Just got a wicked edge for xmas...any tips?

mkjellgren

mkjellgren

Joined
Nov 1, 2005
Messages
1,592
Hey guys, as the title says, I got a wicked edge for Christmas. Just wondering if y'all had any tips.I have always sharpened freehand and am VERY proficient at it (hair whittling edges every single time). Bust now that I have a WE I plan on taking every advantage I can get. I know I'm going to have to spend quite a bit to get all the stones I want to match my already ridiculous edges, but I'm wondering if anyone has any beginner tips to get me going. Thanks in advance.
 
Hmm... very, VERY light pressure with the plates, they cut quickly. Let them break in for about 10-15 knives before you pass judgement on the grit sizes, they smooth out very nicely. Watch your passes when you're stropping, it's VERY easy to get sloppy at the end and make a little bit of downward motion, taking a notch out of the strop face.

Have fun, it's a heck of a system! :)
 
Thanks, that's exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking for. My first couple edges were very mediocre and I just chalked it up as the grit being too coarse as I currently only have the base 100/200 and 400/600 grit plates. I fully plan on getting some additional stones and strops eventually but it sounds like for the time being I'm going to need to practice and let the stones break in.

Also, any recommendations as to which additional stones to get as well as which strops and compounds?
 
Any tricks for not rounding off the tip? Every knife I've done so far has ended up with a rounded point.
 
'I dont own the wicked edge , but usually to avoid rounding tips you don't allow the stone to roll off the tip you stop at the tip but dont go all the way past it, thats how i've rounded tips off in the past.
 
mkjellgren said:
Any tricks for not rounding off the tip? Every knife I've done so far has ended up with a rounded point.
Click to expand...

Watch the tip of the blade from the other side that you are sharpening and stop your stone before you go past the tip. I usually release the stone from the blade when the tip gets to 1/2 way across the stone. Also, for me it's easier and just as effective to just focus on one side at a time instead of doing the alternating hand technique. I find that I get sloppy. I just use slow up and down scrubbing motions and count to 100 on one side and then do the same to the other side. Easy to get a burr that way. I have the 800/1000 stones and kangaroo strops to finish off. I also use 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, grit wet dry sandpaper and 3M polishing papers for mirror polishing. I seldom go up past 2000 grit though since I'm usually just putting on a working edge with a "little" swag.

Also, the WE website forum has GREAT info. Read read read...
 
Thanks again for the tips guys. From the sounds of it I'm just gonna have to practice practice practice as well as pick up some finer grit stones or wet/dry sandpaper. I am curious though, what kind of results are you guys capable of with only the included stock stones. I have been able to get edges that cleanly slice phone book paper and shave arm hair after a couple quick deburring strokes on a spyderco medium ceramic rod but they are still a far cry from the mirror polished hair whittling freehand edges I'm used to.
 
If you can achieve polished hair whittling edges freehand, what exactly are you looking for in the Wicked Edge? Might help to answer some of your questions. Most of the principles, techniques, etc. you apply freehand will apply to the WE.... the WE primarily offers greater angle control.

Tip rounding is mainly caused by rotating the stone around the tip, so either stop half way as suggested, or make sure you don't rotate the stone (this sometimes indicates too much pressure).
 
No tips that I can think of right now, but I think you're gonna love it after some practice. Merry Christmas!
 
cbwx34 said:
If you can achieve polished hair whittling edges freehand, what exactly are you looking for in the Wicked Edge? Might help to answer some of your questions. Most of the principles, techniques, etc. you apply freehand will apply to the WE.... the WE primarily offers greater angle control.

Tip rounding is mainly caused by rotating the stone around the tip, so either stop half way as suggested, or make sure you don't rotate the stone (this sometimes indicates too much pressure).
Click to expand...

Well, the wicked edge was a Christmas gift, I probably wouldn't have bought one myself given the fact that my freehand edges are quite good. However, now that I have the wicked edge I'm excited about greater consistency and more precise edge geometry. My current freehand bevels are usually pretty clean and even, but I do it all by eye and it will be nice to know exact angles.

Rounding to tip is definitely the result of me rolling the stone too much towards the tip, I guess its just something I'll have to work on. As I said before, its looking more and more like finer grits and lots of practice is the answer.
 
Well guys, I'm getting better. The stones are breaking in a bit but feel as though they still have a ways to go. There's also a bit of a learning curve (like most things I suppose), but my skills seem to be coming along. I achieved a hair whittling edge off of the 600 grit diamond plates followed by a few swipes on my stropman strop with green compound, which is saying something given how coarse of a finish my 600 grit stones still leave on the edge. The edge coming off the 600 grit stones and a quick strop is EXTREMELY aggressive when it comes to slicing performance but is obviously a bit lack luster in terms of push cutting. For a working knife I can see how this type of finish could be very advantageous, but I'm still just not digging the rough finished look so I think the finer grit stones are going to be a must buy for me. I'm still not completely confident in my skills, and I still know 100% that my freehand edges are more impressive in terms if sharpness as well as more attractive but that should be temporary as I can definitely see that this machine can put an absolutely wicked edge (pun intended...) on a blade provided you have the right stones and good technique. Thanks again for the tips guys, and keep um coming, I'm always willing to learn.
 
It certainly can! The 800/1K plates are a good investment, and you can always tape some wet-or-dry over the 600s to try out more highly-polished edges without having to make that investment at first. The 600s are never really going to break in to the point of making a really smooth finish, they're still fairly aggressive. It's a very easy system to use, but as you've noticed, there IS a practice-and-learning curve for it!
 
Just a quick update, I picked up some wet/dry sandpaper in 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit and cut it into strips which I taped to the 600 grit diamond plate and the results have been spectacular. The finish is still a bit cloudy, so I still have a ways to go for a mirror polish, but coming off the 2000 grit sandpaper followed by a quick strop the edges are insanely sharp and the bevels are nice and even. Overall I'm very pleased, and I'm sure I'll be even more so once I get around to picking up the finer stones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top