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For those of you using the scary sharp system, where do you get the abrasive sheets and how fine are you going? I need either 8" discs or sheet big enough to make my own. A supplier that gives a small bulk discount would be great.
tia

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

I just buy the assorted automotive type wet/dry at the local Canadian Tire... They go from about 340 to 2000 grit...   I use the stone (or bench sander) to set the initial bevel and start polishing from there.... Hope this helps.

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Same here, John. I go to 2,000 and get the finer grits from the local auto store or Walmart.

I take it you're planning to make a mororized rotary model. What are you planning to use as a flat base? How many RPMs? Let us know how it turns out. In the meantime, I'll continue to use bicep power. Good luck!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I got the idea from the link I posted the other day motorized scary sharp and since I have an unused motor already and some pulleys left over from an abandoned buffer I retired a few years ago and lots of dull chisels, I though why not. I'm going to have the local glass shop cut me some 8" discs of 1/4" plate glass and they will sit on the rotating plater. The pulleys I have should get the RPM's to about 300 or so. The article says 200 RPM but I see that Lee Valley's system turns at 650 RPM so I think I'll be alright. At first I will probably just use my veritas guide but I will eventually make a guide similar to the MKII guide. I will set one of the glass plates up as a honing plate with either felt or leather. I'll be sure to post the pics when I'm done.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Funny you mention this John. I just got my MKII from Lee Valley yesterday and proceeded to make mirrors out of my chisels last night. Chuckling and looking around for things to test sharpness with.
I went to 1500 and achieved scary sharp mirror by then (hairs literally leaping out of my arm before the blade gets within 1/4 inch of them). Not sure what 2000 would get me. I found great prices on wet-dry grits 800 and up HERE. 50 sheets of 9X11 for $12. Not too shabby.
Interested in hearing about your motorized experience!

Thanks Alan. Hey since we are sort of geographically co-located mayhaps we can split an order of this stuff next time you are ready to buy.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

After looking at that motorized scarey sharp link I realized that it looks Very Similar to a potters wheel. I bet one could be easily adapted for sharpening. One feature that is good about them is that they usually have have controlable rpm's, and can operate slowly. A negative factor is price from potter supply stores, but there are lots of plans available for DIY. And optionally, there are non-motorized versions called 'kick wheels' that operate by foot power, and rpm's are very controllable.

CrowDuck

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

[QUOTE=John How] Thanks Alan. Hey since we are sort of geographically co-located mayhaps we can split an order of this stuff next time you are ready to buy.[/QUOTE]

Good idea. I would be ready anytime. I just got a small pack of 1000, 1500 & 2000 but will be ready for more by spring. I'm suprised how quickly the paper wears when sharpening. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but two chisels and two plane plates and I had used up two sheets of 800...

[QUOTE=ATaylor] Maybe I'm doing something wrong but two chisels and
two plane plates and I had used up two sheets of 800...[/QUOTE]

My trouble hasn't been that the paper wears out, but rather that I slice
through it, especially at the higher grits. It's not as bad if I'm using a
honing jig to keep the angle, but if I'm doing it freehand, I have to be
really careful about it.

[QUOTE=ecklesweb] [QUOTE=ATaylor] Maybe I'm doing something wrong but two chisels and
two plane plates and I had used up two sheets of 800...[/QUOTE]

My trouble hasn't been that the paper wears out, but rather that I slice
through it, especially at the higher grits. It's not as bad if I'm using a
honing jig to keep the angle, but if I'm doing it freehand, I have to be
really careful about it.[/QUOTE]

I did that as well. All I figured out is only a pull-stroke on paper will work. If I did anything else, I would tear the paper or shave off the grit. I would go back and forth on a stone - especially when lapping. Part of my newbieness (to coin a word), I guess a pull stroke is really the only thing one should do when sharpening: stone or scary sharp.

I use scary on plane blades and chissels and rairly tear the paper, yeh it wears out, but thats normal. I believe that a push stroke is the correct way, not a pull. Have knife sharpening jigs and broadhead too, all are on the push stroke. Maybe you have a burr on the corner of your blade, or your paper is not real tight to the substrate. Not sure why I do tear once in a while, maybe I rock the blade. But I believe a push stroke is correct.

pull....

I just use regular wet/dry paper from the home center up to 800 grit, then 3M paper from a bodyshop supplier in 1500 and 2000 grit. I can't see where going above 2000 will buy me anything - they become mirrors at that grit! I can use both push and pull strokes on the coarser grits, but switch to pull only on the finer grits to mitigate tearing the paper...

-Mark

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Yep, I have to agree with Mario. Pull stroke is the way to go. Think about it--if you push your edge into the grit, you're plowing into any bits of abrasive that stick up above the rest, thus dulling the edge you're trying to sharpen. Also, it seems that abrasive papers of any type want to bunch up in front of a push stroke, and any time you push your edge into anything that's not absolutely flat, you're going to dull it. If the paper deforms behind the tool on a pull stroke, the metal hitting it first will flatten it for the edge. Works for me.

I'm thinking about something like this for a 'motorized scarey sharp' setup. Cut some 5" plate glass circles to dbl tape on the wheel with sandpaper glued on top. Trip to Toys Are Us coming up.

CrowDuck

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.