Need help!
- This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 02/04/2016 at 10:29 pm by
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The angle cube is used to verify the actual angle. One side of the vise is a fixed point, the other side moves with the width of the knife. The vise does not compensate for different widths. So when you dial in a specific angle ( in this case 16* degrees ) the actual angle is derived using the angle cube… So using the cube to get you the true angle is recommended ( this is done by moving the rod angle + or – 1 notch. . Learning how to sharpen is also very important.. Setting the angle based on the factory angle requires knowing that angle.. Also using the black sharpie pen to verify the angle is used. Then you have to establish a bur on one side, showing that you met the apex… Once the bur is achieved. then you can remove the bur and further define the edge, using finer and finer stones.
IM new to this ( about 6 weeks )and I can get scary sharp edges, but it requires some learning.. Iv’e been sharpening knives for 55 years. and I’ve never had a truly sharp edge until I bough this system..
So learning how to set the knife in the vise is very important, knowing how to use the tools of a sharpie pen, and the angle cube are important , and then the actual technique of the sharpening process.
Goos luck
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Good info from Bill above…
Id also add that many have just turned that bar over and ignore the graduated markings altogether because of the already mentioned fixed vise issue and blade height making the readings unreliable.
Gratz on the new system too btw…mine was a gen 1 second hand purchase that I upgraded that arms on…and a few other things 😛
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Just to continue the conversation. Buying the basic system will give you decent results. Obviously there is a big difference between a 300 dollar entry level system, and a 750 dollar system. Like being a good shot with a gun or taking a good picture with a camera…. I’ve been telling people in both disciplines that’s its not the gun or the camera, Its the gunner, or the photog. A professional photographer can take an award winning photo, with a throw away camera. Buying a 5000 dollar camera does not make you a professional photographer, it just makes your a guy with an expensive camera.
Any of the professionals on this forum could make a wicked edge using the basic system, but only because they have many years of experience. Once you fully understand , the knife set up, and the technique. you too can make scary sharp knives. It takes the tools, understanding, experience and technique, to achieve professional results.
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ET and Cliff are right about the angle bar. It is calibrated for a particularly sized knife, so if yours is wider or higher, it will be off. That is why the angle cube is more accurate in those cases.
On the other hand… In most real-world cases the precise angle doesn’t matter that much. A 14/16 bevel can be just as sharp as a 15/15, So who cares if you’re off 1 degree. Being OCD and WE users, we’re obsesses with angles, simply because the WE gives us that possibility. But if you’re sharpening free-hand you’re never going to achieve angles within 1 degree.
And for the sake of sharpening easily, the marks on the angle bar are useful. You clamp in the knife and record its position and angle settings. Next time you can clamp in the knife in the same position with the same angle settings and you’ve touched it up in no time.
Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge
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