Lion wetstone sharpener

[Markwfish]

Hi all, just wondered if anyone on here has any experience with a lion wetstone sharpener. I know these are antique & obsolete but I've just acquired one & would like to give it a second lease of life.
The motor & bearings & housing are all good but I cannot get the rusty stone off the top!
Does the black stone retaining knob on the top, thread into the spindle to hold the stone on? & are new stones available for this machine. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[Cabinetman]

Don’t know about your exact one mark but I have a similar quite cheap and nasty thing which works extremely well for re-grinding my chisels and plain blades. Not sure why yours has been worn away at the edge like that and why your stone should be rusty is anybody’s guess. The black boss in the centre of yours as I’m sure you know has lock written on it with arrows so fairly obviously just tap it round in the opposite direction and it should come off, various stones are available but you will need to measure yours to find out if you can get one to fit. Ian

 

[Inspector]

I don't have one but bet that if you dress the stone with a Dimond dresser it will clean up and work like new.

Pete

 

[Markwfish]

Hi ian thanks for your reply. The issue is that the steel backing on the stone is extremely rusty & deformed so the top of the stone is not running true. I can turn that black locking knob but should it unscrew or just turn a bit?? If so the pin has rusted in the spindle. It was a garage find but will be ideal for sharpening my site chisels & plane blades so would like to give it a second lease of life if poss. The motor & bearings are all good, its the fact the stone backing is severely corroded & i cant get that securing knob off..
The stone is not so bad, i've seen far worse! If i have to i'll attach it to a new backing plate & true it up but i need to get it apart!!

 

[powertools]

I can't tell from your photo if your machine is the same as mine. If it is mine came with a tool that fits into the slots in the black nut that you have to unscrew completely to remove the stone.

 

[Markwfish]

Thankyou! The model i have is an L10, I can only turn that black knob maybe 1cm, not convinced the thread is turning at all, the plastic may be loose on the bolt
I'll try some heat on the spindle otherwise i'll have to cut wetsone off to remove it & look at remounting stone.

 

[Cabinetman]

Hi Mark well you have the black boss moving which is a good start I would just keep at it and hope it comes off eventually, mine doesn’t have a metal backing to the stone so can’t really advise on that.
A random thought occurred to me that you could bond a disc of ply or aluminium onto the stone ensuring that the new disc runs true, and stick sanding disks onto that to grind your chisels and plane blades on. Can’t guarantee it will work but if you have nothing else to lose might be worth a try. Ian

 

[Markwfish]

Thanks ian, I shall persevere with the black locking nut but i think the plastic is moving and not the thread. I shall try some heat on the spindle and hope for the best. The stone has a metal backing which is severely corroded but the stone is not actually that bad. If i can get it apart i can make new steel backing & stick the stone to it, then i can true the stone. The only issue there will be to make the hole with the flat centrally to ths new backing but i have a plan . . . .
I have the tool rest but not the clamps to hold any tools, would love to find a donor machine for spares.
Record have a similar stone with the same shape hole but not sure of the hole size, and for £75 for stone i'd like to use what i've got.

 

[Cabinetman]

Hi have a look at post 5344 on the last thing I made, Dr Al. has just put on a tool grinder that you might be interested in

 

[dickm]

Can have a look at mine to check how it's fastened on, but never had any problems with it. I have the planer blade jig, and it's a godsend. Slow if you use the stone fitted, but made up a disk out of flooring grade chipboard and glued coarse wet and dry paper to upper surface, which is much faster. I have a feeling that one of the Chinese grinders with standard stone on one end and slow speed one at the other MAY have compatible stone, but never needed to replace it. It's only about 35 years old...............

 

[Markwfish]

If it comes to it i'll make a disc out of 6mm ally & fix it with a LARGE washer & bolt & stick wet & dry to that.
I did sharpen a knife with the wonky wheel & it seemed to cut pretty fast, its too wobbly at present to try a plane blade, & i need to make a holder.

