first blood

[martix812825]

i just received my wicked edge WE120 few days ago, is really sharp even the stones are not break-in yet.

then i cut myself because my fingers cross over the stones and hit the blade at 200 grits, here’s the image if you guys wanna see

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4491/37341372481_bb3c6d5406_b.jpg

when i saw a piece of my skin(flesh maybe) stick on the blade, i start to feel the pain and see my wound bleeding.

i was excited to share with my wife how sharp it is but i get banned to use the wicked edge until i have a gloves to protect my fingers.

anyway i ordered a pair of gloves and is on the way.

so last night my wife was dinner with her friends, i sneak to the kitchen to finish the job that i started. here’s some questions i would like to ask.

After i used 1200/1600 ceramics stones, i used the 1 micron and 0.5 micron diamond paste to do the stropping by lower 2 degrees (from 18 down to 16), the edge is much more smooth but i didnt get the mirror polish, seems i missed a steps between 1600 ceramics -> 1 micron diamond paste?

According to the grit chart, 1600 ceramics are 2.85 micron, so if i want to try the lapping film, maybe is better to start at 3 micron after 1600 ceramics stones ?

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Marc H

[Organic]

I think you’ll see more mirroring with that progression after the stones break in. The stones leave very deep scratches when new and that makes a mirrored finish much more difficult to attain.

The 3 micron film may be an appropriate next grit, but you should experiment and try the 6 micron film as well.

You may be interested in the safety shields that Wicked Edge sells.

Stay safe!

2 users thanked author for this post.

martix812825, Mark76

[martix812825]

Organic wrote:

I think you’ll see more mirroring with that progression after the stones break in. The stones leave very deep scratches when new and that makes a mirrored finish much more difficult to attain. The 3 micron film may be an appropriate next grit, but you should experiment and try the 6 micron film as well. You may be interested in the safety shields that Wicked Edge sells. Stay safe!

Thanks for the tips, seems i can DIY the shields myself also~~

but is there any reasons why going backward from 1600 ceramic(2.85 micron) to 6 micron film ?

[Mark76]

Ajaj. Well, we’ve seen worse photos here 🙂 .

Personally I’d use the 6 micron DLF after the ceramics, but maybe the 3 micron works just as well. Just give it a try. And the jump from the ceramic stones to the 1 diamond strops is indeed a bit big. From 3 micron DLF it should work fine.

And Organic gave a very good tip: first let the stones break in before using the DLF or strops if you want a mirror edge.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

2 users thanked author for this post.

Organic, martix812825

[martix812825]

thanks Mark and Organic for the remind, i think i better save my strops after the stones break-in.

And i just placed a new order to try out the lapping film and the others :

50/80 grit diamond stone

low angle adapter with 10″ guide rods

6/3/1.5/1/0.5 lapping film each

blank glass handles pack X2  (one pack for 3/1.5 film , one pack for 1/0.5 film)

and the 1500 grits stone with glass platens (with 6 micron film)

i really want to see the result of strops vs lapping film and hows it pass the HHT test

 

 

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[tcmeyer]

martix812825 wrote:

i just received my wicked edge WE120 few days ago, is really sharp even the stones are not break-in yet. then i cut myself because my fingers cross over the stones and hit the blade at 200 grits, here’s the image if you guys wanna see https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4491/37341372481_bb3c6d5406_b.jpg when i saw a piece of my skin(flesh maybe) stick on the blade, i start to feel the pain and see my wound bleeding. ..

That’s a nasty chunk of missing flesh – and located right where the joint flexes a lot.  It’s going to take  long time to heal.  You might want to put a splint on it until the tissue starts to fill in.   I would go to a hand specialist to get the best course of treatment.  If you’re right-handed, that’s probably your most important finger.

I’ll make a long term prediction here – when you get into your fifties, that joint will become arthritic.  I’ve got one just like it, but the injury was to the pad of the index finger.  At one point, I actually considered having it amputated, but eventually the arthritic pain subsided.  Now, at age 72.8, almost all of my fingers have some arthritis in them, but twenty years ago it was only those joints which had some injury in their history.

