Ordered sherpener, stone strope advice

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mjmike

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Jul 29, 2017
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Well, finally ordered a tsprof K03 sharpener. Been eyeing them for a while now after debating on other systems. I went with the K03 pro hunter kit. It comes with 5 stones. Up til now, I have always just hand sharpened knives so anxious to get a good sharpener to maintain factory angles. Will probably have lots of questions. I don't know how good the stones are that come with it, but its a set of 5. I want to order a leather strope, maybe some additional stones, an extra angle cube for added confirmation. Any suggestions on what to get? Also want to get the single clamp for it. I am also not sure if I need to get honing oil or if I just use water with drop of soap. I was also reading that I should get a set of 0.5x6 stones for fillet knives, I don't quite understand this as that is a rather straight blade, why can't full 1" stones be used? One of the things I am hoping to be able to do with this, is to throw a knife in that is factory to just touch up the blade after use. What stone should be used for this lightly touching up? Guess just 1 stone and the strope would do the job. Anything else at all I should get for it?
 
There are a lot of wonderful stone options in the 1x6 Edge Pro size used in the K03. I can highly recommend the Venev stones, which are friable-bond diamond stones used with water. The 1200 should do well for touch-ups, but as you start to pay close attention, you may find that you want the full set, to clean up inconsistencies in the factory grind, or change the factory angle.

I never managed to find a way to like stropping with a guided sharpener, nor to keep myself from accidentally cutting the strops by inadvertent edge-leading motions, so I just strop by hand on full-sized strops.
 
I didn't see that it comes with stones, so not sure if they are SIC or Diamond stones.... Venev stones are very good, but my favorite are the matrix diamond stones. But we're talking another big chunk of $.
the SIC stones are good up to s30 grade steel and maybe a bit higher but diamond are the way to go for all the super steels. either way the K03 is a great sharper and once you get the hang of it< like any new sharpener, it will serve well for many years.
Light touch ups, depending how its worn I will do 400-600 for daily use knives and the strop. Higher stones for more sheen to the edge.
And yeah ,lol, I have a strop with that same cut on it, just have to be careful to lift off the knife before returning the stone for next pass..
 
UncleBoots said:
There are a lot of wonderful stone options in the 1x6 Edge Pro size used in the K03. I can highly recommend the Venev stones, which are friable-bond diamond stones used with water. The 1200 should do well for touch-ups, but as you start to pay close attention, you may find that you want the full set, to clean up inconsistencies in the factory grind, or change the factory angle.

I never managed to find a way to like stropping with a guided sharpener, nor to keep myself from accidentally cutting the strops by inadvertent edge-leading motions, so I just strop by hand on full-sized strops.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. The abrasive set is 5 piece diamond set. I am assuming 150, 220, 400, 600, 1000.
 
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sickpuppy1 said:
I didn't see that it comes with stones, so not sure if they are SIC or Diamond stones.... Venev stones are very good, but my favorite are the matrix diamond stones. But we're talking another big chunk of $.
the SIC stones are good up to s30 grade steel and maybe a bit higher but diamond are the way to go for all the super steels. either way the K03 is a great sharper and once you get the hang of it< like any new sharpener, it will serve well for many years.
Light touch ups, depending how its worn I will do 400-600 for daily use knives and the strop. Higher stones for more sheen to the edge.
And yeah ,lol, I have a strop with that same cut on it, just have to be careful to lift off the knife before returning the stone for next pass..
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. Its a 5 piece diamond set. I am assuming 150, 220, 400, 600, 1000.
 
In that case you should be good to go, use them till they croak. You will form opinions on how the individual stones perform, and maybe upgrade individual stone if needed. But I would just get going with what you have for a while.
I put my stones in water that has a few drops of dawn dish soap in it (lubricant) and let them soak a minute or two before use.
 
sickpuppy1 said:
In that case you should be good to go, use them till they croak. You will form opinions on how the individual stones perform, and maybe upgrade individual stone if needed. But I would just get going with what you have for a while.
I put my stones in water that has a few drops of dawn dish soap in it (lubricant) and let them soak a minute or two before use.
Click to expand...
Do the diamond stones have to be reflatened like normal stones as they wear? How about honing oil as opposed to soapy water because wouldnt the water have to be reapplied during sharpening?
 
