Blackstone Flat-Bottom V Thread

[All Flash 49]

On 05/02/2018 at 5:26 PM, koresh38 said:

Chiefs, in theory yes. But talking to the professional sharpener who is doing FBV for ages. He advises vice versa do the Pitch knob and do not touch the others when you calibrated them. Works for me much better than adjusting the sides.  

......hhhmmmm......

[x-track 8]

what do you guys think there are 3 adjusters for ??  ...right ...to adjust all three of em .....none of the above answers is correct !!

 

its like the dude in the hockey store telling me as i come in....don't touch the holder ..it's just set right !!??    ...wishful thinking !!

 

and yes ..15 clicks within one pairs of skates w bauer steel is not uncommon ....just poor quality control/ diffrent suppliers / various grades of corrosion w aluminum/steel runners    etc

[GunRunner 28]

On 1/29/2018 at 12:57 PM, Theory13 said:

I've been taking a chamios cloth, and doing a motion similar to wiping ice/snow off a blade (except I do it a bit firmmer, and a little more on the edge of the blade than focusing on the side walls).   It seems like I might be doing it similar to user "IPv6Freely" ??   ---   are you actually rubbing the edge of the blade with leather back towards the boot, and not down the blade?   Thanks for the advice!!

I take a piece of leather and run it down the blade back and forth, similar to how you would use a stone.  I also have a Lansky Leather Hone and use it the same way as a stone.  Good results with both and seems to do the trick.  I feel that I get far less burs with FBV than I do when I sharpen ROH.

[GunRunner 28]

On 2/5/2018 at 9:21 AM, chiefs17 said:

In regards to question 2 - Are you turning the Pitch knob to adjust the level of the blade?  You should not have to touch that knob once the machine is set up.  You should only be touching the left and right knobs.

I think in regards to the knobs, there are multiple ways to skin a cat.  If memory serves me correct, Blackstone says to not touch the pitch knob but what they don't tell you is that if you are making large adjustments (around 6 clicks or more on the toe and heel knob) you are going to have to adjust the pitch.  I actually adjust all three to move the blade up or down to get even edges.  If you adjust just the toe and heel knob, you are in theory adding more pitch and are basically taking the high edge away.  I'm sure multiple ways would give you the same results, I just feel that the way I do it works best for me. 

 

[GunRunner 28]

On 2/2/2018 at 10:55 PM, Buzz_LightBeer said:

2. If the edges are level front to back on the blade, I wouldn't be too concerned with how many clicks it took to get there. You could always pick up a calibration block to ensure the jig is set to its original state if you're concerned.

 

 

 

I tried using the calibration block from Blackstone and I feel that it is a complete piece of junk and a waste of time, doesn't even get you close.  When I set my machine up, I took a micrometer and measured the true thickness of the wheel and then found the center and made a small mark with a thin sharpie.  Next, I mic'd the steel and found the center and marked it as well.  I put the boot in the holder and adjusted the holder until the two lines were even.  Now, all of this worked because I originally had to adjust the arbor for the stone so that the center of the dressing from the spinner was actually in the center of the stone.  On my machine, it seemed like a new worker put it together and was not correct.  Luckily for me, I have a machining background and unlucky for me I have extreme OCD.

[GunRunner 28]

In regards to the wheels, I use the ruby wheels and noticed that they are no longer listed on Blackstone's website.  Does anyone know if they discontinued the 4" ruby wheels?  I wish they offered all the wheels in 4" that they do in 8".  I also wish I knew what abrasive company they source their wheels through and just buy straight from them.  I get tired of having to buy $150 worth of stuff to get free shipping and not pay their overinflated shipping prices.    

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

2 hours ago, GunRunner said:

In regards to the wheels, I use the ruby wheels and noticed that they are no longer listed on Blackstone's website.  Does anyone know if they discontinued the 4" ruby wheels?  I wish they offered all the wheels in 4" that they do in 8".  I also wish I knew what abrasive company they source their wheels through and just buy straight from them.  I get tired of having to buy $150 worth of stuff to get free shipping and not pay their overinflated shipping prices.    