 

[Inspector]

Your best bet for replacement stones is an industrial grinding wheel supplier like Norton Abrasives. They will advise you on the best wheels for your application and if they don't sell direct they will let you know where to get them.
https://www.nortonabrasives.com/en-gb
Pete

 

[Markwfish]

Thanks pete, £70 - £100 for a stone for an obsolete machine seems a bit excessive, may as well put that towards a new machine!?
The stone itself is serviceable, the steel backing its connected too with the hole in is the issue. First i've gotta get it off!!

 

[Markwfish]

Right, an update on the wetstone refurb:
Stripped the machine to get the wetstone off still connected to spindle.
I eventually removed The black knob holding the wetstone but it left the screw in the spindle, no problem it came out easily with a socket.
The backing on the wetstone was the problem, extremely rusty!! I cut that off in segments managing to save the stone.
Made a new backing plate from 3mm stainless, carefully cutting the hole concentric in the middle

Next step was to glue the wetstone centrally on the plate. I mounted the plate on the reassembled machine ( with 2 new bearings for £5) placing the wetstone on top. Spinning it by hand i centrallised & marked its position, then removed it & glued it into position.

Perfect, spins with no run out, now just to dress the stone which is not that bad.

 

[Cabinetman]

Nicely done, that machine looks a whole lot better than my nasty plastic one and you have quite a bit of wear left on that stone.

 

[JobandKnock]

You know, that looks awfully like a Makita wetstone grinder I had about.40 years ago. They called it a Makita 9820:

The wheels were 7-7/8in or about 200mm in diameter and msy still be available

Earlier ones had a rounded front,like yours, later ones were square, like the one above

They werecalso sold under the brand name "Shinko"

The 6000 grit wheel is an A-24636 and they are still available in the USA, seeming to run about $75 over there

 

[Markwfish]

Thanks ian, you should have seen it before i stripped it!! 1/2" of solidified debris in the bottom, faulty power lead & completely rusty backing on the wetstone. It now runs concentric & the stone won't need much dressing, its not wobbling up & down 5mm!!
Nice to give an pld tool a second lease of life, shame i havnt got the tool holder for the fence, or water bottle the latter i'm sure i can make.
Being new to this forum i can't let the members know of other stuff in the same garage, also in need of a good clean up but in good working order were a scheppach 2600hmc planer thicknesser & electra beckham spa1000 dust extractor. Asking price in the region of £250, ideal for someone! If i had the room i'd have them myself, i have photos.

 

[Markwfish]

Thanks jobnknock, yes i've seen those & i think makita still do one, amazon were selling one but out of stock & considerably more expensive than my £20 garage find!

 

[JobandKnock]

I had one years back with 3 or 4 different wheels, the coarsest being a green grit wheel (about 150 or 180 grit). There was also a guy doing diamons costed wheels for them (and the Tormeks as well) on the shows maybe 25 years ago, but they were about £200 and by that time I had changed to Tormek, so I didn't bite.

I posted the Makita info in casecyou needed any other spares as the older tool looks to be nearly identical

 

[dickm]

Right, an update on the wetstone refurb:
Stripped the machine to get the wetstone off still connected to spindle.
I eventually removed The black knob holding the wetstone but it left the screw in the spindle, no problem it came out easily with a socket.
The backing on the wetstone was the problem, extremely rusty!! I cut that off in segments managing to save the stone.
Made a new backing plate from 3mm stainless, carefully cutting the hole concentric in the middle
View attachment 113673
Next step was to glue the wetstone centrally on the plate. I mounted the plate on the reassembled machine ( with 2 new bearings for £5) placing the wetstone on top. Spinning it by hand i centrallised & marked its position, then removed it & glued it into position.
View attachment 113674
Perfect, spins with no run out, now just to dress the stone which is not that bad.
View attachment 113676

Excellent job there, mate. I have a vague memory (like most of mine now) that there is a spare water tank for one of those lurking somewhere in my sheds. Will have a hunt for it.