Me and my story! Let’s get to know each other!

[Leo James Mitchell]

Good to hear from you Joyal and welcome! Looks like you have a great collection of folders just after a year…looking forward to seeing some pics when you get you hands on a camera. Put up posts my friend, don’t be shy! 🙂

All the best mate
Leo

[Bruce Guignard]

Hey guys. I’m Bruce and live in Columbia, SC. I am 60 and enjoy deer hunting and I’m a wanna-be fisherman.

Like all of us, I love a sharp knife. It seems that when I get a knife sharp, I want it sharper (sound familiar?). I’ve purchased numerous sharperners over the years – in fact, I was trying to figure how to buy the Wicked Edge without my wife knowing (I already used the excuse that they mate and multiply in the off-season with my last rifle). She knew I wanted it and she ordered it for me last Christmas – she must really love me because I don’t know if I would have bought another cook book for her.

While contemplating my purchase, I asked Clay a few questions. He answered those and added that I would say “WOW” when I used the system. Well, he was right: WOW!

I don’t have a huge collection of knives: a few fixed blades and some folding knives. My most recent knife is a hand-forged hunting knife made by Mike Hensley out of Spruce Pine NC, B.E. Hensley and Son Hand Forge. It’s an absolutely beautiful piece of working art. I’ll post some pictures when I figure out how. He uses a 25 degree angle; I am tyring to decide if I want to change it and/or get a mirror finish.

Several years ago I read John Juranitch’s book, “The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening” and purchased his system. The hardware works but not like the Wicked Edge. His book introduced me to the concept of the burr, the primary edge and multiple angles. I might jump on to some of the other topics to discuss some of my observations and ask some questions.

If ya’ll make it to SC, give me a ring; I’ll cook some grits.

[wickededge]

Welcome Bruce and thank you for joining. There are a bunch of great people here with a wealth of knowledge and experience and some wonderful paths through life. It’s a great community and you’re a very welcome member!

-Clay

[Joyal Taylor]

Welcome Bruce.

I’m an experienced fisherman. If you’re ever in San Diego, look me up and I’ll take you fishing and we’ll cook up some fish and grits.

Joyal

[Robert Brown]

Bob here 61 years of age and semi retired from driving a truck for the last 40+ years.I have been a Gamewarden in Pa.as well as a hunter trapper instructer.I collect Benchmade knives and do enjoy them. I do hate a dull knife and can not put an edge on one to save my but, that is why I will buy a WE. and hope my skills improve a lot.I now live in Tn. and will be going to blade in Atlanta this year. went last year for the first time and do not want to miss another.

[Leo James Mitchell]

Hi Robert! Welcome to the Forum! When you go to the Blade Show, be sure to look up Clay…and Tom from Jende Industries will be there too. Bring one of your knives with you and let the guys sharpen it up for you while you watch. You will love the Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener.
Looking forward to hearing from you again mate.

Best regards
Leo

[Leo James Mitchell]

Hey Bruce
You surely are welcome here. Like all of us, you like a sharp knife and here are a bunch of us who help each other do just that. Plus it is a good place to make friends of a like mind.
You say you make grits…I would love to have your recipe if you are willing to part with it. Can you make hush puppies too. I have craving hush puppies ever since I visited the South a few years ago.
Anyway, look forward to hearing from you on the Forum!

All the best
Leo

[Bruce Guignard]

Leo, if you saw the movie Forest Gump, you might remember Bubba listing all the ways one can cook shrimp. Well, cooking grits is sort of like that – many, many ways. Speaking of shrimp, that is one of my favorite receipts: shrimp and grits with shrimp gravy; furthermore, I catch my shrimp with a cast net on the coast of SC.

Still trying to figure how to include shots of the hand forged knife I referenced in my first post.

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• IMG_0190.JPG

[Bruce Guignard]

I see the one image did make it. I’ll do the same thing with the others.

