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Thanks for your responses. Points taken and appreciated.
So John, if you are required to sharpen low end knives with their difficult to remove burrs, how would you proceed?
Also, in your post you referred to 'special knives' and honing on 1 micron diamond spray. Would that be on leather or felt? And what angle?

Thanks for replies. Much appreciated.
Any other suggestions?
Or am I asking for people to give away their secrets?

Yes this works. Up to a point. This progression, I found, will give BESS scores between 150-120 for lower/mainstream knives. It will NOT however work for higher end or hard/ wear resistant knives ( those with a tendency to negative burr).
I introduced a rock hard felt wheel with 1 micron diamond between the Tormek honing compound on leather stage and the chromox on leather stage.  At +2 degrees for most steels producing positive burrs this extra step will take BESS below 100. Sometimes 90 sometimes 70 ish.
Worth the extra step?
Maybe the difference between ' very sharp' and 'crazy sharp'?
If so the customer pays for the extra step?

Agree with 3D Anvil. I use the calcapp to get bar to stone measurement. I then measure this as accurately and consistently as possible. Then I measure the bar to machine housing and make a note of jig protrusion and intended angle, stone diameter and record that measurement. I find it much easier to set bar to housing measurement for future runs.

CBX will know more and I'm sure will answer your question. From what I understand if you are to use a 'bar to stone' measurement to determine your honing or grinding angle then the form of FVB becomes slightly irrelevant?
CBX's calcapp will do this really well and is available by tapping on the QR code below his name.

I've used the composite honing wheel for a little while now. Not free hand but controlled angle on FVB. Maybe 50 knives, 4 passes per side. Other users may have noticed the little black shavings that come off it whilst honing? That got me to thinking if the wheel was getting thinner. Obviously the wheel diameter is important for calculating precise honing angles. So I measured the diameter. No change from the 218mm.
Was wondering if any other composite wheel users have noticed the wearing of material off the wheel and if and when it becomes an issue?
Does the composite wheel wear out?

Sorry. My idea of a joke. Obviously big tumbleweed!

Thanks to the kj45 my knife is so self centred that it won't let me sharpen it!
Tumbleweed......

Pretty sure the rpm recommended by Vadim was half that. Around 1400.

The manufacturer of my 10" paper wheels ( Brisa) recommends spending time getting the wheel running as true as possible by repeatedly re-seating the wheel on the arbor until there is as little wobble as possible. A little wobble side to side is no problem. Then true the wheel exactly as you have been doing to remove any high spots. Wrap your sandpaper round a solid square block ( wood or metal) and keeping constant pressure sand away until the bumpiness goes. You should be fine.

Hi everyone. I'm sure this has been covered before. But I was wondering what sharpening protocols people use for most knives they get, ie everyday kitchen knives that are not super steel, indeed of unknown composition. Probably what would be termed by Wootz as those steels tending to form positive burrs when sharpening. Or put another way someone hands you a batch of knives, you don't really know what the steel is but you strongly suspect they are not high end. What Wootz would term 'lower end' and 'mainstream' knives.
So what would be your 'go to' protocol be?
Efficient in terms of time, simplicity but with a level of sharpness that you are happy with. What Bess scores would you be happy with?
So I'm really asking what's the method you use for batch sharpening?
Any input would be much appreciated, thanks.

CB's advice re diamond size is spot on

I may be wrong here. However, I have successfully cleaned off the paste using 80 and then 120 grit sandpaper. It took a while due to clogging. I had to do it to true the wheel you see ( it had gone off square).
So I pretty certain that the same would apply to the alcohol diamond spray as ( explained in a previous post) the diamonds won't have penetrated too far into the paper and coarse sand paper would scrape them off.  Just be sure to meticulously clean up with vacuum cleaner and brush before applying anything else.

I think I understand Ken. Interesting.
So will the self centering jig handle both knives below (your thin paring knives for example) AND above ( thick bushcraft knives for example) the 2-3mm range?
I ask because I was thinking of getting at least one old style jig modified a la Wootz advice for thicker knives.
If the new jig can handle thicker knives I won't bother. Thanks.

https://youtu.be/7ubkV74CqvE

This is a link to Vadim's video on paste and paper wheels