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I started out with a Spyderco Sharpamaker. Easy to use, satisfactory results albeit time consuming if you need to reprofile and edge. Then I bought a basic WE system and add the angle cube, 1200/1600 ceramics, 5/3.5 & 1.0/0.5microns leather strops. Very happy with the results, and my folders do stay sharp longer. Easy to setup and replicate results with the WE system. I still use the sharpmaker especially whenever I am outdoors activities as it is much easier to bring along. There are belt sanders etc available here but for me the WE system/sharpmaker is more than adequate for my needs.

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sksharp, Mark76

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For me after the 1000 diamonds, i’ll be using the ceramics 1200/1600, then leather strops 5/3.5 microns and lastly 1/0.5 microns.

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Beautiful job on this refurbishment. Even the swedge and the vertical grind lines are perfect on this piece.

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Josh

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I have just acquired the 1/0.5 and 5/3.5 leather strops. The ceramics that I have is the 1200/1600 grit. I manage to get a very nice mirror on the full face of the bevel when I drop 1 deg of the WE arms. My observation is that after stropping on the 5/3.5 strops, there is significant dark residue both on the paddles. then I which to the 1/0.5 strops but on this, there seems to be much less residue on the paddles.

Another observation I noticed is that the 5/3.5 strops are much easier to handle as it slides of the bevel nicely and smoothly, whereas with the 1/0.5 strops as it travels bottom-up sometimes there is some resistance (not smooth) why is that? Is it because its new strops? Do these strops require some break-in like the coarser ceramics/diamond stones?

Thanks in advance for any input..

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My understanding of ‘breaking-in’ process is basically getting the surface of the stones to be even and flat with no loose grits etc which will result in a uniform abrasive action across the stones.  From my experience, the diamond stones requires about 10 sharpening sessions. For the ceramics, its longer as the grits are too fine, and with light strocks only thus takes longer to smooth out. I would probably guess around the 15 sets.

The best thing i like is that when resharpening, I only need to use the 1200/1600 ceramics, unless  I need to repair knicks or the sort.

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dulledge

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For me, masking tape of the normal kind is good to use. Yes, it does leave some residue after peeling it off, but usually I kinda like to really clean the knives I have sharpen using WD40 which gets the residue out without much effort. Another product which is also good would be zippo fluid.

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Geocyclist wrote:

Thanks for sharing. I am glad to see a photo a such a great edge without any stropping. I have not done this with just ceramics, but I usually quit early and go to the strops. Nice to see what you can get from the ceramics.

Indeed. I am quite happy with the results. However when utilising the 1200/1600 ceramics, I did it really really slow and without pressure on the paddles, just its weight. Heel to Toe. Time consuming but very satisfactory results.

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Colin wrote:

On recommendations, I ordered the 800/1k, 1.2k/1.6k, and a set of 3.5/5 stropping paddles. I’ll stop by the hardware store Sunday and see what I can do about getting that vise setup going as well. Really excited!

Hi there.

With reference to the wicked edge ‘Grit Comparison table’,  the 1200/1600 ceramics are equivalent to 5/2.85 Microns. Therefore would you be better of having the 1/0.5 leather strops or probably the SuperFine ceramics at 1.4/0.6 microns instead?

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I too learn’t it the hard way. Due lack of concentration, I dropped a PM2 after it was sharpened on the WE. It was probably about a foot and a half away when it struck me leg on the side. Man, it was a small nick but I think it went in tip first. Blood was every where. Put pressure on the wound and thought after a few minutes it would stop, but alas it did not. It seems that the cut was really deep. Anyway, it subsided after awhile. No major issues luckily. From that point forwards, sharpening works on the WE do have my full attention.

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dulledge

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Hi there. Welcome. Do spend some time reading on all parts of this forums like I did. I too just started using this system and with the correct knowledge and proper techniques derived from this forum you get the best experience using this system.

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I for one may not be using the setup for business. What I have noticed after around 40 knives is that the stones are more smoother not as rough as it is new. Of course some stones are used more than others depending on what I needed. Hopefully these stones can last a lifetime. If it does then the cost of ownership is justified IMO. What I worry most is damaging the stones due to handling as the ceramic stones are fragile.

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Josh wrote:

I use this method w/ an angle cube instead of the stock depth settings – I never use those any more. I also use the sharpie method in conjunction w/ this a LOT. To maintain the point keep more pressure on your thumbs than your fingers (if the knife is pointing away from you) and you won’t roll around that tip. I recommend reprofiling to 15 dps, try it, and if you have any issues throw on a microbevel. I’m gonna push my EDC folder (ZT 0561) down to 10 dps soon (w/ a microbevel likely). <iframe src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/2T0wQDHKMR0?feature=oembed&#8221; width=”670″ height=”377″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=””></iframe>

Thanks for the tip on ‘how not to roll the tip’ and the very informative video.