They’re out of stock - backordered 3 weeks. 

[x-track 8]

what does OCD stand for ??

[chiefs17 2]

14 hours ago, x-track said:

what do you guys think there are 3 adjusters for ??  ...right ...to adjust all three of em .....none of the above answers is correct !!

 

its like the dude in the hockey store telling me as i come in....don't touch the holder ..it's just set right !!??    ...wishful thinking !!

 

and yes ..15 clicks within one pairs of skates w bauer steel is not uncommon ....just poor quality control/ diffrent suppliers / various grades of corrosion w aluminum/steel runners    etc

So 15 clicks of adjustment is not uncommon, but you didn't say for which knob.  Or are you saying all 3 knobs add up to 15 clicks? 

The Pitch knob doesn't have nearly as much effect in moving the blade as the L and R knobs do.  That's why, once you set the Pitch knob initially, you never have to touch it again.

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

I use all 3 knobs to adjust accordingly to whatever skates I'm sharpening.  Blackstone recommends that you don't touch the pitch knob too often, but from their own rep, they say at times it's inevitable.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

6 minutes ago, shoot_the_goalie said:

I use all 3 knobs to adjust accordingly to whatever skates I'm sharpening.  Blackstone recommends that you don't touch the pitch knob too often, but from their own rep, they say at times it's inevitable.

I'm not a pro skate sharpener and have never used a manual skate sharpening machine, but particularly for FBV cuts where its not just a constant radius I would have thought that if you needed to adjust the height of the skate blade, you'd want to adjust all three knobs, so that the pitch of the blade didn't change and it remained parallel in both axis to the grinding wheel?

Mark

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

4 minutes ago, marka said:

Howdy,

I'm not a pro skate sharpener and have never used a manual skate sharpening machine, but particularly for FBV cuts where its not just a constant radius I would have thought that if you needed to adjust the height of the skate blade, you'd want to adjust all three knobs, so that the pitch of the blade didn't change and it remained parallel in both axis to the grinding wheel?

Mark

Yes.  That's why I said I use all 3 knobs normally.  The latter part of my statement is what a Blackstone rep told me.  

[x-track 8]

1 hour ago, marka said:

Howdy,

I'm not a pro skate sharpener and have never used a manual skate sharpening machine, but particularly for FBV cuts where its not just a constant radius I would have thought that if you needed to adjust the height of the skate blade, you'd want to adjust all three knobs, so that the pitch of the blade didn't change and it remained parallel in both axis to the grinding wheel?

Mark

this !!!

[GunRunner 28]

12 hours ago, chiefs17 said:

So 15 clicks of adjustment is not uncommon, but you didn't say for which knob.  Or are you saying all 3 knobs add up to 15 clicks? 

The Pitch knob doesn't have nearly as much effect in moving the blade as the L and R knobs do.  That's why, once you set the Pitch knob initially, you never have to touch it again.

I think 15 clicks of adjustment for any skate is not common or normal.  If I had to adjust 15 clicks on a player skate, that tells me there is a problem with the blade and I would start looking into it.  Just to give you an idea, I adjust 18 clicks down from a player skate setting for goalie steel because goalie steel is 4mm thick where player steel is 3mm thick.  Since goalie steel is visibly thicker than player steel and I'm adjusting 18 clicks for that, then 15 clicks is a lot for player steel.  I have had steel that I was sharpening that was bent and had to compensate with a lot of clicks on either the toe or heel dial to get even edges and that is one of those times where I had to investigate to find the problem.  I would say if you were sharpening a pair of skates, about 4 clicks of adjustment from one skate to the other would be acceptable.  Usually, in a pair of skates, each skate is pretty much the same as the other.  The only skates that are usually not even close are the cheap skates where the steel is not removable and is formed into the holder.  If the steel is removable, they are usually the same.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

In an environment that you're in (single user) you shouldn't see that much deviation between skates.  Same goes for the pitch knob.  You should be in that zone from skate to skate that you don't have to click that much.  If you're not, I suggest checking how you're clamping the skate to the holder.

