Chazz

Gene, I’d suggest you just make the best of it.  A little bit lasts a really long time.  When you look to replace it, you might want to give the diamond emulsion sprays a try.  It’s a smoother feeling product to me.  Even though these sprays come with their own set of clogged sprayer difficulties.

Good luck and welcome.

Welcome to the Forum Gene.  The stropping paste compounds in the syringes really don’t leak or even come out of the tip without squeezing the syringe plungers down.  The pastes are pretty thick.  I wouldn’t think even with the cap off that the pastes would dry out without first drawing air up into the syringes by pulling the syringe plunger ou…[Read more]

Roy if this is the first time your Para 3 is being sharpened to 19.5º bevel angle with the angle precision offered with Wicked Edge sharpeners, you are in essence profiling that bevel.  This profiling usually requires more effort the first time sharpening  a knife with the W.E. and may require that you start at a lower grit for less effort. As To…[Read more]

Welcome to the Forum Roy,  You did not specify which model you received. The W.E diamond stone do need to break in before you’ll see truly decent results.  This can be as many as 8 or 10 knives worth of sharpening.  There is a distinct learning curve with the W. E.  Almost everyone of us came to W.E. from some other knife sharpening exp…[Read more]

Welcome to the Forum Gene.

Yes the Ceramic Stones will work better when broken-in.  Sorry to say, the break in period is longer for the ceramic stones  then for the diamond stones

Just so you know, some of the grits and sharpening mediums are used, “either/or”.  The sharpening stones are not intended to all work together in one long sharpening progression inclusive of every stone and grit.  Like Organic explained above…one or the other.

If it is a knife you really want to protect from any accidents, I’d recommend covering the knife steel sides with some kind of tape.  Blue painters tape works fairly well.  Nothing replaces proper careful sharpening technique and experience.  I do employ stone stops, both upper and lower, to limit the stones travel to across the knife edge, on…[Read more]

My riser blocks are Wicked Edge parts, no longer made or used, repurposed, from previous hardware upgrades we used in the past, during the evolution of the WEPS models over the years to the current version models. So in short, they are obsolete used W.E. parts.  It is my understanding that W.E. does not sell these or any other parts.

I use the cow leather for the 4µ/2µ and the 1.0µ/0.5µ. (Diamond Emulsions)

I bought the nanocloths for the finer grits; 0.25µ/0.125µ.  I have not yet loaded or tried these strops.

I have never used Kangaroo.  I have heard good things about it from those who have.  Thin and stiff, less angle reduction required.  Just the same experience in realit…[Read more]

The bar stock is a good way to accelerate the stone break-in.  I suggest first you work with some junk or beater knives to learn how to clamp and position knives.  Also, how to set guide rod angles and lock the positions, and then how to employ the various sharpening strokes.  This way while gaining the muscle memory from practicing your knif…[Read more]

I own and make use of all of these three, : A)  riser blocks, B) L.A.A., (low angle adapters) and C) the Tormek Small knife holder.  Each one has it’s place and it’s value.  My preference is the W.E. vise on the riser block but that doesn’t always hold a small knife.  Then I’ll try Plan B and if that fails,  Plan C.  All three are worth ownin…[Read more]

Welcome to the Wicked Edge Forum and sharpening community Michael Labus.

This is one of the best video’s I’ve seen to breakdown the different Wicked Edge sharpening stokes and explains the techniques in detail, well.  Ignore the title it really doesn’t reflect the subject matter.  In the second video of the two part series he goes on to use Ch…[Read more]

I do each and every grit the same procedure or routine as you wrote you did with the 100 grit.  I do not count strokes.  I do enough strokes to reach the results I’m looking for, then move on up a grit.  I start with 100 grit only as needed.  If I can get by starting at a higher beginning grit, (say 400 grit), I will.

Here are photos of my modified, (modded) Wicked Edge Set-ups:

WE130:

Gen 3 Pro:

Be very safety conscious when bring your fingers down onto exposed sharpened edges.  I suggest no-cut-gloves or Safety shields to “save the digits”.

I sometimes mist my strops with Isopropyl Alcohol.  The mist seems to affect, (improve), the paste compounds more then the emulsions.

Welcome to the forum Dnjiemor,  I wipe my guide rods, from time to time with a silicone rag like one used to wipe down guns and fishing reels.  I also pull a small swab of the same cloth through the sharpening stone handle bores, with a thin cord.  I drop a small paper clip, acting as a weight, down through the bore, then pull the silicone wad thr…[Read more]

The Low Angle Adapters, (LAA) allow for angles as low as 10º-12º.  You are not excluded from setting wider bevels when using the LAA.

Welcome to the forum PowerHouse.  The vehicles whether it’s the paste compound or the emulsion are just the delivery system to apply the diamond abrasives to the strop.  I wouldn’t be concerned about the vehicle.  Only the grits.  I wouldn’t want to contaminate the strop surface with mixed grits of a large size difference.   Mixing 3.5µ and 4.0µ p…[Read more]

Here’s another worthy light solution.  I use this LED light with the weighted base.  The weighted base allows me to place it anywhere I choose to.  It is a costly lighting solution but it works very well and can be positioned and aligned directly over the knife clamped for sharpening.  It can be positioned so it doesn’t shine in my eyes.  It illu…[Read more]