[Marc H]

I think a little bacitracin and a Band-Aid and you live to sharpen another day.  I use “Safety Shields” always.  But in your case I think you may need to re-organize your knife sharpening station so you don’t have to reach across a clamped knife for anything!  I only have an overhead lamp straight in front of the knife and vice.  Everything else is placed off to the sides so I always have to reach around the knife, not over it.  Also I got into the habit of throwing a folded towel over the clamped knife as soon as I set down the stones.  And always keep the clamped knife covered, with the towel, when ever I get up from my sharpening station.

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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Organic

[martix812825]

tcmeyer wrote:

That’s a nasty chunk of missing flesh – and located right where the joint flexes a lot.  It’s going to take  long time to heal.  You might want to put a splint on it until the tissue starts to fill in.   I would go to a hand specialist to get the best course of treatment.  If you’re right-handed, that’s probably your most important finger. I’ll make a long term prediction here – when you get into your fifties, that joint will become arthritic.  I’ve got one just like it, but the injury was to the pad of the index finger.  At one point, I actually considered having it amputated, but eventually the arthritic pain subsided.  Now, at age 72.8, almost all of my fingers have some arthritis in them, but twenty years ago it was only those joints which had some injury in their history.

wow that’s quite serious problem, i never thought it’ll be effect much after. i still can’t bend that finger right now otherwise the wound will rip off  again

[martix812825]

Marc H wrote:

I think a little bacitracin and a Band-Aid and you live to sharpen another day. I use “Safety Shields” always. But in your case I think you may need to re-organize your knife sharpening station so you don’t have to reach across a clamped knife for anything! I only have an overhead lamp straight in front of the knife and vice. Everything else is placed off to the sides so I always have to reach around the knife, not over it. Also I got into the habit of throwing a folded towel over the clamped knife as soon as I set down the stones. And always keep the clamped knife covered, with the towel, when ever I get up from my sharpening station.

yes i don’t have enough place to be my sharpening station, that’s why i didn’t order any stone base.i think i need to solve this problem soon or later.

and that’s a good idea to cover with a towel. if i slip near by the clamped knife next time….

[Organic]

martix812825 wrote:

thanks Mark and Organic for the remind, i think i better save my strops after the stones break-in. And i just placed a new order to try out the lapping film and the others : 50/80 grit diamond stone low angle adapter with 10″ guide rods 6/3/1.5/1/0.5 lapping film each blank glass handles pack X2 (one pack for 3/1.5 film , one pack for 1/0.5 film) and the 1500 grits stone with glass platens (with 6 micron film) i really want to see the result of strops vs lapping film and hows it pass the HHT test

That meme is hilarious! There’s no problem using the strops before your diamond plates have been broken in, just don’t expect mirrored edges until you’ve sharpened 10-15 knives with the diamond stones. The strops will still help increase the sharpness even if the edge doesn’t become mirrored after using them.

2 users thanked author for this post.

martix812825, Mark76

[martix812825]

Organic wrote:

martix812825 wrote:

thanks Mark and Organic for the remind, i think i better save my strops after the stones break-in. And i just placed a new order to try out the lapping film and the others : 50/80 grit diamond stone low angle adapter with 10″ guide rods 6/3/1.5/1/0.5 lapping film each blank glass handles pack X2 (one pack for 3/1.5 film , one pack for 1/0.5 film) and the 1500 grits stone with glass platens (with 6 micron film) i really want to see the result of strops vs lapping film and hows it pass the HHT test

That meme is hilarious! There’s no problem using the strops before your diamond plates have been broken in, just don’t expect mirrored edges until you’ve sharpened 10-15 knives with the diamond stones. The strops will still help increase the sharpness even if the edge doesn’t become mirrored after using them.

just tried again with stropping.

i can feel the sharpness increase just like a straight razor and i keep use my legs hair to test the sharpness.

now my butter knife can be a straight razor for daily use !

then i start to notice one of the difference between them, is polishing, it feels more comfortable and smooth when it shaves.

so i guess mirror polish is not just for show-off, it’ll improve in some way.

The photo below is the next testing object, that’s why i ordered 50/80 stones to remove those teeth.

 

 

that’s a lot of metal need to remove. wondering if i start with 18 degrees at first, after i remove the teeth, the angle will be much more then 18(maybe 19?), so i guess i should keep checking the angle and adjust it when i’m removing the teeth ?

