Finally had time to go through the videos, thank you so much for taking the time to explain things for me!
– You mentioned scrubbing in the first video, I like to do this in the beginning with the low grits to set the apex. Do you do that for grits higher than 50/80/100? This time around, I used a sharpie for each stone all the way up to 2200 to make sure i was making good contact all along the edge with each stone. You mentioned the slight variation previously, and it helped me see where to focus with each passing stone.
– Very good point about the alternating strokes and “cancelling them out”! I’m going to try and keep it in the same direction and see how that turns out next time.
– Thank you for sharing your experiences with the setback angle. I definitely apply a decent amount of pressure and roll over the edge more often than not when stropping, so I should work on applying good pressure and building that muscle memory/dexterity. The 2° setback is definitely a safety mechanism for newbies like me — I should try lifting up or letting off the pressure when I get towards the bottom of the strop.
– Yeah, I kinda went wild with the strops! 😅 I have the 5/3.5 pastes, and the rest are emulsions. I usually just finish with the basic 5/3.5, but for my nicer pocket knives I try to experiment with the fancier stuff. While I feel like I’m getting a good feel for the stones, stropping is going to be the next big thing I’m going to have to work on.
At the end of the day, I finally felt comfortable with my WE to sharpen my fanciest knife, and I feel like I’m learning and did a good job overall. So, I’m taking it as a win and will strive to do even better next time!
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