Love my wicked edge but looks like paper wheels will be my main sharpener!

cbr900son

cbr900son

Joined
Mar 3, 2011
Messages
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I have had my wicked edge system for over a year now with almost all the accessory strops/stones but recently after trying out the paper wheel system of sharpening I think I will be using it for the majority of my sharpening needs. It takes me now 1-2 mins to have a hair shaving sharp knife on the paper wheels. This would take me almost 15 mins of setup and going thru all the different stones and strops etc on the wicked edge. Now don't get me wrong the wicked edge sets angles perfectly and if I wanted something insanely sharp (like a razor) then Ill put in the 15-25 mins on the wicked edge and go for it but for under 100$ (including the buffer) I think the paper wheel system will be a great addition and the main workhorse as far as sharpening goes. For my daily user knives I like arm shaving sharp. I've worked up several blades before on the wicked edge all the way thru the japanese waterstones and up to 0.5 micron diamond strop spray and you can get a knife INSANELY sharp. The first time I did that and touched it with my finger with any force at all I cut myself and didn't even feel it or notice at first. The down side to the kind of sharpening is it doesn't last too long unless you are cutting softer materials and protecting that micro-fine edge. So in my opinion most of the time that type of sharpening just isn't needed. I could get by with my wicked edge alone but paper wheels are a cheap and very effective tool in my shop now.
 
Nothing wrong with having, using and enjoying multiple sharpening systems. Sharpening can/is a great sub-hobby to Knives, sometimes you just need that edge NOW for that I can't think of a better choice then a paper wheel set-up.

I have a Wicked Edge setup and a SharpMaker and will eventually add a paper wheel setup in my "Sharpening DoJo"
 
rubiconss said:
Nothing wrong with having, using and enjoying multiple sharpening systems.
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Amen to that.

I think what brings me the most enjoyment is learning something new. I tend towards variations on free handing, but whatever makes you happy and gives the results you want is the way to go!
 
Well I make knives also and If it doesnt shave hair it doesn't get sent to a customer. Now I do plan a traditional tanto soon that If i put the time into it and polish and do everything correctly I want it to be INSANELY sharp so Ill go to the wicked edge.
 
I thought the same thing. I used the slotted wheel to touch up my EDC a couple times a week. In 6 months I had worn away a noticeable amount of blade. Maybe I am just not good with them. But I just don't trust power tools for use all the time. Plus, I have learned I can hit my diamond loaded strop most of the time and get my knife even sharper than the paper wheel. It only takes a few minutes so it works well for me.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
I thought the same thing. I used the slotted wheel to touch up my EDC a couple times a week. In 6 months I had worn away a noticeable amount of blade. Maybe I am just not good with them. But I just don't trust power tools for use all the time. Plus, I have learned I can hit my diamond loaded strop most of the time and get my knife even sharper than the paper wheel. It only takes a few minutes so it works well for me.
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Why are u sharpening a few times a week?!? What metal is you knife made of?
 
Have you compared the paper wheels to a belt grinder?
 
i have a knife that i used a lot and touched up often but i never wore it out. you must have been doing something wrong for sure to eat up a blade.
 
i have a belt grinder and i tried to use finer belts to get a good edge but i always end up finishing up the edge with the slotted wheel. a belt sander and the slotted paper wheel make a good comb for convex edges.
 
Ive used my KMG and like Richard said I could see it with the slotted paper wheel finishing it off but never was 100% satisfied with the "belt sharp". I can get 100% satisfaction from the wicked edge but not without alot of time put into it and soaking the japanese waterstones and making sure I have enough of all the paste and sprays etc. I do plan on playing with the paper wheels more and testing some things.

Richard - is their a limit to how much you can polish or how sharp u can get by keep polishing with the slotted. Im just doing a few passes on each side and pleased with the result but got me wondering if you do too much or something on the slotted.
 
i do a few passes on the slotted wheel also. some steels do take a few more passes than that but i usually make a few passes then see how the edge is.

when protourist was here and i was done working up a burr on the knife i made him, i put a novelty edge on his knife just to show him what one was like then quickly removed it. then we cut a few fingers off a kevlar glove :D.
 
you can get the wheels from woodcraft and a variable speed buffer from lowes. you can also go the route i went and get a 1/2 hp 1725 rpm motor and an arbor to attach the wheels to the motor. this setup is more portalbe and takes up less room.
i mount the motor to a few 2x6 pieces to gain some height and so the wheels can clear the bench.
 
Richard got your message and tried what you mentioned and it worked great! My phone is acting weird where im at and cant get a good signal all the time.
 
richard j said:
you can get the wheels from woodcraft and a variable speed buffer from lowes. you can also go the route i went and get a 1/2 hp 1725 rpm motor and an arbor to attach the wheels to the motor. this setup is more portalbe and takes up less room.
i mount the motor to a few 2x6 pieces to gain some height and so the wheels can clear the bench.
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Thanks Rich,My phone's being replaced at the moment or I would've just called.
 
MVF said:
Have you compared the paper wheels to a belt grinder?
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I have. The wheels are faster. The sum amount of time it takes to switch between belts (if, like most of us, you have 1 sander or grinder) is a lot more than using the wheels. I've got an EdgePro with all the accoutrements, including DMT Diasharp stones on blanks I made myself, and I've been solely using the paper wheels ever since getting them.
 
cbr900son said:
Why are u sharpening a few times a week?!? What metal is you knife made of?
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I wasn't sharpening, I was polishing and touching up a few times a week on the slotted wheel with compound. Probably 2 or 3 times a week on average. I was able to get a Sharp edge and I liked having a Sharp knife all the time which is why I did it that frequently. It was an S30V Spyderco Native. I could have been doing something wrong, but I only did what worked and made the knife Sharp.

I can't use the wheels anymore to try again now that I understand sharpening better. I wore all the grit off the grit wheel. So I tried to clean it using various grits of sandpaper and a file. I was never able to get all the black wax contamination off. I tried a half dozen times to glue more grit on and let it dry fully, the last time waiting a few months before using. Each time I use it chunks of the grit flake off. I guess I'm just not meant to use them.
 
you need to get some real coarse sandpaper and a board that you can hold the sandpaper against. lay the board under the wheel at an angle and lightly touch the wheel but dont press hard. let the sandpaper gradually sand the glue and old grit away. move to a clean spot frequently and make sure to keep square to the wheel.

when you are done cleaning up the wheel, you should be able to hold your thumbnail close to the wheel (-1/32") spinning it by hand and never have it touch. apply the glue like it says in the instructions and you'll be ready to go.
 
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