I spring my holders to control the bolt on top of the yoke.  It makes sure that the distance between the anvil and the clamp is always the same; you just put the skate on, put the clamp, and pull up. If you set it for a player skate, notch the top of the bolt.  Then when you do a goal skate, you can turn it and just go by the notch.  

If you're in a commercial setting with multiple users using the same holder, it's not uncommon to see that.   Some people clamp them tight, some loose, some don't know what they're doing, etc...

 

[daveb 1]

Hello everyone, I have a question on my spinners.  Everyone says they are lasting a long time for them , usually for several wheels. I seem to be going through a spinner a wheel.

     I basically sharpen 3 pairs of skates  ( mine and my 2 kids). I dress the wheel after sharpening a pair. I am dressing the wheel until it no longer has black on it from my fine shine passes. I lightly touch the spinner to the wheel just barely touching it. I appear to have 2 spinners that are bad. They developed a shiny spot that looks like a line around the spinner. When I sharpen the skates they have a hollow and look sharp ,but one side of the blades will have a dull edge . The dull edge will coincide with the shiny spot on the dressing wheel. 

   I bought a new drag cap and the spinner spins freely.

  Anyone else have this problem?

 Thanks 

 

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

There has to be some resistance on the drag cap. Imagine it “hooking” onto the wheel and stopping once it’s formed the wheel. 

They should be lasting much longer than one wheel. 

[chiefs17 2]

12 hours ago, daveb said:

Hello everyone, I have a question on my spinners.  Everyone says they are lasting a long time for them , usually for several wheels. I seem to be going through a spinner a wheel.

     I basically sharpen 3 pairs of skates  ( mine and my 2 kids). I dress the wheel after sharpening a pair. I am dressing the wheel until it no longer has black on it from my fine shine passes. I lightly touch the spinner to the wheel just barely touching it. I appear to have 2 spinners that are bad. They developed a shiny spot that looks like a line around the spinner. When I sharpen the skates they have a hollow and look sharp ,but one side of the blades will have a dull edge . The dull edge will coincide with the shiny spot on the dressing wheel. 

   I bought a new drag cap and the spinner spins freely.

  Anyone else have this problem?

 Thanks 

 

Maybe you are dressing the wheel too long.  When I dress the wheel I only let the spinner touch the wheel for a second, then I back it off.  Do that once or twice at the most for a single dressing.

I dress once per pair of blades.  I used to dress before every blade, but I think that's overkill.  You definitely don't have to get a bright new-wheel look when you dress.  You will still see some black from the Fine Shine.  Grinding wheels are porous and the oil will soak in, causing a slight discoloration.

I am on my original 3 spinners from when the XO1 was first released (I've gone through about 10 grinding wheels), and I really only use the 1/2" ROH now, which has seen many, many dressings.  Granted, I probably need a new drag cap because my spinner can really spin, but I think that my spinner may have lasted longer because of that.

[JagrBombs 0]

Holy crap, I'd be broke if I went through a spinner a wheel. I have a slew of spinners but generally only use three: 95/75, 100/1 and 5/8. I've probably gone through 20 wheels each on the 95/75 and the 5/8, and I only recently replaced the 5/8 because I figured after nearly four years, it was about time. It still sharpened just fine. Not to mention, I was extremely hard on the spinners at first due to a misaligned arbor that I didn't diagnose properly for two years.

