Ken Onion and then BG addition thoughts on SG2 from a rookie

[WC53]

Finally decided to register for this forum..

Well I went to the power side. RA in my hands has made knife sharpening unpleasant as I cannot hold the blades long enough to get there. I have a lot more experience sharpening chisels than knives. My approach depending on edge would be 600, 1200, 5K, 8K and then micro mesh or paste on a granite indicating plate. I do have an OLD lansky but never cared for it.

After a bad sharpening service experience with my RuSen Blazen SG2 kitchen knives, I decided to give the KOWS a shot. Initially I was a bit frustrated as I could initially get a good edge started and then I would lose the edge on the finer belts. I then would stop at the X22 belt and move to a 5k or 8K diamond plate and work on the edge. I think I read about every WS thread out there. I run the WS on slow to medium speeds working very conservatively with images of a childhood experiment with an emory wheel on a drill running through my mind. I also might be developing too small of a bur before moving forward.

After a while I decided to buy myself the BGA as an early christmas present. As I worked on the BGA, It became apparent that my problems with the original KOWS was too much blade pressure (holding the knife against the guide and the stop and pulling it through) and with the increased flexibility of the finer belts, I was changing the angle and losing the edge. Really working on the lightest pressure where I can track the knife has definitely helped the process. I have been trying skipping the X4 belt and going from the X22 to the 12000 grit as a change based on another thread.

I just made a few leather strops from an old weight lifting belt, so just starting on something else new....That process started badly again due to too much pressure. Starting to get the hang of things...

Also just picked up a pocket knife in M390 and sharpened it. I am getting good edges, still working on the process to get that hair whittling edge as well as which belts I really need to use for my progressions.

I do like the edge guide for setting up the initial edge from a V to convex and the original KOWS without the edge guide for knives with thumb studs.

Thanks for the great knowledge base and I welcome any suggestions. ;-)
But hey, I can sharpen several knives without my hands hurting, so it has been a win!

 

[AFAustin]

Welcome to BF and the M,T, & E subforum. You are right that this a great knowledge base---there's so much I've learned here.

I'm a huge fan of the WSKO and have used one since they first came out. I also have the BGA but actually prefer the original WSKO, especially for the smaller traditional folders I favor. I'm probably in the minority on that, as most guys who own both seem to prefer the BGA, at least based on the posts I see here. I also think that on the original KO, freehand is the way to go. The guide can cause more problems than it solves, as you point out in your post.

Much more helpful than the guide, to me, is to use sharpie on the edge, especially when first setting the bevel on a knife. For that initial sharpening, I would go so far as to recommend reapplying the sharpie at each successive belt, at least till you get to the polishing belts.

It's also extremely helpful to have a loupe so you can frequently check your progress on the edge. I have a 15x lighted loupe I got years ago from Lee Valley, and use it constantly.

Very good light is essential for seeing where the belt is hitting the blade, maintaining your angle, etc. I have one of those big ugly floor lamps with a halogen bulb which does a good job. More recently, I bought a lightweight headlamp and it's even better, putting the light exactly where I need it.

Finally, there are a variety of opinions on which position for the WSKO works best. I mostly use it in the "orthodox" way---straight up and stroking on the right and on the left, but others do it differently. For example, you can rotate the WSKO's position back and forth so that you're always placing the edge with the belt moving away from it. Others will fasten the WSKO down and then position it so that the belt is facing you (and moving downwards) and use two hands to hold the knife, as with a full size grinder. You just have to experiment (with cheap knives!) and figure out what works best for you.

I got an e-mail from Darex (WSKO manufacturer) recently saying that they'd just sold their one millionth sharpener. They sell several different sharpeners, both manual and powered, so that's not all WSKOs, but I bet a whole lot of them were. It's a great tool, and I believe the more you use and experiment with it, the more you'll like it.

Andrew

 

[WC53]

Thank you Andrew, I have a lighted/magnifying visor that I can try with the WS. I will definitely get a loup as I can't get a good look at the edge as is.

I did get some better results stropping my folder today with some 1 micron CBN, my old paste must not have been diamond paste (the writing on tube is long gone) and the new paste was polishing much better.

On the WS, I think I have been very hesitant with the power sharpener on my "fancy knives" and will refine the edge better on the relatively lower grit belts a bit more.

That said, I was surprised how easy it was to get a consistent edge grind with the WS. And this from a guy who lines up the drill 10 times to get a straight hole! I just sharpened an old SOG folder for a friend and it took no time, even with the reprofiling. Way less time than working on an already profiled Blazen. Steel does make a difference

Pretty happy with this purchase decision and given the resharpening costs for Japanese knives, I have almost hit the break even point!

 

[Practical Use]

Just started using my WSKO with BGA this past week. Wonderful - been looking for something like this for years, because I am not willing to spend the time sharping by hand. Started on cheaper knives, went to kitchen knives, then to Benchmade 940 (with some fear regarding screwing it up). Love it!!!!!!

When I got it last week I had used it for about 6 or 8 knives and it went "pop" and quit working. I called and left a message at WS asking what to do. I live about 20 minutes from their location in Ashland, Oregon.

Got a call first thing Monday morning from Brian at Work Sharp. He asked a couple of questions about how I was using it, and we quickly learned I was using it at too low of a speed. He said to bring it on down to their location and they would replace it. So yesterday I went in. Incredible people!! I was treated so very nicely!! Got the replacement and a couple of hours was back at home sharpening Japanese kitchen knives and the Benchmade.

I am going to try using it without the BGA on a couple of knives. I have never done convex edges and thought I would experiment.