The Ultimate Tormek Sharpening process for Professional Sharpeners

[@Adam-vx1th]

Great video as always! I am starting a small sharpening business as a side hustle (I am 17 and go to school) here in Sweden and you have been a huge inspiration for me. I am a bit curious how you are thinning knifes when you need to and how you get a nice polish after :)

[@ALXSHARPEN]

That's fantastic your starting a sharpening business. When I need to thin out a knife I do it on my 2x42 bucktool then to polish it back up I use Scotch Brite Conditioning belts on the 4x42 then I go to Radial Abrasive discs to finish the poshing if it needs more after that I take it to my Jet Buffer

[@robertmunguia250]

Nice! Can’t beat a tormek!

[@ALXSHARPEN]

It really is one of the best system for sharpening!

[@fldiverjc4496]

Awsome progression!!! Need try that out.

[@ALXSHARPEN]

Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.

[@WeberSharpening]

Often wondered why my tips were fatter and uneven. I'm going out to try the punching up and forward technique now.

[@ALXSHARPEN]

It’s amazing how small a change in technique can make a big difference in results!

[@lewisboyd7977]

Perfect timing. I'm talking to you in a different Video comment section. I have this exact knife x2, newer and older one. Shun actually says 16 degrees

[@ALXSHARPEN]

15-16 no big difference Shuns can handle even lower.

[@rickbottoms7838]

@@ALXSHARPENI have read that Shun knives are known to chip easily because the HRC is so high and the blades are so thin. If one continues to sharpen them at 15 to 16 degrees aren’t you continuing the chipping problem? I just sharpened 2 Shun knives for a neighbor. The chef knife had two good sized chips and a broken tip (that’s what caused me to study-up on them). I re-profiled them to 17 degrees to repair the chips and broken tip thinking that may add a little more toughness to the edge. Was I wrong? 🤔

[@ALXSHARPEN]

No 17 degrees would be stronger and less chip prone- They problem is not the knife or the sharpener it's the user. Keep in mind Japanese knives are made for cutting fish, veggies and soft stuff. We meaning (Americans) often use them like they are Western Knives. That's why we see so many chipped ones. We love the amazing sharpness and use them to cut everything. Should we? Probably not, but we do it. What's the down side well they often have lots of chips in them. They other problem is miss treatment when it comes to Shuns they don't do well if being soaked in water for long period of time and very bad if the client puts them in the washer and really that goes foe ALL KNIVES. I have done just what you did if I have a client with Shuns and I know from the condition they come in the shop that they are really hard on them sharpened them at 17 degrees to help them get better longevity out of the sharpening. The truth is a well sharpened Shun at 15 degrees and one at 17 degrees the average person couldn't tell you the difference. A while back I did a video on the Truth about knife angles. Customers only care about is it sharp they don't know 15 from 17 that also goes for most chefs the only ones who really know it are Sushi Chefs and 98% of them sharpen their own knives. I have done them for chefs who make Sushi but IMO they are not "True Sushi Chefs" True Shushi Chefs are trained in Japan and they know everything about their knives and how to care for them. They take care of them on an entire different level than most chefs here in the USA and they are truly some of the best hand sharpeners in the world. Why, because they maintain and work on their knives all the time. Also they are not using Shun knives or Miaybi they get their knives from well know Japanese knife makers and would not treat them how we do. Making Sushi isn't just making food for the true Shushi Chef the presentation and show and even care of their knife is a way of life.

[@rickbottoms7838]

@ WOW! Thanks for taking the time to give such a thorough response. It’s nice to know I’m on the right track with some of my sharpening decisions. With the exception of KZbin University I am learning and gaining experience in the vacuum of my sharpening bench. It’s a solitary hobby.

[@adambowhuntz]

Love the video👍 i have a t8 and am finally getting good with it, i use the base attachment for controlled angle stroping and it works really well. What kind of wheel are those cbn or diamond wheels?

[@ALXSHARPEN]

these are CBN but I have both

[@512Ryan]

Great video Paul, it's nice to see some detail on stroke technique & also your procedure for stropping. If you take 7 strokes to raise a consistent burr along the entire bevel, why do you stick with seven strokes on subsequent grits? Thanks 👍

[@ALXSHARPEN]

Since I moved to the 80 grit to start and after looking at several knives under the scope for how I sharpen and the amount of pressure I use I found its about 7 stokes to remove all the previous grind marks that's generally speaking. I do not always do that amount these Shun's were extremely dull and had not been sharpened in years and really needed a full reprofile IMO. Keep in mind we are all different so another person may use more or less pressure than me and may be a totally different amount of stokes but from having done a ton of knives and knowing how I sharpen I have a general idea of what's needed.

[@512Ryan]

@ thanks for detailing your thought process, I like this perspective. I've been reducing my grinding in an attempt to minimize wear & time, but have started to see lower grit scratches sneaking through until the end. Great explanation, thanks!

[@donniepointer9395]

Wicked edge

[@dougsmith4525]

Ty for another great video! Are those diamond wheels? Can't use water with them?

[@ALXSHARPEN]

They are CBN wheels and they don't need water because CBN repels heat CBN is short for Cubic boron nitride its second in hardness to diamond but since diamonds are carbon and carbon attracts heat that's why diamond abrasives are often cooled in water. With CBN it's not necessary and you can run them dry

[@piorun488]

Hello, can you write what kind of knife you have in the video?

[@Slide4949]

I have a 200 grit and a 1,000 wheel , if I get a 80 will I get similar results?

[@ALXSHARPEN]

I used 200-1000 a long time the 80 grit will just help speed things up especially on really bad dull knives. for me it knocked off around 4-5 min per knife

[@ALXSHARPEN]

the 80 to 1000 jump is pretty ruff I would still keep the 200 in that rotation if you can 80-200 -1000 I think you may have to spend to much time at 1000 if you go 80 right to 1000

[@yuhuuuu69]

Hi, why don't you use water with the Tormek? That's one of the key features of the machine which provides hazardous dust. I'm new to the sharpening business and i've also a Tormek. I put a sponge into the water tank so I can use a speed up Adapter and run the T8 at 140 rpm without messing around and spray water all over the place. But I think I use too many wheels. I usually go from 80, 160, 400, 800 CBN, 6µm, 3µm resin bond Diamond wheels and 1 µm and or 0,25 µm Diamond emulsion on a Rockhard Felt Wheel for shiny and long lasting results. Greets from Germany

[@ALXSHARPEN]

You should spend some time watching my other video I have covered why I use CBN and why I grind dry many times- in short its fine for CBN to grind dry

[@sylvainmorneau7083]

3 tormek Paul, your a gear junkie lol ;-)

[@ALXSHARPEN]

You've got to have the right tools to do the job right!

[@gorodph]

153 is an extremely poor result. I was expecting something around 70 to be honest.

[@ALXSHARPEN]

No sir it's not- How's your sharpening channel doing lets see. Followers (0) Videos Sharing or showing anything to others in the sharpening community on your KZbin (ZERO)- if you want to buy into the golf game BESS SCORES (BS) do it on your own channel, but if you think 153 is a bad score then you don't even really understand the purpose of the BESS TESTER my guess is you probably don't even own one.

[@psyfreaky5857]

@@ALXSHARPEN No offense, 153 is very impressive result. I would never give that sharp knife to any of my family members, safety reasons 🙂 BUT technically you can do it better. That's a challenge 👍