TomK
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Post by TomK on Jul 23, 2011 16:17:49 GMT
I got mine second hand from Gus. Gus can't use it because it is not sufficient to do the quality work he needs to produce. so first off the Grizly has one strike there because a real proffesional find it insufficient for his work. the main problem Gus had with it is that the contact wheel is not true and bounces your work some. you can wrestle with it and control the bounce to some degree but sometimes it catches me by surprise and other times there's just no beating it. but the contact wheel isn't the only thing on the grinder, there's a large flat platen, and slack areas too. when it comes to sharpening it is great. established a bur edge almost instantly, then refines it in a few more swipes and your blade is uber-sharp in no time.
I have used it quite a lot since I started my forge and i like it a lot, there's still lots of things it does that a lesser grinder cannot. it's just a bur-king. I don't know if I would buy it if I had it all to do over again or save up for a bur-king or hard-core grinder. I'd probably save for the hard core but that is still more money than the Grizly and I am getting a lot of good use out of the grizly. it's just frustrating having to be so careful on the wheel.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2011 4:21:44 GMT
Thanks for the info Tom. Is there is any way to true the contact wheel? Sounds like a decent enough machine, except for the contact wheel. I can see how that would be a problem.
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Jul 24, 2011 14:49:29 GMT
Gus looked into that and could not figure out a way to do it reliably. it isn't horrible I can manage to get good results on the wheel still I just have to be careful
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Post by LittleJP on Jul 25, 2011 20:32:25 GMT
I've gotten mine in today, it's very easy to use, though I believe I'll be needing belts between 220 and 6000 at that size. Works great on knives, swords, machetes, garden tools, the like. The advantage of this is that you can simply strap a large sword down ex. Hanwei Lowlander instead of moving the sword at the tool, if you have one of the cheap 30x1s.
Advantage: High mobility, easy to control, creates conxex edges easily.
Disadvantage: Higher cost, does not come with belts other than 80, 220, and 6000 grit.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2011 14:08:53 GMT
I took the plunge and decided to pick up a belt sander. Should be here in a week or so. Been studying videos etc. I am excited. I am a big knife fan and I love a sharp Knife. I have used the Spyderco sharp maker, and always had great results but never ever shaving sharp. I think this tool is going to change that for me. I am going to practice on ao few cheap Cold Steel Machetes, get good, then sharpen my knives and newly aquired swords.
Let me ask you more expereinced people something. I just received a Kris Clutlery gladius. Me and my kid was out side having some safe fun chopping bottles. I love cutting up the MIlk jugs. I wanted my Son thrust and stab then chop the milk jug. I had the milk jug on top of light type steel table. Yeah I know stupid move. I told my Kid just becareful you dont hit the table.
Murphys law.....My kid hit the table after a awesome thrust and cut.
There is slight damage to the blade. I thought this thing was supposed to be tough. Thats what the reviews said. There is some minor edge bend and nic.
I am confident the belt sander will get the nick out but what advice you have for the blade edge bend? Do I lightly tap it back into place with a hammer?
Let me know if you need pics to help the description.
Thanks.
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Post by StevenJ on Aug 6, 2011 1:06:34 GMT
I bought one of these on ebay yesterday and am waiting for it to be delivered. I also got the leather strop with crayon and various grits from 220 to 600. I had a 4x36 Ryobi belt sander already but I can only find low grit belts for it of 80 or 120 plus I find that it is generally over kill. I saw a lot of your vids sharpening with it Tom among others and it seems promising for fine edge work which is why I bought it so I can debur edges and give it that surgical sharp edge that I want. I can't wait to give it a run for its money. Hand sharpening is a pain and takes a while but this thing seems easy to use and fun. I'll try it on my Gen 2 Viking Seax Knife and if it works well then I'll touch up some of my DSA swords.
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Post by ineffableone on Aug 6, 2011 1:18:32 GMT
Nice to hear someone got one and their impressions Little JP.
