Organic

Twenty three degrees per side is reasonably obtuse. I don’t know adding a micro bevel will help with edge retention. You might consider putting it back in the clamp and doing a little stropping on it to see if that restores the edge.

Welcome William!

I also did a lot of research and almost purchased a KME setup as well. It is a great sharpener and there are lots of very satisfied KME users. Like you said, the KME is a good value and that would be my system of choice if the WE did not exist. The things that eventually convinced me to purchase the WE product were numerous.

1.…[Read more]

Did you listen to that interview with Clay that Marc posted a few days ago? He specifically talked about how he took a straight razor that would not pass the hanging hair test and was able to get it to consistently pass the hanging hair test just by stropping the blade. Doesn’t this seem to indicate that the actual sharpness at the apex is…[Read more]

In my experience there is no question that a 1000 grit edge that has been properly stropped with the 4 / 2 micron strops (my recommendation) will feel sharper than an edge sharpened up through the 6 micron lapping film and no strops. The one done with the lapping film will have a more pronounced polished look, but won’t cut quite as well as the…[Read more]

Well, that depends on the knife and how polished or refined you want to make the edges. If you’re going for a sharp working edge for an EDC, then you might only need to go to 600 or 800 grit and do one set of strops. The initial sharpening will probably take 20-30 minutes like Marc said, but once you document the clamping position and have already…[Read more]

I do agree that practicing on a few unimportant knives first is key. It will help you diagnose any issues with your technique and will help the stones break in. The level of polish that you get with the diamond plates will improve in a dramatic way after about 10 knives worth of sharpening. If you haven’t already done this, your future self will…[Read more]

My suggestion is to take it up to 1500 on the diamonds, then the ceramic stones, followed by the lapping film and the the strops. If polishing is the goal, more grits is better.

It will be important to check the edge  carefully with each grit to make sure you have removed all of the previous grit scratches. A magnifier of some kind will be very…[Read more]

How many knives have you sharpened at this point? My experience was that the first several knives did not turn out nearly as sharp as I had expected. Like you had done, I also used the diamond stones without the strops. My first edges were similar to yours; slicing paper, but not smoothly and not push cutting. I suspect that the strops will help a…[Read more]

That was a fun listen. I appreciated that the interviewer was someone who knows about knives and sharpening. That really allowed for some interesting discussion well beyond the surface level that you would have had to stay at with someone who isn’t as informed. Clay is very well spoken and articulate as well.

The screw based clamps have a stainless steel insert for the threads (the clamp is made of aluminium I believe). These are very durable and it is rare that we see reports of them wearing out. The amount of force required to properly clamp a knife isn’t really that significant. The only goal is to immobilize the knife for the sharpening session, so…[Read more]

I am currently in Massachusetts. Yes, I miss the beautiful, green, and temperate Willamette Valley. Between the humidity in the summer, the piles of snow in the winter, and the absurd cost of living it is no contest when considering which place I prefer. Unfortunately, the industry in which I am employed is heavily focused in the Boston area, so I…[Read more]

I have the gen 3 pro as well and it is a beautiful unit. Welcome to the forum from another (former) Oregonian.

I used my knives to cut and apple and to open plastic bags containing Ikea hardware for a new bed frame that I assembled. I made home made pizza for dinner, so not too many knife use opportunities with that meal.

Check out this thread. It will explain the asymmetric grinds concept.

I am of the opinion that there is no way to avoid changing the profile of a blade when sharpening. As you have correctly observed, factory edges are highly inconsistent and may even have variation in the angles on the bevels in different portions of the blade. Even if you were to sharpen these types of blades free-handed so that you could change…[Read more]

I think your list is off to a good start, but you will find that you don’t need to draw a burr on each grit level. Once should be enough. However, you check to ensure that you’re getting all the way to the apex with each grit. When you look at the bevels with the loupe or microscope you should be able to tell, but I’ll often put down a fresh layer…[Read more]

I’ll listen to pretty much any type of music I’m into at the moment (unless I choose to put on a documentary or podcast instead). Below are a few tracks from bands that I’m into right now. I suspect that my musical tastes lie squarely in the range of what Mr. tcmeyer would call noise.

That looks like a very good first result. Thanks for sharing!

That knife looks like it should be relatively straight forward to clamp. The knife doesn’t have to touch both the pins, it is perfectly fine to have the knife resting on only one (or neither) of the pins.

Welcome Bob!