The video thread

If you look on YouTube, you’ll find a large number of videos about sharpening with the Wicked Edge. I thought it’d be nice if people linked here to their favorite videos. To start off, I’ll post a few.

How to post a video link

When you watch a YouTube video, you’ll see a code at the end of the URL. It is the part after “?v=”:

To post this video, reply to this topic and click on the button to embed a video:

Then you are asked to enter the link. Select “YouTube” for the provider and enter the code you just got as the ID:

Press “Insert video” and something like this is shown:

[v ideo width=425 height=344 type=youtube]5APdXK9-0V4[/video]

Then post your reply. Your video will be embedded in your post:

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]5APdXK9-0V4[/video]

This is one of my favorite videos: Clay sharpening a straight razor.

I guess this is one of the most popular Wicked Edge videos for beginners. Josh shows how to clamp a full-flat ground blade, but in between he shares a lot more knowledge about sharpening with the WEPS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I1VATPxATw

I’m rather into Japanese kitchen knives. Here Clay sharpens a Tojiro knife. I also love the production value of these videos.

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]23dau4JyGIU[/video]

Clay sharpening a Chris Reeve Sebenza. I happen to own one and this video is great!

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]GhzIUNIFQjE[/video]

Smoke Eater about the angle cube. The WEPS and OCD :wink: .

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]1eMQzLYFWtM[/video]

Great thread mark! Good idea to make a reference thread w/ any and all Wicked Edge videos! this should help newbs and potential future buyers as well. Unfortunately I cannot view the videos on my work computer, but here is one I did that may help either of the above two people. Oh, and I just post the video entire link in the narrative here and it seems to work as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb_PWmloHDI

OMG!! Like I have enough spare time anyway..lol. These will in the end save so much time. …hmmm that reads like Yoda talks..kinda..

Great idea!

Thanks A Ton!

[quote quote=“Zamfir” post=19342]OMG!! Like I have enough spare time anyway..lol. These will in the end save so much time. …hmmm that reads like Yoda talks..kinda..

Great idea!

Thanks A Ton![/quote]

Zamfir, you’ve posted some good video links… do you have any that you would recommend that were helpful to you beginning?

I also found these helpful when dealing w/ choseras and these principles are very good for mirror finishes too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RrvnZRVc-I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqgslH6dwvk

This one really helped me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2T0wQDHKMR0

Ok, Here is what I think would make this thread very useful.

Little videos talking about certain aspects of sharpening on the WE. I realized I have not watched a lot of videos because the title throws me off or they are way long and I decide not to make such a large commitment in time to it. Most seem titled to a specific blade which is cool but how would I have known there were tidbits in there for stroke usage? I am sure I sit here with my new sharpener and have all the same kind of questions others that are serious about this stuff have. But the level of questions or concerns about technique only start to surface up after some playing with it.

Here is an example of my recent pondering..
I got my knife clamped right and I figured out what angle I was going after..
now, what strokes are for what and when are they useful?
–scrubbing up and down while moving forward or backwards one side at a time (is this cheating?)
–the classic motion I see Clay doing where he hits the full blade length in one swath pulling down starting with the stone above the tip and ending at the heal (I think this is leading edge?) Is this the best way to do it? or are there certain times when this is better than others or not?
–same motion but starting at the heal and ending at the tip
–same motion but starting below the blade and ending above it all in one swoop.
–As much of this above motion as you can get but repeating because the blade is too long to do all at once
–keeping the stone on the blade going forward and backwards both trailing and leading edge the whole way (that was a new one I saw Josh do when finishing with a toothy edge)
–stropping is only trailing edge but a person could do multiple short sections of the blade more straight up all along one side at a time (kind of like scrubbing but only in trailing edge
–stropping the whole length in one motion.

hmmm..maybe I need to do a little video..a video is worth a million words..I am no wordsmith..lol.

[quote quote=“Zamfir” post=19347]
Here is an example of my recent pondering..
I got my knife clamped right and I figured out what angle I was going after..
now, what strokes are for what and when are they useful?
–scrubbing up and down while moving forward or backwards one side at a time (is this cheating?)
–the classic motion I see Clay doing where he hits the full blade length in one swath pulling down starting with the stone above the tip and ending at the heal (I think this is leading edge?) Is this the best way to do it? or are there certain times when this is better than others or not?
–same motion but starting at the heal and ending at the tip
–same motion but starting below the blade and ending above it all in one swoop.
–As much of this above motion as you can get but repeating because the blade is too long to do all at once
–keeping the stone on the blade going forward and backwards both trailing and leading edge the whole way (that was a new one I saw Josh do when finishing with a toothy edge)
–stropping is only trailing edge but a person could do multiple short sections of the blade more straight up all along one side at a time (kind of like scrubbing but only in trailing edge
–stropping the whole length in one motion.

hmmm..maybe I need to do a little video..a video is worth a million words..I am no wordsmith..lol.[/quote]

hopefully I can answer all your questions in a simple straight forward answer =)

  1. It does not matter what kind of stroke you use as long as you are spreading them out evenly from heel to tip - you can use scrubbing, circular scrubbing, edge trailing, or edge leading (the last two take longer). It even doesn’t matter what you use when going from stone to stone believe it or not! As long as you are accomplishing the goal, namely to remove the deeper scratches leaved by previous stones. Before leaving the 600 grit it is helpful to do a few full length passes to “smooth everything out” possibly.