The knife was hand forged by Mike Hensley from O1 steel and twice tempered in oil and by color (you can see the temper line in one of the shots). The handle is Sambar Stag crown with a schrimshaw scene (whitetail deer hunting scene with hunter in ladder stand). You might notice that the tang has been roughed up to match the Sambar Stag handle. Mike even hand-crafted the sheath.

The edge is a single bevel at 25% (each side). I’d love to get a mirror finish on the edge (as you can see, it already has a mirror finish on the rest of the steel). I am hesitant to change the edge he established, and I just do not know enough to feel confident monkeying with it.

I think of it as a working piece of art; although it hasn’t done any work yet.

Attachments:

• IMG_0196.JPG

[Bruce Guignard]

Close up of scrimshaw:

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• IMG_0191.JPG

[Bruce Guignard]

“Roughed up” tang:

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• IMG_0192.JPG

[wickededge]

That is really cool!

-Clay

[Thomas Herbert]

Wow, great group here i can easily identify with so many of you… Hope to learn lots and make a few new friends.

I’m Thomas (elpasotom), age 43, living in El Paso, TX. Originally from WI, then as an Air Force brat lived everywhere, Korea, Germany, Japan, TX, NM, MI, ME… Ok you get the idea… Lots of great experiences growing up in the north woods of WI, and MI. Hunting, fishing, learning real skills i’m grateful to have today.

stayed adventurous through high school and college… Private pilot, Rescue SCUBA diver, spelunking, anything to et away from studies on the weekend.

Met and married my wife at NM State Univ. did a stint as a police officer where i really developed an interest in knives ( and guns), then worked for GE Capital for several years. now run my own private money management firm ( only 100 clients) since 2006. Now spend summers playing taxi to 4 kids and trying to pass on some outdoor skills to them during the summers as we camp around the US and Canada.

I’ve never really been comfortable sharpening knives and have really no experience. However, after watching many videos from Clay and others i really feel good about this system i’m about to order. So i hope to meet many more of you on the forum and i’ll contribute what i can.

[wickededge]

Hey Thomas, welcome! You’re not too far down the road from, as far as Western states go. Thanks for joining the forum, there are a lot of great people here with a ton of knowledge. Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do for you.

–Clay

Wow, great group here i can easily identify with so many of you… Hope to learn lots and make a few new friends.

I’m Thomas (elpasotom), age 43, living in El Paso, TX. Originally from WI, then as an Air Force brat lived everywhere, Korea, Germany, Japan, TX, NM, MI, ME… Ok you get the idea… Lots of great experiences growing up in the north woods of WI, and MI. Hunting, fishing, learning real skills i’m grateful to have today.

stayed adventurous through high school and college… Private pilot, Rescue SCUBA diver, spelunking, anything to et away from studies on the weekend.

Met and married my wife at NM State Univ. did a stint as a police officer where i really developed an interest in knives ( and guns), then worked for GE Capital for several years. now run my own private money management firm ( only 100 clients) since 2006. Now spend summers playing taxi to 4 kids and trying to pass on some outdoor skills to them during the summers as we camp around the US and Canada.

I’ve never really been comfortable sharpening knives and have really no experience. However, after watching many videos from Clay and others i really feel good about this system i’m about to order. So i hope to meet many more of you on the forum and i’ll contribute what i can.

-Clay

[Bill K]

Been backpacking and hiking for almost 40 years. Also love to go camping and shooting since that can include beer and whiskey. Still trying to go on my first hunt.

I have been using a lansky kit for a long time and wanted to upgrade so after spending a lot of time checking out other systems, got the WE sharpener, granite base, 800/1000 stones and the 1200/1600 stones (back-ordered).

All my knives are used pretty roughly. No presentation or display models 🙂 example: the serration on my 940 Osborn serration lasted about 4 months before being ground-down.

I don’t have any plans for mirror finishes but instead wanted a more accurate and efficient method to keep a good working edge on my knives. I am thinking I will only use the ceramics only on my kitchen knives.

Planning to work on the 940 tomorrow and see if I can get some of the nicks out of the blade.

Appreciate all the tips people are posting on this forum

[Author]

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