New T4 owner with questions.

[casher50]

I just got my T4 about a week ago and love it. There is so much to learn and I am excited about learning it. I have been sharpening knives (all my own) for about 2 years and usually apex the blades on a 1x30 belt sander and remove the burr with a paper wheel. This works about 75% of the time. However, I frequently get large "positive" burrs that I cannot seem to get rid of. I've tried everything that I know of to solve this problem (I've watched countless YouTube videos, read books etc.) Nothing works.

Now my first Tormek related question.
      1) I have unintentionally created a couple of these "impossible" burrs on my T4 and have the same problem. The honing wheel will not remove the burr. What do you suggest?
      2) Will any light machine oil work on the honing wheel (3 in 1 oil perhaps) and how often should I apply it?
      3) How often should I apply the grit cream to the honing wheel and should I let it soaking for a while before using the wheel?
      4) Since the grading stone changes the grinding wheel from 220 to 1000 grit, does the wheel's grit vary between the two? In other words, at some point is the grinding wheel's grit rating say, 600 or some other           in-between grit? If so, how would we figure out what it actually is?

I am excited to be a Tormek owner and a member of this community. I'm sure I am going to have many more questions and am looking forward to learning from each of you.

[John_B]

Now my first Tormek related question.
      1) I have unintentionally created a couple of these "impossible" burrs on my T4 and have the same problem. The honing wheel will not remove the burr. What do you suggest?
      2) Will any light machine oil work on the honing wheel (3 in 1 oil perhaps) and how often should I apply it?
      3) How often should I apply the grit cream to the honing wheel and should I let it soaking for a while before using the wheel?
      4) Since the grading stone changes the grinding wheel from 220 to 1000 grit, does the wheel's grit vary between the two? In other words, at some point is the grinding wheel's grit rating say, 600 or some other           in-between grit? If so, how would we figure out what it actually is?

My thoughts on your questions and welcome to the forum.

      1) I have unintentionally created a couple of these "impossible" burrs on my T4 and have the same problem. The honing wheel will not remove the burr. What do you suggest?

I have come across this with very inexpensive knives made from relatively soft steel. It seems that a burr is raised no matter what you do. I try using the finest wheel grade and barely touching the knife to try and remove the burr. It is quite frustrating at times and I have found no perfect solution.

      2) Will any light machine oil work on the honing wheel (3 in 1 oil perhaps) and how often should I apply it?

Yes it should work; I still have some of the original oil so I have not tried any alternative You should only need to apply the oil once to condition the leather. I have not found a need to re-oil but I would be intereste to hear from really long term users.

      3) How often should I apply the grit cream to the honing wheel and should I let it soaking for a while before using the wheel?

You do not need to let the cream soak in. It will be evenly distributed with first use. Reapplication frequency depends on use. I do not sharpen a lot of knives a day but I find that the cutting is more aggressive when new paste is applied and it seems to break down to a finer grit over time. I try to not generate a large burr making honing easier and I for the most part like the leather wheel better once the paste has been worked.
     
4) Since the grading stone changes the grinding wheel from 220 to 1000 grit, does the wheel's grit vary between the two? In other words, at some point is the grinding wheel's grit rating say, 600 or some other           in-between grit? If so, how would we figure out what it actually is?

Yes the wheel if left ungraded will settle into a spot somewhere near the middle. I find that you only get the coarsest stone immediately after truing the wheel. This level is not achieved with the grading stone. For sharpening a knife that is not damaged not much material need to be removed. On many knives I start at this middle position and finish after using the fine side of the stone. I grade coarse if I need to remove material but it does not last a long time and it migrates to that middle grade. I don't think it is important to know the real grade of the mid point, I just use it. Many people that need to do reprofiling and a lot of nick removal have gone the route of procuring a coarser wheel or even two. Ken our moderator has multiple wheels and is more qualified to speak on this.

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Chuck.

As primarily a chisel sharpener, I will let one of our more experienced knife sharpeners handle your burr question.

Re: questions two through four, I think Tormek including a small container of oil is an excellent idea. It gives Tormek control over what is used to initialize the leather honing wheel, and, more importantly, it helps limit the amount of oil applied. The type of oil used really is not critical. I have broken in several leather honing wheels (for four Tormeks). I haven't kept track of which wheels got which oil. Some received mineral oil from the pharmacy. Some received 3in1. All work about the same.

I discussed the honing compound issue with one of Tormek's top knife experts. Like you, he uses his T4 at home, with the SG-200 with Tormek PA-70 honng compound. (He uses these based on his experience; he could use any Tormek product.) Where he differs is that he uses more pressure, both in grinding and in honing. He also uses more honing compound than most sharpeners. H respect his opinions highly.

He also uses what he calls "600 grit" with his stone grader. In my opinion, I think of grit numbers as approximate but useful guidelines. I think of "220" as "more coarse" and "1000" as "more fine.". Using the TT-50 will produce a more coarse surface than the stone grader. Both are useful, although I can't see where both would have the same working grit size. Don't misunderstand me. I think the stone grader is a useful tool. I just do not think of it as needing to produce an exact grit size. It is more versatile than that.

Enjoy your new Tormek!

Ken