Tcmeyer – the 16/4/1 was originally intended ( based on Ken’s recommendation) for use on linen belts on the work sharp powered sharpener. They worked very well, But it took lots of extra passes on the 4 micron belt to get a decent mirror.
I was curious about stropping with the 16 micron too, but was wondering if it was analogous to the WE 14 micron paste.
Since reading your post on the VSTA and subsequently buying and learning how to use them I can see the appeal of films… I sharpened a blade the other day all the way through all my stones and followed the micro fines with 1 micron film. The edge was my sharpest yet after 20ish passes with the film. I kept going, and somehow lost the very keen edge after another 20 passes. Is there a set number of strokes you use? I think I might have lost the edge due to paddle wobble. I have read about your bushings, but don’t have the tools or technical know-how to put those in yet.
Mark – your blog is awesome! I had found it a while ago, and haven’t had a chance to read through it yet. I will tonight. Thank you for sharing so much info. Do you have a preference on what compounds you use now? Also, in those articles on stropping, are you dropping your angle when you stopped? And thanks for the advice, I do keep all of my strops in their own ziplock to avoid cross-contamination.
