Organic

The strops work very differently from the stones. You will see an improvement in edge uniformity using a set of strops on even a 600 grit edge. There is no need to get an in between grit unless you want a higher level of edge refinement.

If your stones are truly broken in and assuming that your technique is good, it is still possible to get poor results if the knife is so cheap that the steel has not been properly heat treated. I have a hunting knife that was a groomsman gift that I have never been able to get a decent edge on because of this problem.

I suggest following the…[Read more]

I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I think you’d be better off just rinsing it and then blowing it out with compressed air to get it dry.

I like the flimsy paper also. I do believe that it reveals more about the quality of the edge than your standard weight printer paper does. It isn’t that hard to get an edge that and push cut printer paper, but getting it to push cut phone book paper is more difficult.

Don’t force it. The clamp is very well made, but I think trying to clamp a knife that doesn’t fit would cause damage. Get the larger jaws or get the Tormek small knife adapter (check Amazon).

I remember having the same experience with the first few knives I sharpened on my WE. I had been doing free hand sharpening and using a Lansky with good (but not great) results for a few years prior to using the WE for the first time, so I wasn’t new to the concepts involved in sharpening. Like you, I had watched hours of YouTube footage on how to…[Read more]

Keep at it. You’ll undoubtedly get improved results with each knife you sharpen. Like you said, those stones need to wear in and you probably need to refine your technique. Heck, I need to refine my technique and I’ve been using a WE for nearly three years now. There’s always room for improvement.

Airscapes is correct; You need to look at the bevels under magnification if you want to know how many strokes with a set of stones are enough. With some of the coarser stones you can get a pretty good idea by listening to the sound that is produced while sharpening and paying attention to how each stroke feels, but there’s no method quite as…[Read more]

I had never heard of this material either. It should be okay to sharpen with the diamond stones since there is no way this stuff is harder than the diamonds.

Welcome Danny!

Clay, would it be possible to have it as an “add on” service? That way people could choose whether or not they want it done to their stones and you also don’t have to mark up the prices on the stones as they currently are sold. I can understand if this would not be economically viable considering the investment into developing the break in tool.

I did a quick search on the subject and it does not look like this sharpening task is readily amenable to the Wicked Edge setup. I could imagine you probably could build a special adapter of some kind to make it work, but there are already tools out there that are specifically designed for sharpening circular saw blades. You can also sharpen them…[Read more]

Welcome John!

I think you’ll be pleased with your purchase. The Pro-Pack 3 is a very comprehensive setup and is what I would buy if I had to start over.

In day to day cutting with a kitchen knife or EDC I would doubt that there are very many people who truly need anything beyond the 600 grit edge. Everything beyond that is nice to have, but not necessary for the vast majority of users. Like many things in life, sharpening is a game of diminishing returns; with each additional level of refinement y…[Read more]

The high dollar scissors that hair stylists use are often sharpened with a convex grind. I don’t think the WE is a good tool for maintaining these scissors. There is a very expensive ($5,000 or so) that is specifically designed for sharpening shears. The name of it escapes me at the moment, but I will edit this post if I think of it.

I might have to do that to mine.

The glass is intended to be the surface that you attach the diamond lapping film onto. Glass on its own will have almost no effect on your edge. The diamond film has an adhesive on the back that sticks to the glass. The 6 micron film works really well after the 1500 diamond stone.

I have that same Carson scope and I totally agree with TC; the adjustment for the focus is much too easy to disturb. If it would stay put I’d probably use it more often.

That’s pretty cool. It is amazing what you can do with a 3D printer and some creativity.

When it comes to sharpening more is more. You won’t always use the fine grit stones, but they are fun to have when you want to see a nice looking edge or get a super sharp edge for detail work. We all understand the sickness. That’s why we’re here.