Tormek Compound or Venev Diamond?

[joe103]

Hello, everyone. Well, after a couple years of sharpening with a couple different systems, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a new Tormek T8. I got the hand tool bundle sale through Sharpening Supplies, the new knife angle setter, and the black silicon wheel. I want to solicit some opinions from the experts here. I'm trying to decide if I should use the Tormek compound on the leather wheel, or the 2 micron Venev diamond compound I have. It's the waxy stuff that comes in a lipstick-type tube. I intend to steer away from supersteels for a while until I get a handle on the T8 and get the diamond or  CBN wheels. My intent is to use the black silicon wheel graded at 200-ish, and the SG-250 graded fine. I bought diamond plates to grade with after watching the Knife Grinders Australia videos. Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Now if only UPS would do their job and deliver the packages! (Long story).

[John Hancock Sr]

Honestly, any honing compound will do the job. The Tormek compound is deliberately oily in order to maintain the suppleness of the leather. The Tormek compound I suspect to be Aluminium Oxide but it is probably a medium grit as honing compounds go. There is nothing stopping you hand stropping after the fact. It would not take much to refine the edge further.

[John_B]

If you are not doing super steels yet I personally do not see a need to use the SB-250 unless a knife has damage that needs to be fixed. For the knives I have sharpened or my own knives I use the SG-250 ungraded which is I think towards the finer side of middle of the grades possible. For the final passes before honing I will quickly grade it fine. Graded coarse the SB-250 works well to fix minor damage and eliminates the need for a wheel change

For honing I use the Tormek paste for customer knives. For my own I have a second leather wheel and I use 1µ diamond. It would be my recommendation not mix your diamond and the Tormek paste on the same wheel.

If you are serious about consistently getting the best edge I would suggest guided honing using the Tormek setup shown in their angle setter video or a Front Vertical Base (FVB). There are numerous threads on this subject. I found that learning how to consistently hone freehand was the most difficult aspect of my overall learning. When the merits of guided honing werre discussed I adopted it in my process and have not looked back.

[joe103]

If you are not doing super steels yet I personally do not see a need to use the SB-250 unless a knife has damage that needs to be fixed. For the knives I have sharpened or my own knives I use the SG-250 ungraded which is I think towards the finer side of middle of the grades possible. For the final passes before honing I will quickly grade it fine. Graded coarse the SB-250 works well to fix minor damage and eliminates the need for a wheel change

For honing I use the Tormek paste for customer knives. For my own I have a second leather wheel and I use 1µ diamond. It would be my recommendation not mix your diamond and the Tormek paste on the same wheel.

If you are serious about consistently getting the best edge I would suggest guided honing using the Tormek setup shown in their angle setter video or a Front Vertical Base (FVB). There are numerous threads on this subject. I found that learning how to consistently hone freehand was the most difficult aspect of my overall learning. When the merits of guided honing werre discussed I adopted it in my process and have not looked back.

I'm in the same boat as you regarding freehand honing. I'm having a bear of a time and haven't gotten a handle on it yet. I ordered a front vertical base, should be in tomorrow, and I'm going to use the KS-123 knife angle setter to hone at the same angle I grind at.
You know, grinding gets all the attention, but I'm finding that honing will make or break an edge. I bought Dr. Kraichuk's Knife Deburring book. Hopefully, my thick head will gain something from all the hard work and research he did.
I sharpened a couple straight chisels and didn't have a problem honing them. That big chisel bevel helps, and I needed a success, lol. But this is just the beginning of my journey, so discouragement isn't an option.

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Joe.

Since you are wisely holding off with your supersteel knives and a tube of PA-70 honing compound came with your T8, I suggest you stRt with PA-70 and set the diamond compound aside. Your time learning your SG-250 and PA-70 will be well spent. This is the combination the Tormek instructors use in the online classes, and they have access to the complete Tormek lineup.

Keep us posted.

Ken

[John_B]

I'm in the same boat as you regarding freehand honing. I'm having a bear of a time and haven't gotten a handle on it yet. I ordered a front vertical base, should be in tomorrow, and I'm going to use the KS-123 knife angle setter to hone at the same angle I grind at.
You know, grinding gets all the attention, but I'm finding that honing will make or break an edge. I bought Dr. Kraichuk's Knife Deburring book. Hopefully, my thick head will gain something from all the hard work and research he did.
I sharpened a couple straight chisels and didn't have a problem honing them. That big chisel bevel helps, and I needed a success, lol. But this is just the beginning of my journey, so discouragement isn't an option.

While honing at the same angle as you sharpened definitely works I have been using Dr. Kraichuk's Knife Deburring book's recommendation for honing angle going up to 1.50° over the sharpening angle depending on the steel.