4/2 flaking… what am I doing wrong???
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Okay I just got my 1500 grit diamonds and added the 4/2 Diamond emulsion strops. First off I wasn’t horribly impressed with the leather, cut uneven and a little lumpy (wavy). Second when I went to apply the emulsion it didn’t even want to spray out. Eventually it came out but dried so fast on the leather I could barely smooth it out. I tried misting with alcohol and rubbing them together with little progress. Finally I misted again, applied and rubbed a coating on with a gloved finger. Then when trying to perform and stropping it just flaked off. I tried again today after misting with a little water and that didn’t do much either. I couldn’t find any video’s showing the emulsion, only applying the paste.
At this point I almost feel like throwing them away and it was a huge waste of money. What am I doing wrong, or maybe this stuff is old?
Help!
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First thing…only strop a well cleaned knife edge.
To apply the Diamond Spray Emulsion, I shake the emulsions sprays very very well before using. You can spritz the dry leather with alcohol before applying the emulsion spray. It seems to help spread the emulsion across the leather. The so called Diamond Spray emulsions, for me, comes out like a dollop. I hold the nozzle almost right against the leather strop and apply about 4 or 5 dollops evenly spaced down the length of the leather right in the center. Then I blend it in with the opposite strop of the grit pair. I repeat with the dollops to the second strop which has already received some diamond emulsion when I used it to spread the first strop platen. Again I use the opposite leather strop of the pair to spread the applied dollops. Rubbing the two leather strops together seems to spread the dollops of emulsion across the full length of the leather pretty completely. Of course, coverage will improve each time you apply more dollops.
I mist each strop grit with a spritz of rubbing alcohol as I use them. If the alcohol dries completely I re-spritz as needed. The strops do make that finishing step that really enhances the knife’s cutting ability. I always clean the stropped knife edge thoroughly with a rubbing alcohol wipe between each strop grit in the progression. The strops easily get dirty with metal debris and can easily become cross contaminated with different emulsion grits if care is taken to only strop a thoroughly cleaned knife edge.
Also, with cow leather strops I strop a 2º lower angle than the rod guide angle I sharpened the knife at.
Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)If you believe that the leather strop set you received was defective then contact WE and they will help you. If you call during business hours you will talk with a real person who can help you troubleshoot the issues and who will be able to send you a replacement set if they determine that is the issue.
I’ve never heard of the diamond emulsions flaking off of a strop before. This is sometimes an issue with the diamond paste after a heavy application, but this is the first time that I am aware of that issue with the emulsions. The consistency that you should observe for the emulsions is kind of like the gel hand sanitizer stuff. I follow essentially the same application technique as Marc outlined. It doesn’t need to be a substantially thick coating, just enough to get the gel to touch all of the leather surface. It drys within a minute or two leaving a slightly grayed leather surface.
My experience with the emulsions has been very positive. They leave a nice polish and a single application is good for at least 20 knives. Getting good results with the strops requires applying an appropriate amount of pressure with a slightly more acute angle than used for sharpening. I use about 1.5 degrees more acute per side when stropping and I apply medium to heavy pressure. When I first started with the WE I couldn’t figure out the strops but it turned out that I was not using enough pressure to get the job done. I now strop everything I sharpen and have found that it makes a big difference in cutting performance. Don’t give up on them yet.
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Mike the other way either 19 or 18.
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Mike, we usually speak on this Forum in terms of the individual degrees per side, (dps). If we are adding the individual side angles together we usually denote this by inclusive angle.
When stropping we lower the angle by 1-1/2º to 2º per side so that the pressure applied by the strop, in it’s up and off the edge direction, is more directed or applied towards the bevel shoulder and backed down/off from the knife edge. This is thought to help prevent “rolling over” the knife’s apex and dulling the cutting edge.
So your example 20º (dps) sharpening angle would be set to 18 º or 18.5º per side, for stropping. You need to experiment with the stropping angle settings to see which gives you your preferred results. That is, the sharpest cutting edge after stropping.
Marc
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I just shake the suspension very very well, first. Then I apply 4 or 5 spray dollops with the sprayer applicator almost touching the leather across both strips then I rub the two same grit strop sides together to spread the diamond spray emulsion over the entire leather surface. It appears thick, gloppy and muddy on the leather, not smooth. I let the strops dry thoroughly before use. I like to wait over night. The diamond spray emulsion is water based so I like to let it dry before use. I don’t know if the 4µ and 2µ Wicked Edge Diamond Sprays say “emulsion” on their label, but it is a thick dark emulsion spray. I do not spray the leather with alcohol as a pre-treatment or to moisten the leather when I apply the WE Polycrystalline emulsion. I also do not spray these emulsion diamond strops with alcohol before using them. That is not to say it’s harmful to use alcohol with the diamond emulsion spray. I just don’t find it necessary or helpful for me.
When I first use these newly applied strops, even after they’re dry, the emulsion appears rough and thick on the surface. It rubs in and smooths out with use.
Marc
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