  2. The edge trailing/leading from heel back and forth to tip that you see me do is only when I’m finishing off an edge to get the grind pattern (i.e. the angles of the micro teeth) the direction I want them. It just goes quickly vs. edge trailing only.

does this help?

Zamfir’s point is well taken… at least by me. I too find long videos to be off-putting. They require you to invest a block of time in hopes of finding the point of value you are looking for. More often than not, it’s a waste of time and the title wasn’t specific enough. Better to separate a long sequence into a bullet-point type sequence of individual videos.

I also would like to amplify on Josh’s point - that it doesn’t matter how you work the stones or what the progression is, so far as it takes you to the final result you are looking for. Certainly there are little techniques and tricks that will add to your effectiveness, but one should not be overwhelmed by the abundance of advice offered here. Each of us falls into a method which works for us and that’s all that counts.

[quote quote=“tcmeyer” post=19350]Zamfir’s point is well taken… at least by me. I too find long videos to be off-putting. They require you to invest a block of time in hopes of finding the point of value you are looking for. More often than not, it’s a waste of time and the title wasn’t specific enough. Better to separate a long sequence into a bullet-point type sequence of individual videos.
[/quote]

but you forget how excited you were when you were waiting on your wicked edge and watching all those videos… at least, most people I hear love investing mass amounts of time when looking into getting one lol. regardless, I agree with you. Mark, would it be possible to do more of a link with text so it is more consolidated? you can just update the OP so people have an easy reference. like this:

[ul]
Finding the sweet spot/How to clamp Spyderco’s[li][/li]
[/ul]

Yup! B)

[quote quote=“razoredgeknives” post=19348][quote quote=“Zamfir” post=19347]
Here is an example of my recent pondering..
I got my knife clamped right and I figured out what angle I was going after..
now, what strokes are for what and when are they useful?
–scrubbing up and down while moving forward or backwards one side at a time (is this cheating?)
–the classic motion I see Clay doing where he hits the full blade length in one swath pulling down starting with the stone above the tip and ending at the heal (I think this is leading edge?) Is this the best way to do it? or are there certain times when this is better than others or not?
–same motion but starting at the heal and ending at the tip
–same motion but starting below the blade and ending above it all in one swoop.
–As much of this above motion as you can get but repeating because the blade is too long to do all at once
–keeping the stone on the blade going forward and backwards both trailing and leading edge the whole way (that was a new one I saw Josh do when finishing with a toothy edge)
–stropping is only trailing edge but a person could do multiple short sections of the blade more straight up all along one side at a time (kind of like scrubbing but only in trailing edge
–stropping the whole length in one motion.

hmmm..maybe I need to do a little video..a video is worth a million words..I am no wordsmith..lol.[/quote]

hopefully I can answer all your questions in a simple straight forward answer =)

  1. It does not matter what kind of stroke you use as long as you are spreading them out evenly from heel to tip - you can use scrubbing, circular scrubbing, edge trailing, or edge leading (the last two take longer). It even doesn’t matter what you use when going from stone to stone believe it or not! As long as you are accomplishing the goal, namely to remove the deeper scratches leaved by previous stones. Before leaving the 600 grit it is helpful to do a few full length passes to “smooth everything out” possibly.

  2. The edge trailing/leading from heel back and forth to tip that you see me do is only when I’m finishing off an edge to get the grind pattern (i.e. the angles of the micro teeth) the direction I want them. It just goes quickly vs. edge trailing only.

does this help?[/quote]

Josh’s “Finding the Sweet Spot” is an example of what I’m talking about. It is very specific in the title and very demonstrative in the content. Very little of your time watching is unproductive. They should all be like that.

On occasion, I will admit to my foibles and this might be such a case. I am a vision-oriented person. I learn from what I see. Not from what I hear. Videos are interesting to me where they visually demonstrate problems and solutions. I have a bad case of ADD and I do not process audio (spoken) information very well. I avoid talking on the telephone as much as possible. I can have an extended, intelligent conversation with you on the phone, but when I hang up, I am likely to forget much of it. Because of this, I prefer to converse via text. I enjoy watching knife-related videos but lose interest where there is a lot of inarticulate jabber or long-winded dialogue. Trying to find three minutes of valuable info buried in a twelve-minute video is a non-starter for me.

Yes, I read a lot and I watch more television than almost anybody you know. Good television has the ability to focus your attention to the exclusion of all else. Not so for YouTube videos. Thank God for DirecTV and the pause and rewind buttons. Sorry if that offends anyone.

[quote quote=“razoredgeknives” post=19352]Mark, would it be possible to do more of a link with text so it is more consolidated? you can just update the OP so people have an easy reference. like this:

[ul]
Finding the sweet spot/How to clamp Spyderco’s[li][/li]
[/ul][/quote]

Sure I could, but maybe I understand you wrong. When I read this thread, the title of each video is in white letters on a big black beam at the top of every video. And these titles (at least of the ones posted here) are pretty informative and spot-on.

I don’t know whether we’re in the middle of a site overhaul, but someone likes WEPS videos a lot :cheer:

http://www.wickededgeusa.com/videos/

[quote quote=“mark76” post=19379]I don’t know whether we’re in the middle of a site overhaul, but someone likes WEPS videos a lot :cheer:

http://www.wickededgeusa.com/videos/[/quote]

We are in fact in the middle of a site overhaul :slight_smile: I was just getting ready to put up a post about it…