Grinding Wheels

I have been expecting for this subject to come up, but I figured I had to be the one to get it started.
It seems like Mr. Steve Johnson wrote a long article about his polishing steps, what kind of belts, etc...
Mabe certain type of grinding wheels could help to get the job done a little easier. Or mabe it is just the grinding wheels that we get so used to that we never change.
What I learned with Mr. Steve Johnson over the years is almost what I still do now. Use a hard serrated wheel for rough grinding and a soft smooth wheel for finishing.
Now if there is something Mr. Steve Johnson knows about me is that I am always changing, trying, testing, etc.,,, to make a certain step of my knife making suit my own ways.
I will give you an idea on how different knifemakers are on how they grind. Dietmar Kressler grinds EVERYTHING on a 18" smooth hard wheel for hunters. That is it.
I got used to grinding with the finer belts on a hard wheel. I have noticed is that I can get a little more life out off the belts and keep the grinding line very crisp. I still finish up my job on a soft wheel.
Another type of wheel I am starting to like is the SOFT serrated wheels. Those seem to keep a little cooler and I think the cork belts work better on them.
How is this for a start. I would expect to see some different points of view on this subject, but I decided to keep my post short.
Ricardo Velarde
www.velardeknives.com

Thanks for the comments, Ricardo.

It never hurts to think "outside the box," or try something new. There is always another way to do things and, often, that new way can be better, or faster than the old way and still allow one to keep the quality up and get the same job done.

Are bader wheels marked as to what durometer they are? When I ordered mine, it just came with the wheels I ordered by size.

Also, is there a better durometer setting for working in the bevels on a grind? My goal is to have nice, clean rounded bevels, but all I am getting is squared off bevels, which I find very disturbing. Does wheel hardness affect this at all? Also, if I took a file and gently rounded the edges on my wheel, would it help give me a more rounded bevel?

Hello Bob. I am surprised it is taking this long for people to make any comments on this subject.
I think when you order grinding wheels you are better off to specify the durometer you like or want.
I think the harder the durometer on the wheels the easier it is to make those bevels on the blade. After that it is only a clean up job and not necesarily a shaping job. I think with a soft wheel if you try to change things around too much you might end up rounding some corners.
Some people use a radius on the corner of the grinding wheel to make the bevels on the blade, but my opinion is that if you depend on the wheel to create that, then you are limiting yourself to what you can do with your hands.
I like my grinding wheels with square corners.
This is only my opinion, but I think that BY FAR Steve Johnson has the best grind lines, bevels, radiuses etc,,, in the business. I think he can give you a lot more advise and expand a little more on the subject. He is the Master. (At least in the northeast corner of Manti, Utah! - editor)
Keep trying and good luck with your knifemaking.
Ricardo Velarde
www.velardeknives.com

I have been staring at a rough ground Johnson blade every night for the last week and a half and the bevels and lines make me week in the knees I don't think he is getting this one back. It is required for academic study

Hey! Where'dyougetthatblade???

Blade fairy

To answer one of my own questions, the duro is on a little blue tag on the side of the wheel.

Now back to my mantra...must have clean grinds...must have clean grinds...must have clean grinds...

Oh, her again. That explains everything.

By the way. What duro do you use for the hard, serrated wheel? Mine are 90. How about the soft, smoothe wheel? Mine are 60. (According to the little blue tags on the side of the newer wheels.

The 4" 50/50 serrated that I use on fighters, for grinding AND polishing works fine, but it definately isn't as aggressive as the harder serrated wheels which have 33% lands/66% grooves. It feels like about a 60, when compared to the other soft ones, above. No markings on the wheel, it's pretty old.

Any other types, or hardness you use, anyone?

Both of the 10" wheels I got with the grinder initally are 70. I didn't know any better to go harder or softer. My 3" wheel is soft. After using it, I wish my serrated wheel was harder. I will be more edumacated in the future.

It took some time, but I knew some good information would come out on this topic. I thought it was important, because it can get very frustrating working with the wrong grinding wheels. Or, if you are just getting started, at least you will save some $$$ and be a little more educated on what to order.
Good luck you guys
Ricardo Velarde
www.velardeknives.com

Glad we got some input here. Every new maker ought to seriously consider what type of wheel(s) he needs at the outset, rather than having to buy new one(s) after it's too late.

No comments about wheel diameters? what diameter wheels do you use when you hollow grind. Darrel Ralph is making a folder for me and he used to be a flat grind only knifemaker. Recently Kit Carson got him to switch to using a 14" wheel and hollow grinding. Darrel tells me that the blades come out wicked sharp. So I'm getting it done that way, what do you guys use / do ?

On little "Whittler" types I use a 10", on hunters a 14", thanks to Ricardo's insistance! On fighters, from, say, 6" to Big Bears, it's a 4" and on a boot/dirk a 3".

The smaller wheel gives you a sharper center line. It may require a bit of "feathering" out to the edge, but you, or should I say "I," like a crisper looking center line than you'd get with a larger diameter wheel.

I like the idea of using a wheel on a folder blade. Certainly a longer lasting edge would be possible, since, as it is sharpened, it won't immedaitely begin to get thicker. But I'm hardly the man to comment on folder blades at this point in time.

I like it, I like it. I see more comments and very usefull ones.
I know most grinding machines in this country are small. We use 72" belts. Over in Germany Dietmar Kressler has some machines that use 117" belts or mabe 140". That allows them to use bigger wheels. With Dietmar I got used to useing an 18" wheel and we were looking into useing a 22". All this for Hunters.
Ricardo Velarde
www.velardeknives.com

Pretty soon he will be jacking up a VW Bug and running belts off the tires Variable speed means giving it more gas: