Ribstabsheart

[Ribstabsheart]

Knowing me, I will probably end up with a bunch of different rods eventually  but 15 just feels a little too big. 14 also seems long, but I’m taking into account the Riser block on the 120. Should give me a lot of options for working with all kinds of blade sizes!

[Ribstabsheart]

Thank you!!
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Looks like the WE120UP1 is the upgrade that will give me an extra 5° per side + the micro adjustments (similar to the plastic screws you sent my way a while back!). This seems to be more in line with what I’m hoping to achieve– and is the same price as the low angle adapter.</p>
Now to decide if I should go with the 12, 14, or 15″ guide rods. I should probably set mine up and grab a tape measure and see what would work best. There were a couple times sharpening large knives that I was worried the stones would come off, so maybe the 14 would be safer.

[Ribstabsheart]

Went to go order the emulsions, and got to thinking whether I could use the low-angle adapter and some longer rods as well? I’m not looking to reprofile edges down to crazy angles — I’d just like to be able to sharpen very small and very tall knives more easily.

I have the current pro pack 1, which has 8″ rods. I was just thinking of getting the longest rods so I could tackle anything; but since that’s almost 2x as long as my current ones it may be kind of overkill.

Also, any good videos on using the angle guide cube? I’ve seen a few different methods, and I’m not sure what’s the right way to do it when youre working with the WE.

[Ribstabsheart]

Well, my birthday came and went, and I ended up with the 2/1 emulsions and cow strops, as well as a bonus kangaroo strops! What can I say, she’s a keeper! 🤣

Now I’m left with the crippling decision of what to do with what. I was thinking of ordering the 4u and 0.5u sprays, and then using the cow for 4/2, and the kangaroo for 1/0.5 after our discussion about using the softer leathers for lower grit compounds.

I assume you cant really clean the strops and change grits after you load them up, so I haven’t used them yet. If something else might be better, please let me know! Whatever I do, I’m going to take my time and spend a lot of time with my microscope in hopes of getting better results over time!

[Ribstabsheart]

You strop after every stone progression? If I recall correctly, you keep it at the same angle as the stones and take lots of care to not nick the leather.

After talking with you last time, I realized that I was rushing through things and started examining my bevels with a scope and taking my time to remove all the scratches. That really made a big difference! Still working on my technique, but starting to get things dialed in a little more.

I’ll pass on the kangaroo for now, and maybe pick up an extra strop down the road since I was accidentally sent 1/0.5u paste a while back and have nothing to put it on. The 2/1 seems like the logical next step for now!

[Ribstabsheart]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>I dont see a “pack” of 1u/2u strops like the other ones, so I’ll probably get them separately. Given that I currently have 5 and 3, would make more sense to get those two vs the cow leather + emulsion bundles of 4/2 or 1/0.5.</p>
 

Is the softer kangaroo leather mostly used for finer grits? It would be fun to try, but given that I’m still working on my technique, it’s probably better to stick with the cow leather for now.

[Ribstabsheart]

Thank you so much!

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Marc H

[Ribstabsheart]

I can definitely tell the difference when I work slowly and alternate strokes (while I apply light pressure). At first, I was just kind of quickly doing it with long strokes, which is a very dangerous game to play when it comes to leather!🤣.

 

If I wanted to try out the emulsions, should I get anothet set of leather strops first? Not sure what micron would pair best with the current 5/3.5 pastes I’ve tried so far. My girlfriend is hoping to get me a birthday present, so I wanted to send her a little WE shopping list 🙂

[Ribstabsheart]

<span style=”color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>Thank you, Marc!</span>

 

<span style=”color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>I have noticed the pastes to be kind of flaky and tricky to work with, but I assumed that was mostly due to user error. Maybe I should give the emulsions a try next, and possibly the kangaroo leather? Since I have the 3.5/5 currently, I’m guessing I’d want the next emulsion down the line (maybe the 2 and 4, or 1 and 0.5?)? I am open to suggestions if a particular type of strop/spray would make a larger difference!</span>

[Ribstabsheart]

tcmeyer wrote:

It only takes a very few strokes with an 800-grit stone to flatten an edge. I think using a regular file is a bad idea.

Thank you for the clarification. I have to remember that while it looks catastrophic under the microscope, I can barely see it with my naked eye. Maybe I’ll try a couple swipes just to see how the edge changes under the microscope to better understand.

