Reply To: Finally took the plunge…
When I was new like you, I too tried to follow the logical grit or abrasive progressions. I bought everything W.E. had to offer then; diamond stones, ceramics, diamond lapping films and stropping mediums. I wanted to try everything I could’ve, then and now. I still do this. I have followed all the logical progressions and each experienced user’s suggested progressions. Everyone of those. Even those progressions that mixed and matched abrasive mediums. Those touted to maximize edge sharpness and/or mirror polish.
I learned these results are subjective. Yes, sharpness seems to be obvious. It can even be tested, quantified and qualified. A mirror polish too, can be qualified. Though it maybe more subjective. Still, it’s up to the individual W.E. users to be impressed and pleased with their own results.
I’m sure this is clear to you. Just because you bought the mediums and used them in the logical and/or suggested orders, it doesn’t mean you’ll achieve the same results as others. First you’ll need to master the user skills associated with each and every grits or mediums. That’s after you’ve mastered the basics of using your W.E. setup. Even then, your knives and your steels may be different, leading to similar or very different results from others.
My point is knife sharpening is a very individual thing. Results, preferences and evaluations are our own. Part is objective, and practical another part is subjective and simply, what you like.
Even if we say buy 1, 2, 3, and A, B, C, most of us will wonder, but, what about those other ones; 4, 5 and E, F. It’s our nature to want the best. That’s what drew us to W.E.P.S.s in the first place.
For me, after I tinkled all the keys, so-to-speak, and got a feel for what all the abrasives and mediums were about, I was still left with deciding what did I like, what did I need and what did I want. This takes time to figure this out. This, for me is “the art of knife sharpening”. Are you wanting sharpness or are you wanting polish. Or a blend of them, maybe. This may differ and often does from knife-to-knife. It’s like being a good chef with that little extra something they have.
That’s why I started by buying everything I could. That way, when I wanted to follow a whim, any suggested progression, it was there at my reach. I bought what I wanted. Not necessarily what I needed.
Trying to be practical, and prudent, I suggest you first buy what you might need. The 1500 grit diamond stone is a good start. See what it adds to your knife edge. Don’t judge too quick. Remember it needs to be broken in to yield the best results. This 1500 grit, IMO, gives a good balance between fine edge sharpness, and edge polish, (with still a bit of toothiness).
Considering the lapping films, the diamond films seems to work best. They are essentially an extra fine, flatter, though consumable diamond sharpening stone. They are a good finishing or polishing medium. The films can get you to the scalpel-like sharpness level. A good shiny paper slicing knife. The lapping films require that you master a strop-like stroke. They are used exclusively edge trailing. That is up and off of, or up and away from, the knife edge. Until maybe, you master this medium. Some users suggest a horizontal scrubbing stroke can be utilized to produce an enhanced polish.
Buy what you want so you can try everything when the desire hits you, or go the practical route after you try to figure out your needs. These are the decisions we all face after we bought our W.E.P.S. just to learn we have this level of control over knife sharpening we never expected to get. This is “the rabbit hole” we all run into. We can or we may not, go down it. C’est la vie…
Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)
