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https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Sharpening-Supplies-Left-Handed-Sharpening-Stones-W453.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=24I-APR
 

"LMAO technology"

What laser do you use?

The IR one is the Atomstack R30 V2.

I do have reservations with engraving lines on a chisel, if they are part of a quick setup scheme. Multiple sharpenings will shorten the chisel, thus making the lines inaccurate. Bevel angles also seem iffy to me. If obtained from the knife manufacturer, are they chosen for best cutting or minimum customer complaints. I think I would rather rely on the sharpener's experience.

The use for chisel I'm not sure about. It takes about 5 seconds to engrave a fine line on the back of my chisel so I'll see how it goes. I don't use them often, but the idea would be to always reference to the line that is closest to the handle.

For knives, I - most of the time - don't use manufacturer angles. I agree they're often chosen for minimum customer complaints with customers who have no idea how to maintain knives, and so the cutting experience is significantly degraded. Even for Shun knives where 16° seems a perfect choice, I slightly changed the angle to 15 dps so I can quickly resharpen a bulk of 15 dps knives without having to change projection distance. I mostly use 12.5, 15 and 18 dps. Knowing what angle to input to the calculator allows to get a burr in a couple of passes with minimal material removal. I use the knives library of my beloved TormekCalc spreadsheet when I'm not sure what angle to set, then engrave it when I'm done.

Hey everyone,

I thought I'd share with you my findinds pertaining to laser engraving. I started with a 5W output 455 nm, and I managed to get sub-par results by coating the blade beforehand (sharpie, mustard, painter's tape...).

I recently acquired a USD 400ish 2W 1064nm IR head, and the results are amazing. I can engrave knife blades with the sharpening angle or with their owner's name. I can also put a straight mark on a chisel right where I want. It can also mark plastics (preferably light or dark as the result is kind of greyish), so handles can be marked too.

It might be a nice addition to a premium sharpener's toolset. Mine is an open-frame one, so quite bulky, but there are also portable versions that will engrave up to 70x70 mm.

Cheers,

Nick.

There are 3D-printed parts that work wonders too.

See https://www.printables.com/search/models?q=tormek%20drip%20tray

Perra, this is brilliant !

Along with the fascination of precise instruments, we should sharpen in temperature controlled rooms and wear gloves to eliminate transferring body heat to our tools. 

Ken

(Just kidding. . .)

Such as plunging our one-yard measuring rod in a bucket of ice and water as part of approximating the speed of light on Mount Wilson ? As well we should.

2 (french) cents in the discussion : there's a french word called "pansement".

It is usually used as a synonym for what I used to call "band-aid" in the US, or "dressing" such as after surgery. But it is also a synonym for "plaster", for which there is another french word sharing the same latin origin : "emplâtre".

Cheers,

Nick.

As far as a tool for the angle setting process, I would recommend a mechanical dial caliper, rather than vernier. 

Rick,

You're right, obviously. But there's something I always found fascinating with having sub-1/10th mm precision with such a basic tool.

Ken,

I hope this is only temporary and you will get better soon.

As far as the Tormek is concerned, I have no doubt you will find a solution even with the heavyweight T-8. You should probably begin by how you need to sit to feel comfortable and relaxed. Your choice of stool, chair or the like is the critical item in my view, more so than the Tormek installation. It should also accomodate the fact that your Tormek will need to be quite close to your body to avoid stress to your arms and back.

Then I'm sure your DIY skills or your favorite contractors will find a very basic table to lay your T-8 on at the perfect height using a minimal amount of real estate, and your rotary base on top of your rubber mat will work wonders.

Cheers,

Nick.

If I may, the newest MB-102 will be both a cheap FVB as well as a useful addition to your lineup. The US-430 is a must for knives. A nice pair of vernier calipers will come in handy with the software.

The way I see it, I don't mix SG/SJ stones with the diamond ones. They have very different scratch patterns, they require ACC if you want to use them wet, require much lower pressure, ... They will have an interest if you want to sharpen carbide tools or need constant wheel diameters for your process. You're talking about scissors, they're not to be sharpened with diamond stones unless you want to destroy the wheel real quick.

SG250 to DF won't refine much, and change your scratch pattern. If you're into polished edges (which are usually not recommended for most kitchen knives, outdoor blades and scissors), that might do more harm than good. Also, there are mixed experiences with paper or felt wheels on standard-steel knives.





 

+1 for the WSKO for quick deburring. The leather belt with Tormek paste does wonders.

Just my two cents, because I have no experience in a commercial environment such as yours...

Before going the full Vadmin protocol, it might be nice to take a look at what improvement each step brings to make sure it is worth the time and effort. What is your BESS score with just the SG @15dps and a good honing on the leather wheel with PA-70 ? I think you should not settle for anything higher than 120/130 BESS. My SWIBOs are usually in the 100/120 BESS ballpark after just this.

Then gradually add each step, and see if you get an improvement that makes it worth your while. Please remember that while Wootz showed that his techniques could get him weel into the SUB-100 BESS zone, he also demonstrated that initial sharpness has little influence over edge retention.

With whatever little experience I have, and therefore a very basic technique, I find that the felt wheel only works for me with very hard/brittle steels and not softer, more malleable ones. My Victorinox SWIBOs are definitely in the second category. Felt wheel with 1 micron diamond spray seemed to *add* 30/40 BESS for those.

So from what I understand, it will work for blades with straight (parallel) sides.

Quick question : how does component 2 reference the blade plane of symmetry, and not either side of the blade ? I wonder how blade with, say, a 3° taper angler are accomodated ?

Aside from specific situations where I want a very fine finish (such as sujihikis), I find that grinding on the SG in its natural state and honing with the Tormek compound is the best speed/sharpness compromise. In addition, I think the bite from the toothier edge works wonders (and is durable) for vegetables.

When I know the precise edge angle, or use the sharpie trick, it is a matter of 3-4 minutes per knife, not including computations and/or USB setup. So I guess that's kind of a lower limit on what I could expect if I sharpened freehand.