Marc H wrote:

I’m guessing tcmeyer is not assessing Ribstabsheart’s edge damage as being significant which is why Tom’s recommending the 800 grit method and thinks the file is a “bad idea”. Possibly, tcmeyer thinks the edge damage can be removed easily and the original profile recued. I have used a hand-held metal file horizontally/longitudinally across a damaged knife edge and removed the damage edge with good success. That I followed with a total edge reprofiling. When you’re needing to remove a lot of edge damage here’s a discussion on reprofiling, essentially the same process, from an earlier W.E. forum post. Read the full thread. In that earlier forum post using a file was discussed. tcmeyer even made a custom W.E. paddle setup with “first-cut” files. Bevel Angle Change Question… – Wicked Edge Precision Knife Sharpener (wickededgeusa.com)

Thank you, Marc! I will read this post and take some notes. The file would probably be pretty handy if I ever get handed a blade that was used as a pry bar. I’m afraid to look at my first Spyderco under the scope, because I used it in some very dumb ways a decade ago, haha.

[Ribstabsheart]

Thank you! I think I’m just going to live with it for now (as its already a skinny paring knife), but filing down the edge makes a lot of sense considering how much I already worked at it and it has only slightly “shrunk”. Wondering if maybe a cheaper handheld file might be a better option (opposed to working down my 800 grit)? If I keep running across these battered blades, I may have to invest in the 50/80 grit stones.

I’ve been sharpening most of my knives to 20° per side, so maybe I could work those up to 21 or 22 with my next sharpening session?

[Ribstabsheart]

Spent a good amount of time getting familiar with my WE, and got the 1500/2200 grit stones yesterday. Still breaking them in (the one knife I used them on didn’t seem much different), so I’m withholding judgement on those for now 🙂 Overall, spending lots of time learning the different strokes, inspecting my work with a microscope, and being more deliberate with how I work the knife.

Was curious how you guys would approach larger chips/broken edges like the pictured one? I’ve already been working this knife for a while, and I’m somewhat worried about wearing out my stones trying to smooth this one out. Is there a particular method you would recommend (different angle, particular stroke, working both sides simultaneously vs. one at a time)?

Also, I was watching a couple videos on stropping, and WE recommends the strops be tacky/strick together if properly loaded, and spray with isopropyl before use. I tried that, but now the strops are particularly dry. I’m not sure if I properly loaded the 5 micron strops (the yellow paste seems to rub off quickly in some areas and show leather), so maybe that is part of it. I’m trying it dry from Marc’s suggestion (and it seems to work OK), but didnt see anyone else mention it around here.

Thanks!

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[Ribstabsheart]

I know I’ve already said it a hundred times, but thank you once again! I felt like I was going crazy noticing a slight variation between the sides, and your explanation makes it all make much more sense. I put that knife aside to wait for your response, and noticed about a 1-degree difference when working on another, smaller blade. I’m sure that number varies a lot depending on multiple factors, but I will keep it in mind for future touch-ups. Sorry for getting my model number wrong — as we’ve already established, I’m new here 🙂

There are so many add-ons, stones, and modifications available for all the WE systems it can be kind of overwhelming to figure out what is necessary vs. a luxury. I got the Pro Pack 1, and I figured I should get used to how it all works before going too deep down the rabbit hole. I’ll look forward to the links and will do some hands-on research in the meanwhile.

[Ribstabsheart]

Makes a lot of sense, thank you! My scope is similar, but seems to be “fixed” instead of able to zoom, so I may have to get another.

What is an indication you might need to angle the tip of the knife upwards/downwards? I’m working on a large chef knife currently, and the positioning of each side seems different. I can move the blade forward and remove all the marker at the tip from the right side, but then the majority of the left side stays black at the tip unless I slide it forward. Been trying every position imaginable, and even broke out the angle cube to see what I’m doing.

Assuming I did it correct (stuck it to the blade, zero’d it, and put it on the stone) it looks like the right side works best around 18-degrees, while the left is closer to 16 (but that may be a little shallow, because I’m seeing some marks below the bevel). But if I widen the angle, I cant remove it all from the majority of the blade.

Its my first time trying to sharpen it, so I’m experimenting with positioning to get it right. Not sure if I should just go with a good enough spot and try and bring the sides together?

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[Ribstabsheart]

Thank you! I spent a good amount of time working on a few more of those steak knives, and took time to look at the edge to better understand what I feel. My scope can’t get much closer than that, but I have a pair of magnification goggles that I tried using and that let me get a little closer. It’s a little perilous putting my face so close to the blade, so I’m going to make sure to save that for when I can take the blade out of the vise.

I have a couple more knives to work on before I get to my girlfriend’s chef knife, so I’m going to take it slow and make sure I find that sweet spot before tackling it. Now that I know what I’m looking for (and can see if I’m taking off all the marker), I’m feeling a bit more confident with my WE. It’s amazing to see how different the edge looks after working my way up to 1000 grit!

Some of those steak knives did have some deep knicks in the blade — I took a little extra time with the 100 and 200 grit and got a lot of the little ones out, but some are a bit below the edge. I’m going to leave them for now (since I’ll probably be touching them up in a month) but was wondering if its better to keep working at the same angle until it’s gone, or go with a different angle for better results?

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