How far do you drop back in grits when renewing an edge ?
- This topic has 18 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 02/08/2020 at 9:06 pm by
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I agree that touch-ups are more easily done in the kitchen with ceramic rods. I use my WEPS to freshen up the primary bevel about every 6-9 months fulling trusting my AAG with reference to my log when I first put the knife on a WEPS. I like using a $25 white ceramic hone freehand style. With practice you develop natural indicators like visual (steel marks on white ceramic), feel (max vibs thru your hand) and hearing (max scrapping noise) when you have the primary bevel in solid contact. You also start to recognize how obtuse to hold the knife face. A quick thumb nail scrape verifies it. I have learned that a consistent feather touch is important or you will dish out the profile over time especially closer to the bolster where increased leverage drives the natural tendency of increased pressure.
I have considered the Sharpmaker but even that requires you to set it up (minimal but still needed). While it does hold the ceramics firm, it still requires you to visually set your contact angle. Its helpful if you are using a Sharpmaker preset angle (holding a knife face vertical is easier than not) but if you are not using a Sharpmaker preset angle then you need to tilt the knife. I find that bolting the ceramic hone to my block is super convenient especially because my non-serrated steak knives need to be trued up near the tip due to dinner plate contact before every use (if I want my best steak cutting). As an aside, Costco by me sells Prime boneless shell steak for ~$11 per pound and is fabulous. I also use my ceramic hone holding it straight out as steady as possible and use my indicators to guide my motion. Attached is my knife block.
Most of us used various methods to sharpen our knives before we came to buy our Wicked Edges. I venture to guess we sharpen knives as much because we like to have a sharp knife, to use, as we like to sharpen knives just for the enjoyment. Many of us came to buy our Wicked Edge sharpeners because we enjoy using this tool and other knife sharpening tools or toys, if you would.
As much as knife sharpening is a means to an end, so are touch-ups. Another tool, or toy and another process to practice, or enjoy.
Call it a “rolled edge”, a “dulled edge” or a “chipped edge”. All these are terms we choose to use to describe damaged and/or worn knife edges that are not as sharp as we like them to be. The process to sharpen our knives with our Wicked Edges is deliberate, with effort, and time consuming. Because of this some knife user’s choose to employ different methods to “touch-up” their knife edges to prolong the usefulness of their sharpened edges.
I have no issue with their touch-up methods and devices. I enjoy my tools and toys as much as the next one. I do agree that thse methods have their place and their value. Just like others have shared touch-ups with alternate methods and devices are not without their challenges. I make the effort to profile, then sharpen my knives with my Wicked Edge. I’m not generally willing to take this profile to a touch-up device that will effect or alter that profile and knife edge. If it’s a knife I just have to use that is unusable without the touch-up, I may make the exception.
If I make an exception, the first touch-up tool I try is a leather hand strop. Not without it’s challenges, in technique, the leather strop I find to be the least aggressive way to help bring back usuable edge sharpness with out altering the W.E. profile.
I seldom find myself in this position. I take “Organic’s” tact to simply reach for another sharp knife. When I find myself using these second and third choices it becomes time to start touching up knives with the W.E. Yes its a time consuming process but still it’s much quickler and simpler to touch-up a W.E. profiled edge then one that the profile has been altered using one of the preferred touch-up tools or methods. I spent too much time and effort, with pride, to profile and sharpen my knife collection with the W.E., to create the necessity to do it again.
Like “Readhead’s” knife block full illustrates, I have another sharp knife I can use to avoid forcing me to reprofile my knives, that have been touched-up with other devices. I employ, as those gentlemen do, a detailed and complete sharpening log and utilize my alignment and/or advanced alignment guides, that, with experience, now allows me to position the knives for touch-ups just like I had originally clamped, profiled and sharpened them. The W.E. touch-ups are quick and easy, matching my original edges with very little effort. That’s the beauty of this sharpener, it allows repeated precision, accuracy and sharp edges. That’s why I try to only use the W.E. With a collection of knives there really is no reason not to.
Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)2 users thanked author for this post.
I find a Spyderco Sharpmaker is a great tool for quick edge maintenance. Relatively inexpensive too. I use it for a very quick touch up to return to sticky sharp. Just a few strokes on each side gets the job done. After 3 or 4 touchups it is time to get back in the WE system and run through a full progression. Starting grit dependent on the condition of the bevel.
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