I did a WEPS 100, 200, 400, 600 diamond stock stone progression followed by a a 800, 2K, 5K, and 10K WEPS Chosera stone progression and did a blog writeup with microscope pictures at each stage.
Here is the link.
Enjoy! B)
Great looking progression Tom!
Read the blog it was very informational and helped a lot. I still need to get more in depth before I can hang with you big boys but it is fun and thanks for the new forum Clay.
I am still waiting on my WE but was wondering after reading this post what the difference is in finish between the stones Tom was using and the leather strops that I ordered with my kit
Thanks
Lucky
[quote quote=“gofly” post=39]I am still waiting on my WE but was wondering after reading this post what the difference is in finish between the stones Tom was using and the leather strops that I ordered with my kit
Thanks
Lucky[/quote]
Hey Lucky,
Stones and Strops ComparisonThanks for the phone call earlier. Here is a page showing the difference in grit size between all the stones offered: You can click on the images I’ve uploaded to see a much closer view. There is a striking difference in the finish with the strops as compared to the fine grit waterstones, even in the coarser strops like the 14/10 micron set. I’ll be uploading more images as soon as I can.
[quote quote=“wickededge” post=40][quote quote=“gofly” post=39]I am still waiting on my WE but was wondering after reading this post what the difference is in finish between the stones Tom was using and the leather strops that I ordered with my kit
Thanks
Lucky[/quote]
Hey Lucky,
Stones and Strops ComparisonThanks for the phone call earlier. Here is a page showing the difference in grit size between all the stones offered: You can click on the images I’ve uploaded to see a much closer view. There is a striking difference in the finish with the strops as compared to the fine grit waterstones, even in the coarser strops like the 14/10 micron set. I’ll be uploading more images as soon as I can.[/quote]
Hey Clay,
Awesome forum! What a great idea. So in your experience are you getting a better mirror polish w/ the strops than water stones 5/3.5 micron vs 3K/5K Chosera. Is it reasonable to go from the 5K water stones to the 3.5 strops?
Hey Lucky,
The 3.5 strops are a great step after the 5k stones. Even though their a little bit coarser, the action of the leather is so different that it brings about a pretty radical transformation on the metal within a few strokes.
Clay, when you do the Fallknivens, why not do them on this site as well as on the Knife Forum’s Keeping Sharp. Some people may only belong to this forum so it would be a convenience to them. Just a thought!
Later
Leo
Leo,
I think I’ll get to the knives starting today 
Thanks for the suggestion about posting here too. I’ll definitely do that.
–Clay
After a few days at other tasks, I’m finally able to start up the progression comparison again. The next knife to sharpen is a Fällknieven TK2. The knives come very well sharpened new with a nearly complete Scandinavian grind. There is a very fine micro-bevel so it’s not a true Scandi, but it is very close. Below is a picture of my F1 that has not been sharpened yet, showing the tiny micro-bevel:
Zoom In - 230x
Leo’s knife has been sharpened with a series of bevels or facets and is on the way to becoming convex. Here is a photo of the knife as it came in from Leo:
Zoom In - 230x
Next I’ll get to work sharpening this knife. I’ll use the Shapton stones for this one and the Choseras for the Fällknieven folder.
I started sharpening this at 16.5 degrees with the 220# stones. I used an inclinometer to measure the actual angle since the Shapton stones are thicker than the stock Wicked Edge stones and give a more acute angle. The settings on the Wicked Edge sharpener for this knife are:
Angle - 21 Degrees
Depth - Top Holes
Alignment - B
Here is a picture after flattening the bevels out:
Zoom In - 230x
Approximately 90 strokes per side. Elapsed time: 1.5 minutes.
On to the 320# Shaptons:
Zoom In - 230x
Zoom In - 230x
I did approximately 90 strokes per side. Elapsed time: 00:01:30.
So far, I’m not seeing too much difference in the ability of the coarse stones to re-profile the bevels between the two types of steels in the ESEE and Fallknieven knives.
Clay, forgive my ignorance but is flattening the bevel the same as raising a burr. This the first time I have encountered the term. Knowing me, I have missed something I should have been doing! How like me.! LOL!
Leo
Now the Shapton 1000#:
Zoom In - 230x
This phase was very easy, very rewarding. The brightness of the bevel came up very quickly.
Approximately 90 strokes per side. Elapsed time: 00:01:30
[quote quote=“leomitch” post=109]Clay, forgive my ignorance but is flattening the bevel the same as raising a burr. This the first time I have encountered the term. Knowing me, I have missed something I should have been doing! How like me.! LOL!
Leo[/quote]
Leo,
I don’t know that it’s even an accepted term in the industry. I use it to describe re-profiling your nice convex bevels into V-grinds so I can photograph them under the scope. I’ve got to make the plane of the bevel flat instead of curved or the camera will only be able to view a very small section.
-Clay
It’s worth mentioning that I haven’t taken the bevel all the way to the very edge of the blade yet. I’m leaving the edge alone since I’m working at a more shallow angle and there is no reason to take additional metal just to reach the edge at this stage. Once all the grits have been applied, I’ll go back and start creating the multi-facets at slightly wider angles before blending them with the strops. The current bevels are set at 16.5 degrees. The final angle at the edge will be 21 degrees and I’ll reach it in just a couple of strokes once I move the collars out.
Now the 1500# Shapton Stones:
When you’re sharpening with these stones, you see within a few strokes how much the bevel is brightening and the edge is getting refined. A quick test of the knife’s edge with a fingernail shows how sharp it is; the edge immediately bites into the nail.
Zoom In - 230x
Approximately 90 strokes per side. Elapsed time: 00:01:30
Shapton 2000#:
Zoom In - 230x
While the jump from 1500# to 2000# seems small, the bevel of the knife is much more polished and the scratches are noticeably smaller. The stones feel harder and appear to burnish the metal as well as polishing it.
Approximately 90 strokes per side. Elapsed time: 00:01:30
After the 5000# Shaptons, the edge is coming along beautifully:
Zoom In - 230x
5000# Shapton Stones - 230x
I went a little longer with the 5000# stones since the jump up from the 2000# stones was larger. The edge looks like a mirror to the naked eye at this point and it’s both polished and burnished. Due to the high polish, the microscope’s camera is starting to have a hard time focusing. I see this a lot with highly polished edges.
Approximately 180 strokes per side. Elapsed time: 00:03:00
Next step was the 8000# Shapton Stones. Some contamination, probably from my mounting plate, seems to have gotten onto the stones, digging some deeper grooves. All in all, the bevels look great and you can see the increasing polish from the finer stones:
Zoom In - 230x
I spent a little extra time on this stone trying to get the deeper scratches out. I’ll probably have to drop down a few grits to fully remove them.
Approximately 240 strokes per side. Elapsed time: 00:04:00