Hi Arch,
You know what's coming.

I had considered this, but just didn't want to belabor Andrew with any
additional points. I've been conducting some extensive experimentation
with carbonated beverages as a replacement for water when wet grinding.
Specifically I've found Traditional CocaCola to work best for initial
sharpening at 220. The Trad.Coke works well to strip any oils and
extractives from the blades or gouges (it's not as efficient removing
built up CA on the flutes, so I may switch to Jolt Cola, but only after
I refine the research methodology)and reduces glazing of the waterstone.
I then keep a second trough filled with Diet Sierra Mist ("the zero
calorie Lemon-Lime Soda") for refined sharpening after grading the
Tormek stone to 1000 with the Tormek Stone Grader. The Diet Sierra Mist,
with the effervescent action from its carbonation cleanses the pores of
the stone and the lemon-lime leaves the blade squeaky clean as well as
vanishingly sharp. I had tried Mountain Dew, but the residual "dew"
contributed to rusting, consistent with Andrew's concerns. Sierra Mist,
however, just vanishes as quick as a mountain, what can I say, "mist."

I've been meaning to write this up as a formal investigative report (and
am indeed now 37 pages into it), but I've been holding off until I get
the final procedures worked out for the storage of the solutions. The
problem has not been sealing the troughs, as I have developed some
cryogenically treated titanium sealed lids for the troughs and store
them in the refrigerator. No, the problem has been that my dog has taken
to nosing open the refrigerator at night, breaking open the troughs and
lapping them dry. Oh well, I guess that's not all bad as at least he is
refining his lapping technique and getting a full compliment of iron and
minerals. Still, it has been holding up my report on this breakthrough
in wet sharpening.

Lyn

P.S. Hold off on your Pepsi and CocaCola stock purchases until I give
you the inside information on when the report will be out. Not just
turners, but Wall Street is going to go wild with the meaning of all this.

Arch wrote:
Probably the only real drawback to Tormek sharpening is the shortage of
water out southwest. At any moment, sprinkling lawns and filling Tormek
cups might be declared illegal in Ca. I suggest using a Tormek
primarily, with a dry grinder and flat stone for both backup sharpening
as well as grinding. Be sure to use all that Tormek spray on your lawns.

It's not easy, but I _am trying to conform by posting only serious and
pertinent info that doesn't offend anyone. Being boring is a different
problem yet to overcome. Arch