Anonymous wrote:

I have developed my own standard for sharpening. Now that I have the wicked edge, my knife sharpening has enter a new level of repeatability. I’ve been sharpening knives for 50 years, but never with the success that the wicked edge has given me. What I thought was sharp, was in reality very dull, compared to the edge I can get with my wicked edge system. Here is what yy engineering mind ( very analytical ) has discovered. I can put on a 15 * degree edge or a 20 * degree edge. 15* degree for razor sharp hair shaving sharpness, to any knife I own. If I’m looking for a field edge, that is, cutting wood, or other harsh items, Ill put a 20* edge. still wicked sharp but less prone to chipping and having to re-profile. I see many people overthinking this process. I use the angle cube to get a specific angle. the biggest trick is to load the blade in the vise in such a way as to allow the sharpening process to evenly follow the edge. this is accomplished using the sharpie method. Once you see how the stone is contacting the edge, you can make a slight adjustment to effect uniform contact. The next big tip is to develop a burr. You do this by sharpening one side Only until you create a burr on the opposite side, once created, you can now set the same angle using the cube, on the opposite side… once the burr has bee created along the entire edge surface ( very important ). You can now remove that burr from the other side to get that wicked edge sharpness. Then its just a simple matter of going through the stones, ceramics and strops to attain the mirror finish and with that an even greater sense of sharpness.. I have to tell you, these edges I have created using the wicked edge ( I just received it a few days ago ) are scary sharp. It takes no time to learn this system., after the third knife, the process has become so simple. Its fun, and its actually very scary to be able to produce an edger this sharp, so easily and with such confidence. Because I have bursitis in my shoulders, I alternate strokes by stroking one side of the knife 25 times then switching to the other side giving my shoulder a chance to rest. I usually stroke through the stones 100 X times. when I get to the strops, I will lube them up with micro paste, and do 200 stokes with both 1.5 micron and 0.5 micron diamond paste. when IM done, its a beautiful thing. Last night, I sliced a tomato with one of my just sharpened knives. I was able to see through the tomato slice, ( about 0.005 in. thick ) and repeat that with each additional slice. I smiled because in 50 years , Ive never been able to do that, even with a band new knife with a factory edge. Bill aka ET

Yup, I too was very happy when I first got the WEPS. By just following the simple procedures, the results were outstanding. I trained on all my kitchen knives and made my wife very very happy. I think I’ll invest in the angle cube too. Can’t really rely on the scale markings as different blades do differ and angles do change from knife to knife.

If setup correctly, no more uneven bevels. All I need is more practice. Probably head down to my parents and sharpen their knives too 🙂

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Mark76 wrote:

Welcome Jumpstat! Enjoy your WEPS! And please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

Josh wrote:

Welcome aboard! I’m sure you will love it!

Anonymous wrote:

Greeting from South Eastern Pennsylvania USA.

Thanks guys for the warm welcome 🙂

 

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Mark76 wrote:

30 knives should be enough to break in the stones. For a “poor man’s” mirror finish I recommend the WE pastes on a leather strop. For a more expensive, but nicer option, I recommend the Chosera 5K/10K stones. Some people also throw in the 2K/3K ones, and they surely help, but they’re not absolutely necessary. See also my blog.

Cheers.

CliffCurry wrote:

Another lower cost option is lapping films or automotive sandpaper strips 2000-3000 grit. Quick n easy. Follow up with pasted strop n enjoy!

I could get sandpaper up to 5000 grit. Probably get a blank for this style.

Anonymous wrote:

If you are using 0.5 micron paste, that’s the same as using 50,000 grit sandpaper. its what I use. the 1.0 micron is like using 10,000 grit sand paper. I also experimented with the use of something called Simi- chrome. ( note the spelling ) Simichrome Its jewelers rouge in a lubricated emulsion. You can find it at any motorcycle shop, and on line, and at some auto stores. <b></b><i></i><u></u>

Cheers.

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mike wrote:

I used a tuff cloth with tuff glide rubbed into it . im not sure if putting a patina will help in this situation. I need for the knife to be completely food safe so that if it comes into contact with food, i won’t give customers tetanus or anything.

Hi there. I do not have an Esee 5 but I do have an Esee 6. I too had a shock earlier days when I bought this knife. It gets rusty very, very easy. Fortunately the black coating does hold up very well and can withstand quite a beating. As steel material goes, its got to be the carbon steel, 1095 that make it easily rust. I have tried to use it for food prep when we went camping but unfortunately carbon steel do leave a kinda taste in the meat, which I received from complaints from my children. So on the next day, I used a different knife, a S30V strider and the complaint stops.

One thing thing good though is that 1095 does sharpens easily. When in storage, I just coat a layer of olive oil.

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