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Experimenting with Work Sharp WSKTS and straights

There are a lot of ways to sharp, this is a way too. I wouldn't sharpen my straights this way, because it wastes a lot of steel, but I am sure it can be done, and it can be done much faster than with stones. I sharpen only cheaper knives on a belt sander, while it would work, I never did it with a straight.
 
Any issues with excessive heat damaging the temper?
Not if you know what you are doing.
We are talking 2-4 seconds of contact per pass on a knife.
Probably even less on a razor.


As for the convexing issue, like I stated, I don't preferr that myself, but it mustn't be a bad thing.
Like we have talked about before, the dished hones of our forefathers did always create a convex edge & they were fine with that.
 
Heat can quickly become an issue if you aren't careful but as honed mentioned, if you are sharpening a straight on this, you should know of the heat danger.

jeness- I thought the same thing about excessive steel removal but I can assure you this is not the case, as long as you use common sense. I first started a straight razor using a high grit, I think 6000, and worked down from there, then back up. I use a 1200 grit belt to set bevels and it works very well and now that I am confortable, it literally takes >30 seconds to set a anew bevel.

I still plan on using hand systems in addition to the work sharp. I am very pleased that I am able to achieve these great results using this product. I personally love the practice of sharpening all types of blades and enjoy trying different methods and systems.

And yes, I have been trying this thing out with restores...works very well for certain areas but is not very effective in the hollowed portion.
 
ps49556n
I have been looking at these on Amazon. Unless I missed something the finest grit is 6000. You mentioned an even finer grit (12,000). What is your source? I am not a straight shaver, but I do like a sharp knife and I have a couple of Buck's with very hard steel that this would be useful on.
 
I just ended up ordering one of these. Not for razors, although it might come in handy at time some time.
 
Hey folks, I recently bought a Work Sharp system for my knives and machete, and I'm happy to say it also put a good shaving edge on a factory Gold Dollar razor. Similarly to the OP, I bought some aftermarket belts from http://micro-surface.com/. I used a succession of belts for the hone, starting from 4000 -> 6000 -> 12000, and with a few minutes of stropping had a shave-ready blade in about 10 minutes.

An image of the edge under a microscope.

$IMG_0370.jpg

And the naked eye

$IMG_0373.jpg
 
I thought this was a new thread - I started reading it saying to myself - 'didn't this pop up a coupla years ago?"
Then I saw the post by Honed and checked the date.... lol. Yep... 2012.

OP - Glad it works for you!
 
Hey folks, I recently bought a Work Sharp system for my knives and machete, and I'm happy to say it also put a good shaving edge on a factory Gold Dollar razor. Similarly to the OP, I bought some aftermarket belts from http://micro-surface.com/. I used a succession of belts for the hone, starting from 4000 -> 6000 -> 12000, and with a few minutes of stropping had a shave-ready blade in about 10 minutes.

An image of the edge under a microscope.

View attachment 513881

And the naked eye

View attachment 513883
Using a machine is totally not necessary imo as I can hone a gd out of the box in 6 minutes on synthetics. But i guess any process can be made to work. You could probably use a bench sander as well or a slow speed grinding wheel on the side. You would have to compensate though as the heel would remove more than the toe as the blade spins faster on the outer rim.
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
Bill, when I read your reply I instantly thought of the video you posted in the lets make some videos thread. Haha
 
I say we have a competition of man vs machine. That's never gone wrong.


There were several gadgets that did this back when straights were commonplace. Most were geared to oscillate a stone one direction while stroking the razor in the other, driven by the same gearing (usually a handcrank). They were pretty much not used by anyone as far as I can tell. No doubt it works, but the additional practice, risk, expense, etc involved over just going with film, which would be the nearest non-powered option I can think of, as well as the extreme limits put on potential finishes (unless you finish otherwise) seems to pretty much rule it out as an option for most shavers. I fail to see what makes it superior to simple belt sanders other than the fact that it has very high grit-rated belts available. In fact, I'd think a belt sander which hit a larger portion of the edge at once would prove easier to use.
 
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Nah, that is just using lapping film equivalents and having the electric company do the majority of the work instead of the guy holding the razor.

How do you think Gillette does it anyway?

Brian

That's crazier than using lapping films!




Congrats!
 
I've heard mixed reviews about the Work Sharp.
Some friends saw it at the BLADE show & didn't like it at all, others loved it.

In any case it isn't that far from a "regular" belt-sander & people who are good with these can put a literally shaving edge on a knife within minutes.
So no reason it wouldn't work on a razor. And you obviously have both knowledge & skills how to use it properly.

Personally I can see problems with the convexing that occurs, not on the initial edge but in the long run, especially if you at some point want to hone it using only stones.
My dream machine would also have a flat platen to work against.
But that is just me...

Thanks a lot for sharing & please keep us updated!

$image_21866.jpghttp://www.harborfreight.com/1-in-x-30-in-belt-sander-60543.html
 
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