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+-- Thread: Leather Honing Wheel (/showthread.php?tid=7301410)
Leather Honing Wheel - ranger29 - 06-15-2016
I currently use Sigma waterstones up to 13000 to sharpen my plane blades. Is there any advantage/improvement to using the leather honing wheel with green compound on a Tormek after the waterstones?
Re: Leather Honing Wheel - Derek Cohen - 06-15-2016
You are better off using the green compound on a piece of flat, planed pine. Treat it like a honing plate. There is an inherent danger in dubbing an edge using wheels unless you hold the blade at the exact angle. Not so easy.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Re: Leather Honing Wheel - cputnam - 06-15-2016
I go up to the 13000 too and quit there. I'm guessing the 13000 at < 1 micron particle size and green compound avg. size is 0.5 microns. Aside from the edge dubbing issues I don't see a practical advantage.
IMO & YMWV
Re: Leather Honing Wheel - Ricky - 06-15-2016
I've been thinking of making one of these.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3cMQ7d2S0k&index=3&list=FLPvDIKaUxY4ij2kPwTXvFDQ
Re: Leather Honing Wheel - Boatman53 - 06-15-2016
Thanks for posting that video Ricky. Very simple and quiet.
Jim
Re: Leather Honing Wheel - AHill - 06-15-2016
I also use a 13,000 Sigma stone. I finish off on a plain leather strop mounted to a flat surface. I have a laminated paper 8" wheel on my grinder charged with the green stuff. It makes touching up blades VERY quick. I mean like 2-5 seconds quick. I don't have any issues dubbing a blade. If anything, it might make a convex bevel sort of like Sellars' chisels. I saw Paul Sellars using a strop one time in a video. He had just finished on an 8000 grit stone or maybe a hard Arkansas - can't remember which. He was very aggressive, putting a lot of pressure on his strop and making perhaps 10-15 strokes. I was thinking maybe he might dub the edge, but I tried it at home, and was summarily impressed with how keen my edge was using the same technique.
Re: Leather Honing Wheel - Timberwolf - 06-16-2016
Leather has been used for putting the final edge on tools and weapons for centuries..and it is hard to beat it.
Here's a shot of a little different way to power strop...It's a slow speed 1"X30" belt grinder..I have both leather and linen belts for stropping and well as belts for grinding or restoring the bevels. I made it a couple of years ago and it is something I use almost every day. It does require a little finesse but that skill is quickly learned with a little practice...With a linen belt, you can use diamond or boron carbide in extremely fine grits for a hair-popping edge very quickly.
Re: Leather Honing Wheel - Rob Young - 06-16-2016
Derek Cohen said:
You are better off using the green compound on a piece of flat, planed pine. Treat it like a honing plate. There is an inherent danger in dubbing an edge using wheels unless you hold the blade at the exact angle. Not so easy.
Regards from Perth
Derek
MDF also works very well, with or without compound. I've switched from leather (glued to MDF) and the green "crayon" stuff to a 1.5" thick block of MDF charged with Autosol. Works GREAT!
Still have the old leather strop but it lives in the field kit bag now, instead of on the bench.
Re: Leather Honing Wheel - Timberwolf - 06-16-2016
That proves just about any material that is somewhat "hard" can serve as a strop..Leather and wood both contain some silica and can work pretty well by themselves without the addition of a compound. Teak has an exceptional amount of silica, but I have never tried it for for stropping.
Re: Leather Honing Wheel - Mike_O - 06-16-2016
Rob Young said:
MDF also works very well, with or without compound. I've switched from leather (glued to MDF) and the green "crayon" stuff to a 1.5" thick block of MDF charged with Autosol. Works GREAT!
Still have the old leather strop but it lives in the field kit bag now, instead of on the bench.
+1 on the MDF. I use chromium oxide, (the green crayon), and a few drops of mineral oil on the MDF to make a slurry of the .5 micron particles. Leather with CrOx and mineral oil works equally well - just use whatever is easiest or cheapest to get your hands on. Derrick mentioned pine, I've never used that but have seen balsa wood strops for honing for shaving purposes.