Does anyone use a sharpening hone like the TWDesign hone to sharpen Lindsay style gravers? I currently use a drill press mounted arbor and various grit diamond discs. I wonder if going to a true sharpening hone will improve the quality of my graver sharpening. Thanks for any help…Rob
Hi Rob,
I use a GRS power hone and angle fixture…
I would venture to say that the stability of the fixture/ holder to maintain its position, and maintain a particular angle is the critical part of the equation…
my angle fixture has a magnetic base…there is a fixed post…and the graver holder “head”…
the graver holder head has 2 angle adjustments…once the angles are dialed in, the graver holder head slides down for the graver to contact the hone.
when i think about graver sharpening…i think about keeping the graver at the correct angles, and not “rolling”…and presenting the graver in the preferred edge direction, relative to the metal grain…and i think fixtures help with this…
as far as the power hone itself goes…it has forward and reverse, it is flat…
i have 240/600/1200 and a ceramic wheel with diamond spray…
i think the progression of grits to diamond are critical to getting a good edge too…
Julie
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Julie…Thanks, the Lindsay system uses temples to control the angles. As you point out, rolling is a potential problem, but it is easy to control with the templates. The diamond pads are 260, 600, 1200 and 2000 grit with a micron polishing sheet to polish the final cutting surfaces. You can work on any smooth surface as long as a .5" differential is maintained between the working surface and top of the diamond surface. You can use diamond pads for rough and final cutting, but the rough cutting is far easier using an arbor mounted disc on the drill press. My question is will the power hone increase both the speed and accuracy of the initial and final cutting. They are fairly expensive, but I would buy one if it is an improvement over my drill press mounted system. Thanks…Rob
Hi Rob,
are your diamond pads “hard”…?
my/ the power hone wheels are metal, and “hard”…ie: no “give”…
…“give” could round corners…
the final polish ceramic disc is hard also…
the ceramic disc gives the heel a mirror polish, which translates to a mirror finish on the cut metal
carbide gravers are harder and hold a polish way better but are more brittle…
getting a good cutting edge is one thing
getting a mirror polish bright cut finish is another thing
maybe you just need metal diamond discs if you dont already…?
Julie
Both the pads and the discs are hard. Take a look at;
https://www.airgraver.com/sharpening.htm
and you will see what his sharpening system looks like. It is designed around 3/32 square HHS, M42, M48 or carbalt blanks…Rob
Hi Rob,
what issue(s) are you trying to solve in terms of your sharpening protocol…knowing this might help inform the possible solutions…
…the power hone is fast and flat/ accurate…requires no real physical effort, and provides a flat base/ case upon which to consistently place/ stabilize the fixture
does your drill press set up have a stable fixed flat base/ case upon which to rest your templates?
does the lindsay template have a collet? so that the graver goes back into it in the exact same alignment as when it was previously sharpened?
if your discs are hard metal/ no flex, then it should work similarly
i feel like the fixture/ templates job is more important than the mechanics of the hone action…because basically the hone just spins, and is flat…not sure what the rpms are…drill press vs hone…
be sure to position the gravers metal grain “parallel/ in line” with the rotation…if that makes sense…ie: graver at 3 oclock, counterclockwise rotation…
on a related note…after the graver has been shaped and polished, on the powerhone…or stones…they can be quickly touched up (by “hand”) using the below diamond polishing wheels, in a flexshaft…
some people mirror polish the face and heel…but the heel polish is what affects the surface mirror finisj bright cut
julie
Julie…I don’t have any issues, I am just curious if, in the Lindsay system, a true power hone has any advantages over a drill press mounted disc. Thanks…Rob
HI Rob,
another thing I thought of…
each of my gravers is in its own dedicated collet, which fits into both the power hone fixture and the gravermax handle…with the point being that the graver never changes orientation after it is initially put into the collet…
there are a few different ways to use the fixture…
-
put a standard graver into the “V” slot of the fixture head, sharpen it, then remove it
-
use a “quick change” collet on the graver, and put it into the “V” slot of the fixture head, sharpen it, then remove it
-
put a “quick change” adapter in the fixture head (i think these are now standard in the fixtures, but were not when I bought mine) use a “quick change” collet on the graver, and put it into the “quick change adapter” of the fixture head, sharpen it, then remove it
GRS Apex® Dual Angle Fixture - GRS
only #3 ensures that the graver is put into the fixture in the exact same, repeatable orientation…
this is important so that you are always grinding/ polishing the exact same angle…versus a slightly different angle than was previously put on the graver…caused by putting the graver in by “eye”…
if that makes sense…
i find this to be an important factor…more so for the fixture, rather than the power hone…
Julie