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Post by ineffableone on Aug 8, 2011 7:42:34 GMT
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Post by kelmain on Aug 9, 2011 2:23:37 GMT
There are several reasons why companies sell swords that are not sharpened. Dull swords are safer. If you have children or will be practicing with the sword, it is a better idea to get one that is less sharp. It also costs more in terms of labor to get a good well profiled sharp appleseed edge. Companies may also fear liability or they may be trying to comply with laws that require blades to be blunted. I believe some nations will not allow sharp swords to be imported.
Rest assured, if you really want a sword that is well profiled and sharp from the manufacturer, you can get one. You will just have to pay more for it.
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Post by LittleJP on Aug 9, 2011 2:47:42 GMT
After further usage, I have to say, this is probably the easiest to use tool that creates the best edges I've ever seen. The 80 grit is perfect to create an edge on a new blunt blade, the 220 is dandy for to get a decent edge, and the 6000 hones to a razor tip.
However, the belts do need to get replaced, especially the 6000. Any suggestions on buying one?
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Post by ineffableone on Aug 9, 2011 3:46:13 GMT
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Post by LittleJP on Aug 9, 2011 5:11:48 GMT
Let me get back to you on the belts I might be able to clean the grit out with soap, water, and a toothbrush.
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Post by ineffableone on Aug 9, 2011 7:16:45 GMT
I personally enjoy sharpening with stones and sandpaper by hand. I however can see how these beltsander tools can be nice for people. Remember there are still a lot of people out there using acusharps. Which is a big reason I posted this thread. I saw more people posting threads abut acusharps. This mini beltsander at least does a good convex edge.
One of these days I will probably pick up one of the Harbor Freight belt sanders. Mainly for wood and metal work but it would make sword and knife sharpening easy and fast.
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Post by LittleJP on Aug 9, 2011 14:05:06 GMT
Why strain my wrist with dozens of strokes, when I can hold this machine in place to do it for me?
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Aug 9, 2011 18:08:35 GMT
Stones are definitely a better bang for the buck but as Ricky mentioned they have a steeper learning curve. paper and belts are friendly to the beginner, which is what I was when I started using them. Ricky when I get back from patrol I may have to talk to you and get some tips on working with stones. I really should improve my stone work. and I'd love to trade notes and ideas with you since we work from very different directions to produce a pretty similar end result. cross-training is good right?
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Talon
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Post by Talon on Aug 9, 2011 18:39:04 GMT
remember to share with the rest of us guys im always on the look out for more sharpening tips
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Post by LittleJP on Aug 9, 2011 23:32:28 GMT
Update: I just tried to wash the 6000 grit belt. It seems to help slightly, but the majority of the grit is stuck in there. For the other belts, washing seems to work perfectly.
I'm not sure how much the grit would affect the belt, performance wise. I'm thinking it's moving higher than 6000 grit, making the honing process go slower, but it's still giving the metal a nice, polished finish.
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Post by LittleJP on Aug 10, 2011 6:47:39 GMT
Alright, I'll film myself touching up an Atrim X.a 2 and cutting a few bottles. No mats, sadly. The problem right now is that all my swords are excellent cutters, and any sharpening creates a very negligible difference. How about going to town with a windlass poleax?
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Aug 10, 2011 8:33:37 GMT
JP, try cutting horizontally on a full drinking water bottle and see if you can get a silent cut. then if you do get a silent cut try getting second silent on the same bottle, then a third. takes really good edge alignment but even with good form you need a nice sharp sword to pull it off regularly. also try cutting empties. we may not be able to see the difference but you should be able to feel it.
the problem I have with this machine is its lack of anything between really rough and super fine. 6000 grit is ridiculously fine.there's no way 6000 grit can handle the surface left behind by the 220 grit. what you are going to end up with after the 6000 grit is a 220 grit surface that is extra shiny.if the blade is already sharp then 6000 can true it up but it really isn't going to do a lot. 600 grit would have been a much better choice of grit.
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Post by LittleJP on Aug 10, 2011 18:09:38 GMT
I'll try using empties.
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