Convex blades? leather or balsa on Wicked Edge

[mrgreen]

Have the WEPS on order, before it ships I want to hear from current owners. For true convex blades(Fallkniven, Bark River, and some Busse's), would the leather strops with compound maintain the edge better then balsa with compound?

 

[BryFry]

Not sure what WEPS stands for, but I have several fully convexed Bark River and Fallkniven knives.

I think leather is the way to go when maintaining convex, as the leather gives a little more than balsa, enabling it to fit to the contour of the blade a bit better. IMHO. I think balsa would work well for stropping a V edge.

There are a few places to get good strops, you can make your own by glueing leather onto a piece of plywood. Or check out the nice pre-made ones by knivesshipfree or Lee Valley.

Also, I think there are a few guys on the forum here who will make you a nice one for a small fee too.

 

[mrgreen]

BryFry, thanks for the info. I was thinking the same thing- balsa being better for a V edge.
By the way WEPS= Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener

 

[clayallison]

Definitely go with the leather and set the angle 1 or 2 degrees less than the final angle at the edge. The leather will conform to the curvature. At the very last, you might adjust the angle out to the final edge angle and make a few light passes.