New User Looking to Improve Results

[Erik Sinnard]

I got the Pro Pack on Saturday and I have done 6 or 7 knives on the Wicked Edge since then. I have been moderately satisfied with the results. What I have found is that the edge I get from the 1000 grit stone is sharp (it will cut phonebook paper), but it’s not shaving-sharp, it’s not very refined and it’s not really polished at all (which is something I’m looking for). I was hoping that the 5 and 3.5 micron strops would take me from a sharp, rougher edge to a polished, refined, razor-sharp edge, but they don’t seem to really have any effect on the blades that I have tried. I tried one knife with 200 strokes per side with the 5 micron and 200 strokes per side with the 3.5 micron and the blade looked pretty much the same before and after.

I’m still learning and I understand that the diamond stones take some time to break in, but I get the sense that what I have on hand it not enough to get me the results that I am looking for. Do I need to add the ceramic stones? Do I need to do something different when stropping or use different strops? What is my best course to improve my results?

Thanks for your guidance!

[Samuel Gabriel]

I must say, I’m at a similar place as you… I just got my Pro pack on Saturday just gone, and I’ve also done about 6 or 7 knives.
However, my results have been quite different when it comes to the stropping.
I found a HUGE difference between finishing with the 1000’s (or with the 1600 ceramics; I got the 1200/1600 ceramics too) and doing the stropping with the 5/3.5’s on leather.
When I finish with the 1000’s or the 1600’s, I see a dull, matte surface on the bevel, that is smooth, but with visible striations. But after a short stint of stropping, with 5 then 3.5 microns, I see a huge improvement in the finish. It looks much smoother and glossier, and the tiny striations are less visible to the naked eye.
How much paste did you use? I can’t think of any other variable that could account for this difference, other than perhaps the pressure applied or speed. I use a fairly light pressure, and a quite fast speed on the stropping stages.

[Tom Whittington]

Well, I’ll say first that 200 strokes is way, way overboard. When I do most knives I stop at 1000 grit and use the 5 micron paste strop for 10 to 25 strokes tops after cleaning the blade off with some rubbing alcohol. There is an immediate and extremely noticeable difference between a 1000 grit diamond stone edge and a 5 micron stropped edge even with 10 strokes. As I’ve posted a few other places my normal routine is to use the 5um strop as a “cleanup” just to get that last bit of razor edge out of a freshly sharpened knife.

Here’s my normal routine broken down in steps, if it helps:

– 100 grit to set edge, usually with sharpie
– Raise burr on both sides, even up with another 10-15 strokes
– Progress 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000 usually with 35-50 strokes per grit
– Clean blade, apply a small spritz of rubbing alcohol to 5um strop and run 10-15 strokes
– Optionally, clean blade again, apply spritz to 3.5um strop, use that one too

If you’ve got the burr and everything set properly early on, you’ll get a fantastically sharp edge by 600 and just improved from there on. Then like I said above, the strops bring out that last bit of sharpness. Some folks prefer to reduce the angle on the WEPS to strop but for my quick pass I leave it the same and use very light pressure and it works very well in my experience.

Also in regards to the visual polish, there’s a pretty big gap between 1000 grit stone and 5 micron diamond paste. You can polish all day with the strops but it won’t take all the scratches out, probably… though it will make the portions other than the deeper scratches very shiny! I would probably hold off on going for super shiny polishes until your stones wear in fairly well, and in the meantime practice very light, even and consistent pressure which will help you in the future 🙂

edit add: I also want to say that striving for mirror polishes is really something that highlights anything you’re doing wrong or inconsistently, which is why getting all the basics down is very important. I’ve found that practice, light pressure and bridging the gap grit wise will make that goal much easier and less frustrating to achieve. 😉

[Erik Sinnard]

It’s interesting that you guys seem to have such a profound impact from the strops and I seem to have almost none. I may have to try adding a bit more compound and try again when I get home from work tonight. I used enough to spread the compound across the whole surface of the leather, so I’m not sure where I might have gone wrong.

To be clear on my goals, I’m not looking for a mirror finish, but I definitely want something that’s polished up to some extent.

From my additional reading, it’s my impression that my stones still need quite a bit more breaking in. I am also looking at the possibility of adding some lapping films to use after the 1000 grit diamond stones as discussed here:

http://www.wickededgeusa.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=6&id=3245&Itemid=63#3245

[wickededge]

Your strops also need to be seasoned somewhat to start getting the results people are talking about. Once they start feeling like they’re gripping the blade a little, you should seem some rapid improvement. Spraying your strops lightly with rubbing alcohol before use will help a lot.

-Clay

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