...and it's good to be back! We've been out of the country the last week+ and it's nice to be home again. We did pick up some interesting information that we'd like to share with the Exchange but it's going to take us a few days to put it together. Talk to you all soon!

I have purchased quiet a few belts from Econ Abrasives http://www.econabrasives.com and was at their website just a short while ago.  They had some unique belts I've not found at other places. 

Now they appear to be gone.  Anybody know what happened to them?

Because a belt sander runs in one direction Scotch-Brite or similar metal conditioning belts can produce a definite directional “grain” in the finish.  This is different than S-B type pads on something like a random orbital sander which does not produce directional scratches in he finish.
 
The directional scratches produced with a belt sander can produce some interesting, fun and strange visual effects.  Check out the picture.  Below the polished ring at the top is a steel tube comprised of three screw together segments.  I separated the segments and finished each section of the tube with an S-B belt on the Kally holding each segment at opposing 45° angles. 
 
The visual effect is quite stunning.  Light shining on it makes it look horribly bent like it was run over with a truck or something.  But it’s just an optical delusion.  The tube is perfectly straight and where the segments join is perfectly smooth.  It’s really weird, deceptive and kind of freaky.  Just looking at it in your hand you’d swear it’s all bent to hell. 

   

The Disposable Clip System or “test clips” are quick and convenient but it is important to understand readings produced when using test clips need to be normalized to equal the BESS standard.
 
Using the Aluminum Test Fixture (ATF) produces standard BESS readings.  Unaltered test clips produce 20% lower sharpness readings than when using the ATF.  In other words, sharpness readings when using test clips show 20% too sharp.  To standardize the test clip results add 20%.
 
From: https://www.edgeonup.com/PT50%20Series_Manual_A_B_C.pdf
 
Disposable Clip System – While the EOU Disposable Clip System utilizes BESS Certified test media in its construction, EOU test clips havenot yet received full certification from BESSU. Test Clips are manufactured by EOU and not BESSU. In their unaltered state Test Clips will generatea very reliable20% deviation (lowerand across all measurement ranges) than the BESS Standard. To convert a Test Clip measurement to a BESS measurement simply multiply the test clip result by (1.2). If the test media tension is relieved in the test clip by working one leg of the clip forward and then back test clips match BESS scores perfectly. It is this de-tensioning process and the more limited range of test clips that are the subjects of continued discussions with BESSU. Test Clips are tensioned to meet the needs of our medical and test laboratory customers more fully. Tensioning also makes home kitchen use more simple and safer.

Hi everyone, I’m new here but I have a question, We started using the Sharp PT50B, which we like very much to test the sharpness for our customers. I saw in a video on YouTube from knife grinders. There was a Bess sharpness card on the table that showed the before and after sharpness score. We would love to be able to use this card and give to our customers. How does one obtain a Bess license or certification for our shop. Any help here would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help

yesterday i received 2 nice swords to clean up.  both are from VPI which is Virginia Polytechnic Institute which is known as Virginia Tech.

fellow called, said i want you to clean up as best you can my fathers Class of 1962 sword and his grandfathers sword from the Class of 1928....2 really nice items.

i can handle all the cleaning of the blades and scabbards..........my question is the how do you suggest the best method and material for cleaning the ornate chain and clip type items........what do you recommend to get ib between all those tiny chain links?

pictures attached............thanks
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last week i ordered a few needed belts from Trugrit and i was running low on white compound so i decided to try their brand (JacksonLea).  everything came in today, so i had a good number of knives to sharpen today and i broke out this new white compound.

must be some really great stuff.  i left it sitting on top of my table while i when to the store (45mins) came back and 1 of my 2 dogs had it in the yard and 50% gone........i called Trugrit to find out what it was made of and guy said he would fine out from Osborne if they were open, but they had closed.

it seems it is mostly tallow and abrasive.........internet said many dogs have done the same.......no problems........ they have never messed with any other compound before.

comments please
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I would like a good powered sharpening system.  I currently have a WorkSharp Ken Onion and have sharped several hundred blades with it.  It's a really good machine for the money, but it's "slow" in that it can't really remove metal fast enough to sharpen knives quickly.  On maximum speed, it's also very loud.  

I think what I want is a 1x42 belt sander with variable speed and reversible.  I also want something to make deburring very easy.  Several people have recommended a paper wheel on a bench grinder (buffer).  This has the added advantage of having two wheels, so I can use the other wheel for something like a cotton buffing wheel, which I would use for deburring serrated blades (the serrated side, after having ground the flat side to form a burr).

I would like to be able to see the burr forming as I sharpen.  It seems like a horizontal belt is the best way to do this.  I've occasionally gotten lucky with lighting and been able to see the burr form on the WSKO.  It's really neat to do it this way.  I'd like a setup that's designed to make this happen.

Until recently I thought that sharpening edge leading on a belt was incredibly dangerous.  But over the last week or so I've read a lot of discussion on this that seems to conclude that edge leading sharpening on a belt has a very low probability of grabbing the blade and throwing it.  I'm interested in opinions on this too.  Edge leading would seem to be a better way to reduce burr size to start with so deburring will be easier.

I've looked at the Veil S5 that Steve Bottorf sells, with the adapter plate to let it take the Penn variable speed motor.  But that setup doesn't appear to be truly variable (only goes down to 600 RPM) and it is not reversible.  Maybe reversible isn't important; I'm not sure as I lack experience with real belt grinders.

I've also considered the Kallamazoo 1SM.  I can only seem to find these with a single speed motor included.  Which probably means I need buy my own motor and waste the money on the motor that was already included.

Today I talked to Richard Pope who has made a lot of machines like this.  But he's mainly focusing on scissor sharpening now and his products are mostly out of my price range at > $1000 .

Thanks for any advice for specific machine setups.  Also thoughts on edge leading sharpening, reversible motors, and deburring are all appreciated.

Brian.

see you soon

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