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  • #56386
    Chefy
    Participant
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 10

    Just received my Gen 3 today!  Very psyched.

    Life long Chef finally getting some good gear.

    Any suggestions on the best way to start, I’ve watched tons of Clay’s Videos
    I’ve read about a break in period for the stones and to start with some crappy
    knives to start (plenty of those in the restaurant’s legacy bin)

    Once again, super happy to be part of the forum and ready to listen and learn.

    Chefy

    #56388
    MarcH
    Moderator
    • Topics: 74
    • Replies: 2733

    Welcome to the Wicked Edge Forum, Chefy

    Learn on beaters and take your time.  You’ll recognize when the stones are coming around. Consistency is key.

    Marc
    (MarcH's Rack-Its)

    #56389
    Chefy
    Participant
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 10

    Heard, and thanks man, appreciate it

    #56390
    000Robert
    Participant
    • Topics: 7
    • Replies: 404

    Welcome to the WE Forum, Chefy!

    #56391
    Dwight Glass
    Participant
    • Topics: 0
    • Replies: 89

    For now cut two fingers off an old glove, poke A hole in the end of those two fingers and slide one down each “guide Rod” to cover your “Ball-Joints”.

    Put a hole in a rag that fits the base of the vice at the “Numbered Angle Settings” blue plate.

    Then put two more holes in that same cloth or towel for for the “Guide Rod Post” or “L-Bracket” that allows for the “Guide Rod Post” to extend all the way out.

    Welcome to the “Wicked Edge” Forum, Chefy It is good to have you with us.

    2 users thanked author for this post.
    #56392
    JimR
    Participant
    • Topics: 0
    • Replies: 12

    Welcome Chefy from one relative newby (several weeks on Wicked Edge but 30+ years sharpening (and making knives). Get some stone stops (forum members here or what I did was buy a couple of shaft collars on Amazon) because you will sooner or later run a stone off the edge and down the side of the blade without them. It leaves some very ugly scratches that you can’t get rid of without refinishing the whole blade. But you still want to use all of the stone during break-in because you never know when a particular knife needs a longer stroke. What I did was buy a package of floor scraper blades (8″ long carbon steel) and remove the stone stops and intentionally run the stone off the edge – so that I got use out of not only the middle of the stone but the extreme ends of it too. And don’t forget the edges – they are not sharp but rounded (so you can handle a re-curved blade) but they will also have diamond clumps and need to be used. If you see a big scratch in your edge bevel – check the rounded edge of the stone too. Stubborn clumps can be removed by using a piece of glass (as though it was a knife blade) to remove a clump.

    Practice all the different kinds of strokes – they all create different scratch patterns and all are useful at different times. Part of the “break-in” is to not only prepare the stones (by removing clumps of diamonds left from the manufacturing process) but also develop the muscle memory to use the best stroke at the right time.

    Something to magnify your apex is very helpful but you can tell a lot about your edge with just a strong light – I use an LED flashlight to look at reflections off the apex (or sometimes take the knife outside in the bright sunlight). You should get no reflection from the real apex (a so-called “dark edge”) – if you see bright reflections at the apex you’ve got a rolled edge, or a burr, or a wire edge, a chip or a problem of some sort.

    And lastly (for now) be careful. That knife you just sharpened to slice a paper thin slice of tomato will do a dandy job slicing a paper thin slice off your finger. So be careful. The one big lesson I’ve learned is that a knife sharpened on a Wicked Edge ends up being sharper than that knife ever was before.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
    #56396
    MarcH
    Moderator
    • Topics: 74
    • Replies: 2733

    Chefy, This video is worth watching.  I try to recommend it to all our new users.  It goes through some of the common W.E. sharpening strokes and explains well how to use these.  Ignore the title, it’s misleading.

    Marc
    (MarcH's Rack-Its)

    1 user thanked author for this post.
    #56441
    Chefy
    Participant
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 10

    This is going to sound odd.  I’m thinking about returning the unused Gen 3 and getting the we130 from Optics Planet.
    It just seem so tall??  Also, I found a granite base at Knivesshipfree
    https://www.knivesshipfree.com/wicked-edge-granite-base/

    I haven’t done it yet, any thoughts?

    Thanks

    • This reply was modified 3 years ago by Chefy.
    #56443
    MarcH
    Moderator
    • Topics: 74
    • Replies: 2733

    I have my Gen 3 Pro model mounted directly on a granite base with out shelf unit.  It simply unscrews.  That’s an option if you want to keep the Gen 3 Pro model with it’s single lever that adjust both side’s angles simultaneously.

    You may find a piece of granite cheaper, cut at a local shop, if you check around your area.  It just needs a couple mounting holes drilled in it and and rubber bumpers stuck to the bottom.  It’s smaller than the piece they’d cut out of a kitchen counter to make the a large sink’s mounting hole.

    I have no personal experiences with Optics Planet.  This is a recent post on this forum:

    Avoid Optics Planet

    Optics Planet follow-up

    Marc
    (MarcH's Rack-Its)

    #56444
    Chefy
    Participant
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 10

    Cool, I never thought of that.  How about a head to head on the Gen 3 vs the we130?
    Maybe I should try that route, the granite base is available and I kinda dig it

    🙂

    • This reply was modified 3 years ago by Chefy.
    #56446
    MarcH
    Moderator
    • Topics: 74
    • Replies: 2733

    I have and use both models.  Each one has good points and bad points.  The WE130 is better suited to sharpen knives with asymmetrical bevels which are not uncommon in Japanese Chef’s knives.  The Gen 3 Pro is better suited for applying convex bevels.

    If I had to choose one model over the other I’d go with the WE130, hands down.

    Marc
    (MarcH's Rack-Its)

    #56447
    000Robert
    Participant
    • Topics: 7
    • Replies: 404

    I like the aluminum base. It is heavy enough and I haven’t had any problems with it. The granite base looks really nice though.

    #56463
    Chefy
    Participant
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 10

    Marc, as I’ve already purchased the WE granite base, would the Gen 3 line up and fit?
    You mentioned a granite base, I wasn’t sure if it was custom made or from WE.

    I kinda like the idea of the Gen 3 mounted on the granite

    Thanks

    #56464
    MarcH
    Moderator
    • Topics: 74
    • Replies: 2733

    I purchase my Gen 3 Pro with the granite base directly from W.E..  The granite base was drilled with four mounting holes.  You can see two of the screws in the front corners of the Gen 3 Pro’s black base plate.

    20210323_103721
    I’d think that any local stone shop that could cut and and polish the granite could also drill the mounting holes.  Just take with you the Gen 3 Pro, removed from the shelf base, or a template which you could easily draw up.

     

    Marc
    (MarcH's Rack-Its)

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    #56467
    Chefy
    Participant
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 10

    Excellent advice, thanks so much.

    If I end up with the we130, would you recommend these accessories and
    do you know how I go about purchasing them?

     

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