I dont use oil on my stones as it tends to clog the stone with particles. If I need to spend a good deal of time with one stone I will take my fingers and sprinkle a little water on the stone during use, but thats it.
I've never had to flatten my stones..yet and I have a lot of use on them. Not saying you wont, just that I haven't as yet. I do have some about 250 grit aluminum oxide that is used to clean the stones, but usually end up using
Bar Keepers friend powder to clean the stones when they get real dirty or clogged. I have a slab of scrap marble that I put water and BKF on to make a slurry and then do figure 8's with the stones in it to clean them. I imagine it may have a certain amount of leveling? maybe?
 
+1 on U UncleBoots 's recommendation of Venev 6*1 stones. They are well worth it. The dual sided Venev stones that Gritomatic sells work well on the TSProf.

As for a digital angle cube - it's a must-have in my opinion.

You only need narrow stones if you're sharpening a hawkbill blade, or curved/rounded stones for serrated edges.

For stropping, just 1 thin leather strop (like the Kangaroo strops that Gritomatic sells) will work well with a 1 micron diamond paste. Gunny Juice is a good choice.

Your stones will likely be plated diamond stones, just dish soapy water works fine on them to help prolong their life.
 
777 Edge said:
+1 on U UncleBoots 's recommendation of Venev 6*1 stones. They are well worth it. The dual sided Venev stones that Gritomatic sells work well on the TSProf.

As for a digital angle cube - it's a must-have in my opinion.

You only need narrow stones if you're sharpening a hawkbill blade, or curved/rounded stones for serrated edges.

For stropping, just 1 thin leather strop (like the Kangaroo strops that Gritomatic sells) will work well with a 1 micron diamond paste. Gunny Juice is a good choice.

Your stones will likely be plated diamond stones, just dish soapy water works fine on them to help prolong their life.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the help. Will be ordering a few things. Might not get a cube since the pro comes with the axis cube built into it after reading into it a little.
 
mjmike said:
Thanks for the help. Will be ordering a few things. Might not get a cube since the pro comes with the axis cube built into it after reading into it a little.
Click to expand...
Yes, you won't need a digital cube if you have the Axicube - it is a great device.
 
777 Edge said:
+1 on U UncleBoots 's recommendation of Venev 6*1 stones. They are well worth it. The dual sided Venev stones that Gritomatic sells work well on the TSProf.

As for a digital angle cube - it's a must-have in my opinion.

You only need narrow stones if you're sharpening a hawkbill blade, or curved/rounded stones for serrated edges.

For stropping, just 1 thin leather strop (like the Kangaroo strops that Gritomatic sells) will work well with a 1 micron diamond paste. Gunny Juice is a good choice.

Your stones will likely be plated diamond stones, just dish soapy water works fine on them to help prolong their life.
Click to expand...
Going to order the kangaroo strop, but leaning away from using any paste. Reading about the gunny juice, once it is applied to the strop, it will always be on it. Also doing some reading, it stroping works just as good bare. As for the stones, I might just get 1 additional stone in 1200 as the kit I got only has stones up to 1000 make sense? Will probably get a diamond stone but maybe not venev as they are a little pricy.
 
mjmike said:
Going to order the kangaroo strop, but leaning away from using any paste. Reading about the gunny juice, once it is applied to the strop, it will always be on it. Also doing some reading, it stroping works just as good bare. As for the stones, I might just get 1 additional stone in 1200 as the kit I got only has stones up to 1000 make sense? Will probably get a diamond stone but maybe not venev as they are a little pricy.
Click to expand...
If you get a diamond plated 1200 grit stone, then it's likely to be almost exactly the same as your 1000 grit plated stone, so it won't necessarily be worth it.

As for stropping with bare leather, yes it makes a tiny difference with a knife and could possibly assist in burr refinement but it has a more noticeable affect on straight straight razors. If you want to strop a knife for edge refinement after a 1000 grit diamond stone, then it's best to use a loaded strop.
 
Now leaning towards 3 micron gunny juice. Read it is a little more forgiving if never using it before or stroping in general. When hand sharpening, I aways just use a belt when done. Crude but works good. so I would say I need practice doing it with a guided sharpener.
 
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