Tormek paste

[jderijcke]

hi
is anyone using the Tormek paste on a leather wheel but at a higher speed then a Tormek? Is it working or is the paste only to hone on a low speed turning wheel? Or is somebody using it on a leather handstrop?
Just curious. I use for the moment for my gouges felt wheels (with green past that melts in the wheels by the heat caused by the fast turning) on a recycled motor from a drier and arkansas stones. For my knifes : (sandingpaper if needed) cardboard with paste (flexcut and others).

[uvawyo]

I use it on an MDF board for hand stropping I think it works well

[Tom Ellis]

I use it on my hand strop, and also on my power hone. It is my favorite compound.

[Bob K.]

I use it on my TOMZ power strop. It seems to work well for me, but that's at a slow speed.

[jderijcke]

I use it on my hand strop, and also on my power hone. It is my favorite compound.

Is your power hone slow or fast speed?

[Tom Ellis]

It is 34 rpm, and reversible .

[Merle Rice]

I think if you use High Speed with any Paste will throw the Paste off the Wheel. Just my 2 cents worth. Merle

[Brian T]

All honing compounds are very fine abrasives. Therefore, the heat from friction should be quite sudden at anything more than low speed.
For compounds held in a waxy carrier (like most CrOx and CrOx/AlOx blends,), it's friction which melts the wax to get the compound to stick to the base.

I've got a white aluminum oxide honing "paste" which is no more than AlOx suspended in vinegar. The vendor told me so.
Applied too thick, I'd expect it to go crusty and chunks would come off. Hand-honing is plenty fast enough with the
AlOx smeared on denim fabric which is glued to baltic birch plywood strips. It's about 0.25 micron = plenty fine enough for the purpose.

[Buffalo Bif]

I don't use a paste, but can comment on speed. I use a 8" diameter leather covered wheel, with a waxy crayon type compound, moving around 100 RPM If I apply too much pressure or leave the tool on the wheel too long, I guarantee I will ruin the temper. On the other hand, a couple seconds on the wheel is the equivalent of eight strokes on a ten inch long hand strop. Takes about 30 seconds to do the same as 100 strokes on a hand strop. Move quickly, keep your finger on the blade. Skin gets damaged around 140 degrees, long before you'll hurt the steel.

[fiddlesticks]

The Tormek is excellent paste. I've used it on a Tormek and on a hand strop. Plain good stuff.

I now use a 1350 rpm grinder with compound. I'd have to try to burn a tool. They usually come off the wheel barely warm to the lips. I'm using the Koch paste as it's the Koch sharpener I have. I don't think the Tormek paste would fling off unless you glopped it on, but it may dry and then create dust at higher speeds. If that happens, I can recommend the Koch compound. It's good stuff for high speed wheels - it does fling off, but does a great job of sharpening/honing.

[jderijcke]

Thanks for the information everyone. Nice to have some feedback on an idea that's different of what you used to do.

[DiLeon]

I also use it on the Tomz super low speed, ..... but not my strops.

[drhandrich]

I would think too , if you can rely more on the stropping, of any kind and much much less on the arkansas stone and sandpaper.

[Brian T]

What's in the Tormek paste? Do they ever say? Any idea of measured nominal particle size(s)? Do you get a SDS data sheet?
Chromium Oxide is green. Aluminum Oxide is white. Oxides of iron and copper vary through rust-reds to brown-blacks.
Any other colors are dyes, added for appearance/identification of some particle size lot.

I find that I need a real inspection wit a 10X magnifier under a very bright (LED) light to judge the edge condition.

[Tom Ellis]

Brian, I had a person tell me that the Tormek is 600 grit alum. Ox. I can't find a data sheet anywhere though. It looks like toothpaste to apply to your strop, but the cream does not build up on the strop. It seems to dissipate, and leave the powder behind.