blade or drill sharpening jigs then the trueing tool is essential.

Most processes that requires a human to perform a particular action requires skill which takes time to acquire. That someone can perform a skilled task, even one that takes away a lot of the variability after one or two perfunctory attempts is misguided at least. Even with a freshly trued stone I find that some square adjustment can be required.

If you want a sharpening process that requires no skill whatsoever then you are looking at many tens of thousands of $$ per tool type. Much more outlay than a Tormek. 

The Tormek is a very well constructed machine that is good value for money considering the construction quality and after sales service. However it still requires practice and acquired skill to use properly.

I suspect that this is a case of expectation vs reality.

If you do a search on the various 3D printer sites such as Yeggi and Pintables you will get several pages of results. I don't recall a water trough though.

No but I see no reason why not. Definitely wet grind though.

You have to very carefully follow the instructions. Any slight deviation can lead to disaster. It took me a few drills before I was getting perfect results. Use the instructions that came with the guide and follow them very carefully and you should be good.

Also note that if you are taking out bad chipping then you may need to do the primary grind, then reset the drill and re-do the primary grind again since the leading edge may have rotated with respect to the jig if a lot of material is removed.

Stay focused on your technique

Exactly. I wish I had said that. I have spent a life time doing just that. Anything which requires hand eye coordination, and kinfe sharpening is a perfect example, requires hand eye coordination, despite the contraptions that Tormek prove to make it super easy. If you concentrate on your technique (watch the Tormek Innovation knife Sharpening videos) then over time you will find that it becomes instinctive, however, you need to focus on good technique while you are learning.

When researching my introduction to abrasives there were references going back to at least the neolithic. In the late stone age people discovered that if they sharpen their stone tools they became more efficient. I watched a Time Team episode where they compared a flint napped axe with a similar flint axe sharpened and they found the sharpened axe much more efficient.

when the Corning engineer's wife discovered that the glass designed for locomotive headlights also worked well for kitchen ware

The discovery of stainless steel in Sheffield England is also remarkable, the company is still there and locally making knives.

Am I the first one in the history of the world to discover this?

Sorry to burst your bubble but not really. I could not find any reference to deburring knives with ultra sonics so this may be new, but there are people deburring parts post machining using ultrasonics so the technique is not new. From what I can find it is extremely effective and your results are consistent which what I see on machined part deburring.

I remember when I was first taught sharpening in high school. The teacher said that Stropping the chisel would successively bend the burr back and forth in order to weaken it and break it off. Seems that ultrasonic cleaning takes to to the next level!