Organic

Clay always makes it look super easy. I’m not saying that it’s difficult, I just know that there are a lot of little things that he’s doing that are not communicated in his relatively short videos. He almost always has the blade placement worked out before the camera gets rolling (an essential step for good looking bevels) and I think he uses a…[Read more]

When it comes to sharpening you always have to decide when to stop because there is no definitive end point. I think it makes this decision much easier if you have a particular purpose in mind for the knife you’re working on. If the knife is a user, then it only needs to be refined enough for the intended types of cutting that it will be used for.…[Read more]

Do a few cheap knives that you don’t care about before you attempt sharpening your good blades. You’ll probably find that it takes a bit of getting used to the motion and a bit of practice to get a knife mounted the way you want it.

If money is not an obstacle and you decide to go with the WE130 setup then the pro pack 3 is a really good all around kit. If you’re going to purchase the gen. 3 pro model and build off of that, then you’ll for sure want the 800 / 1000 and 1500 / glass stones. Get the 6 micron diamond lapping film to go with the glass blank on the 1500 / glass.…[Read more]

Okay, I just looked at it again and you’re right. That doesn’t look like a torx. Other Benchmades have a torx screw for their thumb studs, even other emissary models.

The screw is a torx head. These are common on knives.

Yes, I typically only go for burr formation on the first set of stones, but I always check that I’m hitting the apex with the sharpie / scope method.

Yeah, that doesn’t look good at all. To get rid of the recurve you’ll need to remove a lot of material towards the heel. Like you suggested, I’d say take the blade out of the handle, remove the thumb studs prior to sharpening and then spend a good amount of time scrubbing at the heel until the profile looks right again. Once you’ve done that,…[Read more]

That’s super nice of you Marc!

I’m in agreement with Marc. The diamond lapping films do not behave the same way that strops do because strops are compressible and the abrasives are not firmly embedded to the substrate. Strops are capable of producing an amazing scratch free polish, but this often requires a lot of passes and you run the risk of rounding the apex especially if…[Read more]

The process has been described several times on the forum and the knowledge base has good article on the topic as well. Here’s a recent thread on convex edges.

I haven’t used the diamond spray, but I can vouch for the emulsion. The emulsions are excellent.

I think one aspect you may be overlooking when comparing the price on these two items is the quantity. The diamond emulsion is 8 mL (0.27 oz) while the spray is 2 oz (59 mL).

Keep us posted when you’re ready to break the news!

Ah, I see what you’re getting at. You’re thinking of having the plates with a slight radius across the length of the cutting surface to intentionally put a convex edge on the blade. I imagine that it would be possible, but given that you can get a convex edge by making several facets and then blending them with strops without any extra tools, I…[Read more]

Great post! It looks like you had a fun night. Let us know how the edges hold up and if you think the micro-bevels are the way to go.

3 inch folders are typically no problem as long as the blades aren’t narrow like on traditional slip joint folders. Take a look back through the forum and you will find hundreds of photos of EDC style folders that have been sharpened on the WE with great success.

I think Tom has it right; If you just want a sharp knife to use then the WE50 (GO) is a great rig and will accomplish that job. It will take a bit of extra work to clamp knives, especially the flat ground varieties, and making small angle adjustments will be comparably more difficult, but this is still a very versatile sharpening tool that can…[Read more]

The diamond pastes are intended to be used with the strops. The lapping films are ready to use right off the sheet.

I agree with you that most people have never experienced a sharp knife except perhaps a box knife. I don’t know if it would be necessary to have them sign a waiver, but reminding them of the dangers of a knife may be in order. I like Tom’s idea with the knife sleeves. They should help protect the knife as well as the user.

Tom’s advice is spot on. If you don’t reach the apex during the sharpening process, then the knife will not be sharp not matter how many different grits you use. A sharpie or similar marker can be used to color in the bevels and can also help you see if you have reached the apex, but this is most reliable when used in conjunction with a magnifying…[Read more]