Sticky edge

[Brian Ledford]

Can someone give me some advice on getting my edge sticky sharp or have some bite ? I can get the knife sharp but there is no bite at all to the edge. I have the pro pack wicked edge and im raising a burr on both sides. Also the edge seems to feel sharper rubbing the blade in one direction vs the other.

[Allgonquin]

Hi Brian,

I’m certainly not the expert that some folks are here, but I’m not sure what you mean by sticky. By bite and stickiness, maybe you mean what I’d call toothy? For example I think folks like a toothier edge for tomatoes, so you get the teeth to “tear into” the skin on a micro scale and start the cut. The coarser the grit, the toothier the edge, obviously. Clay just posted a comparison of a new 600 grit stone edge versus a very well used 600 grit edge and you can see how much toothier the new stone is. So perhaps stopping at 600 or 800 will give you the bite you are looking for?

Just my thoughts.

Rgds,

[Brian Ledford]

By sticky i mean that if you rub you fingers on the blade it will suck into your fingers. I can save hair with my ZT 0560 and 810 Contego but i can pull the edge across my fingers with no resistance or pull into them.

[cbwx34]

Hey Brian,

Allgonquin hit part of the equation… The level of finish plays a part. Also if you’re using leather to strop, you might take note of Clay’s recent photos on how it can round the edge,,,and avoid this by stropping at a lower angle.

The edge feeling sharper in one direction over the other is determined by the direction of the striations left on the bevel by the stones. If you sharpen in the “standard” direction, from heel to tip edge trailing, you’ll leave “teeth” pointing toward the tip, which will catch and start to cut as you move the material from tip to heel. I sharpen this way cause it’s faster, but when I get to the finer grits, I reverse direction. You can also try a more straight up and down stroke, and work up and down the blade in sections. You can vary it depending on how you plan on using the knife.

Hope this helps!

[Tom Whittington]

I get a very good “sticky” edge with just the diamond stones up to 1000 grit, though they’re fresh stones for the most part so they’re coarser than worn in ones. I just touched up the machete I posted about elsewhere at 200 grit (trying out different grits for use chopping brush around the farm) and the edge is very “sticky”. My usual test for most knives is my thumbnail, and just about every properly profiled edge I’ve done on the WEPS has been sharp to the point it almost doesn’t want to let the fingernail go 😛 Mind you the highest I’ve gone polish wise would be the 3.5 micron diamond paste, but the Kershaw I did to a high polish with the strops still has that same drag or resistance running a thumb or fingernail over the edge.

edit: Good points posted above! Changing the direction of the scratches in the polishing stage is something I’m just starting to mess with now.

[Josh]

CBW and Allgon are right on IMHO… try a little toothier of an edge (i.e. a low grit, finished edge), maybe finished on an 800 or 1k grit diamond stone (I get excellent results finishing on the 1k, that’s what my EDC stays at). Additionally, the sharpening direction REALLY makes a difference… sharpen your edge in the correct direction to maximize the effectiveness of your edge in the way you use it.

lastly, I would say to make sure that you are lightening up your passes on the last 15-20 strokes/side. when you remove the burr, it should be with the last stone used (not strops) – this is according to Cliff Stamp, and I have found good results w/ this too. Anyway, I have gotten very sticky or toothy edges in this way… Hope this helps!

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