 

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Mark76

[Mark76]

Organic wrote:

There’s no problem using the strops before your diamond plates have been broken in, just don’t expect mirrored edges until you’ve sharpened 10-15 knives with the diamond stones. The strops will still help increase the sharpness even if the edge doesn’t become mirrored after using them.

You’re right. I was referring to the intention of a mirror edge.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

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martix812825

[tcmeyer]

martix812825:  The photo suggests that the serrations are single-sided.  This means that you’ll be removing a lot more steel than usual.  Do you intend to also re-profile the part of the blade behind the serrations?

I recently did one very similar to this.  I had picked up a set of old steak knives from a local thrift shop, hoping to completely redo them.  Here’s a couple of points which will speed up the process for you:

Before even starting the bevels, file the serrated edge flat using a medium-grit stone, until there is no evidence of the serrations remaining along the centerline of what will become the edge.  This is steel that must be removed anyway and filing it off is much, much faster than honing it off with the bevels.

Then proceed to form the bevels with a relatively coarse grit, watching your progress carefully to avoid cutting in to the centerline.  When you’ve come as close to the centerline as you dare, switch to the finer grits.  My 400-grit stones are my go-to stones for this next step.

Good luck!

 

3 users thanked author for this post.

martix812825, Mark76, dulledge

[tcmeyer]

On re-reading this thread, it occurred to me that in more than six years of using the WE systems, I’ve only cut myself one time during the stoning process.  That was in the first few months with a 12-inch jerky knife that extended too far away from me and snipped off a piece of my pinky, which I had left dangling carelessly.  Every other instance (there were quite a few) was when I was retracting my hand from reaching beyond the tip of the knife in the clamp.  Almost all of these were with filet knives which stuck me at the base of my left thumb.  None were serious.

I’ve since rearranged my workstation to reduce the danger of such injuries.  I also have completely stopped using alternating strokes – now I do only one side at a time and I count strokes.  This lets me focus on the hand doing the work.  I am left-handed and using meds which dull the nervous system, so my right hand is not nearly as coordinated as the left.  When I say focus, I mean really focus.  My eyes never leave the working hand.

I just bought a packet of three cut-resistant gloves.  They seem to work really well, although I wish they had a more “grippy” surface texture.  I have rather large hands and bought these in the “XL” size.  Usually these non-handed gloves are too small for me and/or are uncomfortable, but these are pretty good.  With my history of few cuts, I don’t know if I’ll use them for sharpening, but maybe I will at the buffing wheel, where I’ve been using a pair of soft leather gloves.

When I ordered the 3-pack of gloves, I was thinking three pairs.  Not so.  Why would you have three gloves?  It turns out that you use one for meat and poultry, one for vegetables and one for…uh… something else.  And you only need a glove for the hand that doesn’t hold the knife.

Try to keep your blood inside of your skin, guys.

4 users thanked author for this post.

Organic, martix812825, Mark76, dulledge

[martix812825]

tcmeyer wrote:

martix812825: The photo suggests that the serrations are single-sided. This means that you’ll be removing a lot more steel than usual. Do you intend to also re-profile the part of the blade behind the serrations? I recently did one very similar to this. I had picked up a set of old steak knives from a local thrift shop, hoping to completely redo them. Here’s a couple of points which will speed up the process for you: Before even starting the bevels, file the serrated edge flat using a medium-grit stone, until there is no evidence of the serrations remaining along the centerline of what will become the edge. This is steel that must be removed anyway and filing it off is much, much faster than honing it off with the bevels. Then proceed to form the bevels with a relatively coarse grit, watching your progress carefully to avoid cutting in to the centerline. When you’ve come as close to the centerline as you dare, switch to the finer grits. My 400-grit stones are my go-to stones for this next step. Good luck!

hi tcmeyer, yes my first idea is remove all the serrations,  i feel a bit waste even i bought this knife from IKEA at $0.99 but the serrations is quite sharp.

i need some knife to practice before re-profile my cold steel recon 1 tanto so i think i’ll re-profile the $0.99 knife anyway.

thanks for the tip, i thought the progress will be honing with the whole bevels, thank you for sharing your experience !

and my gloves just arrived yesterday, they said these gloves have fifth-grade of cut resistance, i’m not really sure about that but at least it passed my utility knife cutting test. for me i would like to feel the pressure without any gloves when i’m sharpening, but in this moment, still getting used to sharpening with WE system.

 

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