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I still find it odd how my sharpening business really picked up after I got a bench polisher.

I really loved your comment which I have repeated above. Nothing says sharp like shiny?
It is nice to be appreciated, so I think it makes sense to do the polishing BECAUSE the feedback you get is received at the time of the transaction.
OTOH when the customer uses the knife at home/work you are no longer in the picture and any appreciation they may have for your efforts (and the price they paid) is removed from the point (pun not intended) of the transaction.

Waking up this older thread, in spite of warnings about doing so.
I don't use my T-8 very often. But when I do it takes me a long time to do everything (and anything).
However, I was unhappy about how much compound had accumulated on my leather wheel.
I used mineral oil and the back of a hunting knife to get the leather all cleaned up. It took a long time and a lot of old compound came off.
I would put a little mineral oil on two or three places on the leather and then use my finger to spread the oil to both sides of the wheel and around the entire circumference. It was kind of amazing how many times I had to repeat this before the wheel was free of the caked globs of compound.
Once that cleaning was done I use the honing compound sparingly, but I used the same finger to make sure the compound was spread to both sides and all the way around the wheel before I started to hone.
I also use diamond paste on the leather wheel after the Tormek compound in the yellow tube. Same routine with my proprietary finger tool.
I always feel like sharpening takes me a lot longer than what I have seen in the videos. But there is nothing like a plane iron or a chisel that is sharpened to a mirror finish.
Anyone else feel like the videos are misleading as to the amount of time needed to do the job?

That is an excellent recommendation. If one goes to the video linked in this page https://tormek.com/en/products/grinding-jigs/svm-00-small-knife-holder
a YouTube video produced by Tormek will make it quite clear.
Thanks!!

Tormek support (support@tormek.se) or (info@tormek.com) in the US has solved more EZYlock problems that the entire forum combined will ever see. Contact support; their stellar service is one of the things which makes Tormek a cut above.

Ken

I am going to tell you a little about an EzyLock problem that I had. And Tormek in the USA was not able to help.
The EzyLock was seized to the shaft on my T-8. I had tried the various wrenches I owned. After no success there and recognizing a cost of almost $300 to solve my problem I started researching Magnetic Induction Heating Coils. You should do some research on interwebz, but these electric devices (sometimes called Flameless Torch) will heat up ferrous metal to 800 degrees F in less than 2 minutes.
My T-8 has the stainless steel shaft and SS EzyLock. So NO RUST. But a large amount of the grindstone grit had lodged behind the EzyLock nut. And the threads in the shaft and EzyLock were jammed up with the sandy stuff.
After a few heat and cool cycles, including some penetrating oil (Liquid Wrench), I poured a little bit of ATF (tranny fluid) on the end of the shaft. After one more heat cycle I was able to muscle the EL off with my Knipex waterpump pliers.
The induction heat device cost over $200 on Amazon. Made in China, but already used for another impossibly stuck nut.
Hope this helps some Forum users!! 🤞😊