Edited March 26, 2018 by JagrBombs

[AfftonDad 88]

I use all three knobs each skate. But I have adjusted my holder to be perfectly flat (at least to the extent that I can measure). If I'm low at both ends I move all three up by the same amount until one side is high and the other low. Then I use just the front knobs for the rest. If it starts with both high, then I move all three knobs down by the same amount until one side is high and one side is low, then use just the front two knobs. After I'm done I return all three knobs to the "zero" position which I have marked on the holder. 

I contacted the inventor of the tri-lie holder once and asked him if you should use all three knobs. He said "of course,"

Edited March 28, 2018 by AfftonDad

[koresh38 10]

Hello, there. Sorry if it was already discussed here but still. Have Blackstone X02 - quite happy with it. Doing blades for my family and friends.What bugs me though is the "waveringness" on the blades after my passes. I mean when you look at the blades after finish you can see like small waves on the bottom of them. Not like it bothers me a lot but still... I can only suspect it is either due to the small radius of wheel (4') or I should press harder. But any comment from more experienced people appreciated.

And the other thing is final polish. Some of the guys achieve like a mirror finish after their final pass which looks awesome. I can not get it with Blackstone fine shine. Probably someone can share a secret  which lube to use?

Thanks for all your help. It is a very useful forum.

 

[trtaylor 3]

54 minutes ago, koresh38 said:

Hello, there. Sorry if it was already discussed here but still. Have Blackstone X02 - quite happy with it. Doing blades for my family and friends.What bugs me though is the "waveringness" on the blades after my passes. I mean when you look at the blades after finish you can see like small waves on the bottom of them. Not like it bothers me a lot but still... I can only suspect it is either due to the small radius of wheel (4') or I should press harder. But any comment from more experienced people appreciated.

And the other thing is final polish. Some of the guys achieve like a mirror finish after their final pass which looks awesome. I can not get it with Blackstone fine shine. Probably someone can share a secret  which lube to use?

Thanks for all your help. It is a very useful forum.

 

I think I know what you are describing. If it is subtle and you have to "look hard" to see it, I wouldn't be overly concerned. If more than that might be a dressing issue. What shape is your spinner in? Have you tried cleaning it?The best way to learn how to get rid of it is practice. Get some old steel and see what you can do to eliminate it.

I have tried different items to use as a final polish. Results all look the same to me, so I just use fine shine, since it is convenient to apply.

How clean is your tri-lite felt pad? Do you use a dry lube on your table top? I use Super Lube Dri-Film spray.

Try a lighter touch with your last pass. Some wheels are reportedly better with a lighter touch. I have a big machine and use a blue cobalt, but that is not a wheel available to you. I have used some other wheels, like the ruby, and again, not seen a noticeable difference.

For my last pass I go against the rotation of the wheel very, very lightly. Works for me.

Finding the right combination of pressure and speed on your passes should eliminate it, assuming the wheel is dressed properly.

[koresh38 10]

Thanks, trtaylor.

Yes, it is subtle mostly. The spinners are quite new as I have 5 of them and use them occasionally. And bought the machine less than a year ago. 

Tri-lie  felt pad is also clean and I use Tef-Top puck. As for the wheels my favourite is ruby. Pink is to "gentle" and orange is too "rough"-))). But closer to the end the wheel lifespan "waveringness" gets worse...

Again, with the last pass you go against the rotation then? So, different direction to the sharpening process? Hmm... need to try this...

Yea, I guess it is a combination of different issues and go out with the experience...

[trtaylor 3]

9 minutes ago, koresh38 said:

...

Again, with the last pass you go against the rotation then? So, different direction to the sharpening process? Hmm... need to try this...

...

That is correct. Takes a light touch (very minimal sparks), but if done correctly has a slight burnishing effect. 

[koresh38 10]

On 7/23/2018 at 6:01 PM, trtaylor said:

That is correct. Takes a light touch (very minimal sparks), but if done correctly has a slight burnishing effect. 

Thank you, trtaylor!

Tried it and it does look better. Will try to perfect it now....