Good Morning

[Anonymous]

Good morning everyone …. and thank you for the suggestions.   I think any give in the strop will yield some roll over. That’s why my curiosity gravitates to a Hard wood… I may order a set of Balsa strops, then use the balsa on one side and shape a piece of Hardwood for the other side of a balsa set.  I think a craft shop would have woods of different densities. I little more research into hardwoods.

Bill aka ET

[wickededge]

Mark76 wrote:

Bill, the kangaroo is thinner and has much less give than the cow leather. The cow leather also has some silicates in it by itself, whereas the kangaroo doesn’t (or hardly has any). This makes the roo leather especially suitable for the finer stuff << 1 mu.

I’m with Mark – I prefer roo and fine sprays or pastes for the high level finishing. I’ve gotten my best results in terms of both polish and HHT scores at .25 diamond and .125 CBN on roo.

-Clay

[Mark76]

Bill, for some reason balsa seems less effective with the diamond sprays less than 0.5 micron. I’ve been told this is because the very tiny diamond particles disappear in the crevices of the balsa. This could well be true.

I’m very curious about your experiences with hardwood. I once tried it with glass, but the result was that the knife wiped off all of the paste/spray almost immediately. You do need something that holds the abrasive particles in place.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Anonymous]

Mark76 wrote:

Bill, for some reason balsa seems less effective with the diamond sprays less than 0.5 micron. I’ve been told this is because the very tiny diamond particles disappear in the crevices of the balsa. This could well be true. I’m very curious about your experiences with hardwood. I once tried it with glass, but the result was that the knife wiped off all of the paste/spray almost immediately. You do need something that holds the abrasive particles in place.

AS you may know, I’m an engineer, but even better I was born with gifted hands and an engineering mind… I was taking everything in sight, apart when I was 4 years old.. I was always curious, and always asking why.

I could see that glass would never hold a lubricated abrasive.

Here is my thoughts on Hard wood. In the research stage. I want a wood devoid of any sap. ( I may have to cook it ) All wood is porous or it would not take a stain. If I’m using 50K grit paste, the grit should stay. I could also make depressions in the wood surface ( example ) lay face up a piece of  80/100 # grit sand pager on a strong flat surface, lay the hardwood on top of the 80/100 # grit, take a rubber mallet and tap the wood, which would leave impressions in the hardwood that would hold the polishing paste.  You could do both sides of the strip of wood, porosity  on the glue side would help with adhesion to the block.

Just some thoughts from an inquiring mind

Bill aka ET

ON a side note… even using the cow leather strops… deposits of paste ( scrape the paste off and deposit it on the blade just below the edge), after about 25 stokes I’m removing the paste from the blade with my finger and reapplying it to the leather. I’m easily doing 100 to 200 strokes per side, with each level of polishing paste.

Removing the paste from the blade with my finger could be a potential for disaster, ( a bloody mess ).. I will use a small rubber squeegee from now on. This process is evolving right before my eyes.  This squeegee idea just came to my mind..

[Anonymous]

Ive never seen the diamond spray so I do not know its consistency. The paste doesn’t disappear in the pores of anything I use.  Its easy to feel when the paste, with its lubricated suspension, is becoming ineffective by the drag you feel in the stroke. Going up to the blade and scraping off the excess paste and reapplying it , returns the smooth stroke action. My technique is evolving , every time I sharpen a knife. I’m Still in the technique learning curve.. but its fun , and the evolution is making my knives even sharper than I thought possible. This machine is like driving a well built formula One race car. Learning to drive it takes practice… the feed back from the steering wheel, or the paddles of the WEPS, is similar in sensory perception.. all part of the fun factor.

Once I learn how to drive this thing ( WEPS ) Ill be taking the checkered flag with each knife I sharpen.

Bill aka ET

1 user thanked author for this post.

Mark76

[Anonymous]

Good morning everyone… Looks like I survived another night, and woke up alive this morning.,,, considering the alternative… I’m a happy guy

we need smiley faces….

 

1 user thanked author for this post.

Josh

[Anonymous]

Gday Mates…   Just have to say hi and thanks to the wicked edge brotherhood, and the mother ship for taking my order 2 days ago over there on the left side of the country, and it arrived here today on the right side of the country.. cant beat that 2 day service..

[Author]

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