After 400

[Wade]

Hi everyone I am new to this forum and WE. I have a question I hope someone could help me with. I start out using 100 then 200, 400 up to 1600. Edge seems to keep improving up to about 400 then just gets a little duller after each stone progression. Could someone help me out here. Thank You…

[Josh]

2 questions real quick… 1. Are you using the sharpie trick to make sure you are matching the existing angle and 2.are you raising a burr at the lower levels before advancing the stone progression? We should be able to help you out more after we get these answers 🙂

[Ken Buzbee]

Are you sure you are reaching the edge? (visual check? using a loupe?)

Are your stones travelling more than 1/2 way up the rods? If o, watch your angles. Things can get “wobbly” that far.

Those are my first two thoughts…

Ken

(edit – are you alternating every stroke? Maybe it’s a burr issue?)

[Ken Buzbee]

.are you raising a burr at the lower levels before advancing the stone progression?

I understand where you’re going but I’m actually trying to avoid a burr these days. I watch my edge develope through a loupe at the higher grits until I apex. Once I’m there, alternating strokes keeps it clean.

I think a burr actually weakens the metal under it, even if you remove it during the process.

Ken

[Josh]

.are you raising a burr at the lower levels before advancing the stone progression?

I understand where you’re going but I’m actually trying to avoid a burr these days. I watch my edge develope through a loupe at the higher grits until I apex. Once I’m there, alternating strokes keeps it clean.

I think a burr actually weakens the metal under it, even if you remove it during the process.

Ken[/quote]

I see what you’re saying ken, but for someone who’s new to sharpening this would be very confusing I think.

I agree with trying to apex the edge at higher grits to conserve metal, but it is impossible to not raise some of a burr, even as hard as you try. Even if you can’t feel it there will still be a microscopic burr there. I think the “not raising a burr” theory only works in theory and not in practice 🙂 but I may be wrong!

[Ken Buzbee]

I see what you’re saying ken, but for someone who’s new to sharpening this would be very confusing I think.

It can be, Josh, but otoh, it’s not rocket science 😉

I agree with trying to apex the edge at higher grits to conserve metal, but it is impossible to not raise some of a burr, even as hard as you try. Even if you can’t feel it there will still be a microscopic burr there. I think the “not raising a burr” theory only works in theory and not in practice 🙂 but I may be wrong!

You’re technically right, of course. Even a single stroke will raise a slight burr, once you’ve reached the edge. My issue isn’t so much with saving steel as weakening the metal you’re using to form the edge. Never forming one “intentionally” and always alternating strokes seems to minimize this. Removing a single stroke burr is a lot less than 10-20 strokes.

Ken

[cbwx34]

Hi everyone I am new to this forum and WE. I have a question I hope someone could help me with. I start out using 100 then 200, 400 up to 1600. Edge seems to keep improving up to about 400 then just gets a little duller after each stone progression. Could someone help me out here. Thank You…

Welcome to the forum.

Another question I’ll add… what do you mean by “duller”? As you go to finer grits, the edge may “feel” duller as the ‘teeth’ get more refined… but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s actually getting duller.. in fact the opposite may be taking place.

How are you checking your blades for sharpness?

[Wade]

Wow, lots of help out their Thank You All. In response to the questions. I haven’t used a sharpie with the WE especially on the knife I was working on because it didn’t have much of an edge.
I do raise a burr.
Yes my stones travel more than 1/2 way.
I do not alternate every stroke.
I check sharpness with paper before I start, as I progress, and when I am done, and just by touching the blade, on one knife I tried whittling hair through the entire process just to see at what point it would or if I could even get to that point which I didn’t. I sharpen on a Tormek so I have some experience but wanted to do a better job on some knives so I am trying the WE.
Thanks Again…

[Wade]

2 questions real quick… 1. Are you using the sharpie trick to make sure you are matching the existing angle and 2.are you raising a burr at the lower levels before advancing the stone progression? We should be able to help you out more after we get these answers 🙂

Wow, lots of help out their Thank You All. In response to the questions. I haven’t used a sharpie with the WE especially on the knife I was working on because it didn’t have much of an edge.
I do raise a burr.
Yes my stones travel more than 1/2 way.
I do not alternate every stroke.
I check sharpness with paper before I start, as I progress, and when I am done, and just by touching the blade, on one knife I tried whittling hair through the entire process just to see at what point it would or if I could even get to that point which I didn’t. I sharpen on a Tormek so I have some experience but wanted to do a better job on some knives so I am trying the WE.
Thanks Again…

[cbwx34]

I do not alternate every stroke.

I would change this. After raising a burr once on either side at the beginning of the process (if you decide to create one at all), switch to alternating strokes for that level and every grit level after. See if that makes a difference.

[Wade]

I do not alternate every stroke.

I would change this. After raising a burr once on either side at the beginning of the process (if you decide to create one at all), switch to alternating strokes for that level and every grit level after. See if that makes a difference.[/quote]

Thank You. I alternate every stroke and did not travel more than half way with the stone. Made it to 1600. I cant whittle hair but have an edge that will bite. Thanks Again.

[cbwx34]

…and did not travel more than half way with the stone.

I had to reread the thread, I missed this the first time around.

While I can appreciate what Ken was referring to, I don’t think limiting stone travel is a good solution, for a lot of reasons. Perhaps a better solution (that’s been talked about before in other threads) would be… be aware of how you put pressure on the stone, so that you don’t change the angle. In other words, if you put pressure in near the top of the stone, it can, in some cases cause it to tilt in slightly as the pressure point goes over the edge. So, by maintaining an even pressure, or pressure near the bottom of the stone, this won’t occur. (And when I say pressure, I’m not talking alot to begin with.)

Glad your results are improving. Also, it may have been mentioned before, but giving the stones a chance to break in a bit, will result in better edges. Check THIS PAGE, for a bit more info.

Should get even better! :woohoo:

[Author]

Posts