Question About Breaking In Wicked Edge Stones

T

ThomT

Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
27
Hi all.
Got my WE-100 and have been working to break in the stones.
One question I have for you guys is I'm noticing the middle of the stones are getting much more use than the ends of the stones. After 4 knives, the middle of each stone is noticeably smoother than the last 3/4" of each end.
Perhaps I'm not using the proper technique or is that the end of the stones just don't really see much action?
Maybe I need to purposely run the entire stone across my practice knives to ensure the whole stone is broken in?
Anyway, have any of you found this to be a problem later on after break-in?
Curious what you guys think.
 
ThomT said:
Hi all.
Got my WE-100 and have been working to break in the stones.
One question I have for you guys is I'm noticing the middle of the stones are getting much more use than the ends of the stones. After 4 knives, the middle of each stone is noticeably smoother than the last 3/4" of each end.
Perhaps I'm not using the proper technique or is that the end of the stones just don't really see much action?
Maybe I need to purposely run the entire stone across my practice knives to ensure the whole stone is broken in?
Anyway, have any of you found this to be a problem later on after break-in?
Curious what you guys think.
Click to expand...

You can get some stone stops on the WE Forum as well as other aftermarket goodies. You can see them at the bottom of my stones in the photo. That's what I use to help me 'safely' use more of my stones. I also have them on the top of the guide rods. But without them you have to be careful and not to hurt yourself or your edge.
My stones have lasted a long time and I'm still using my original stones. At first, I was even reprofiling knives and chisels with my 100 grit stones. It was killing my shoulders so much and taking so much time that I broke down and bought the 50/80 stones. Man, they saved me so much time and work for my shoulders, especially with reprofiling chisels.

WE130-4a.jpg
 
That's a nice setup.
So, it sounds like I should strive for even "wear" across the entire stone when breaking them in, yes?
 
ThomT said:
That's a nice setup.
So, it sounds like I should strive for even "wear" across the entire stone when breaking them in, yes?
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's what I try to do. We may as well try to get as much use out of them as we can, right? I have some new stones waiting for when I need them. My 100/200 stones have been used the most, so I expect them to wear out before the rest of them do. I'll use them until they quit cutting.
 
Great point.
So far, I have found that getting the entire surface broken in evenly is, at least for me, difficult to do since I'm so new to this.
As an alternative, I thought I might use the 18" machete I have and run each stone across it 50-100 times to "knock the top off" so to speak. Instead of clamping it in the WE, I could hold it manually and use alternating trailing and leading (i.e., push/pull strokes without having to worry about scratching anything. I wouldn't be worried about a proper angle, just using the metal on the machete to break in the stones. That way, I could let each stroke of the stone drop off the edge of the blade to ensure I cover the entire surface of the stone.
What do you think about that process as a break in procedure instead of using practice knives clamped in the WE? Might speed up the break in process.
Thoughts?
 
I've never tried it. I know some people break their stones in on glass. I just use a chisel or a cheap knife. But I wouldn't recommend using the stones freehand like that. I would keep the stones on the guide rods and just take it slow and not use too much force on the stones. Diamonds don't need much force to cut well.
There's a lot of info about breaking in stones and stuff on the WE Forum and in the "Knowledge Base".
 
000Robert said:
There's a lot of info about breaking in stones and stuff on the WE Forum and in the "Knowledge Base".
Click to expand...
Yes sir, there sure is. I just feel like breaking them in the way I have been leads to inconsistent wear on the stone.
At this link in the knowledge base, it quotes:

How To Break in Your Stones​

Sharpen some inexpensive knives or a piece of scrap steel to break in your stones. Do not rub your stones together to break them in.
Click to expand...

That is what gave me the idea of using my machete. Since it is silent on whether that can be done freehand, your most likely on to something there.
Perhaps I just need to give it more time while making sure I start at the very bottom of the stone on the stroke.

Thanks for your input Robert.
 
ThomT said:
Got my WE-100 and have been working to break in the stones.
One question I have for you guys is I'm noticing the middle of the stones are getting much more use than the ends of the stones. After 4 knives, the middle of each stone is noticeably smoother than the last 3/4" of each end.
Perhaps I'm not using the proper technique or is that the end of the stones just don't really see much action?
Maybe I need to purposely run the entire stone across my practice knives to ensure the whole stone is broken in?
Anyway, have any of you found this to be a problem later on after break-in?
Curious what you guys think.
Click to expand...
Make sure you're not applying a lot of pressure in your stroke. You really only need to use the weight of the stones themselves. Then just take your time and get as even a stroke as possible. Speed will come in time. I used my original WE for over a decade and just upgraded last year to the WE130. I was able to break in the new stones after a few dozen knives. When I compared the new stones to my heavily used stones, I noticed that there was very little wear on my old stones despite the heavy use.

000Robert said:
My stones have lasted a long time and I'm still using my original stones. At first, I was even reprofiling knives and chisels with my 100 grit stones. It was killing my shoulders so much and taking so much time that I broke down and bought the 50/80 stones. Man, they saved me so much time and work for my shoulders, especially with reprofiling chisels.
Click to expand...
After reprofiling a M390 blade with the 100/200 stones, I vowed not to do that again. I bought the 50/80 stones after that.

Also, don't forget to record the angles you're using for each knife.
PUheGoE.jpg
 
Thanks toker toker . That is great feedback.
I like your spreadsheet too. Can you clarify why many of the knives (e.g., Henckels) only have one angle recorded? I am guessing the angle is the same on both sides so you left R blank.
I'm also curious what you use the checkmark for.
 
ThomT said:
I like your spreadsheet too. Can you clarify why many of the knives (e.g., Henckels) only have one angle recorded? I am guessing the angle is the same on both sides so you left R blank.
I'm also curious what you use the checkmark for.
Click to expand...
You're right. Angle is the same on both sides. Makes it easier for me to glance at quickly. LT and RT is for when a knife has a tanto tip that has a different angle.

The check mark is for knives that I've verified on my new WE130 compared to the original WE. The angles aren't always the same on the new WE130 due to the clamping height, new arms, etc. That screenshot was taken a while ago, so a lot of things have changed. :)

I mentioned it earlier, but a digital angle cube is really handy to have to determine what the actual angle is for each knife.
 
000Robert said:
You only have one Carothers knife?? o_O
Click to expand...
Not for the lack of trying!

I have a pair of K20 and a Shiv coming, one day. Although I don't know if I'll ever need to sharpen those. Same with my Busse. I've never had to sharpen any of the swords. That list is also about 6 months old, so I have a bunch of penciled in numbers that I have to update. :D
 
tokerblue said:
Not for the lack of trying!

I have a pair of K20 and a Shiv coming, one day. Although I don't know if I'll ever need to sharpen those. Same with my Busse. I've never had to sharpen any of the swords. That list is also about 6 months old, so I have a bunch of penciled in numbers that I have to update. :D
Click to expand...
That's good. I have a Shiv and DEK2 coming but I couldn't afford a K20.
 
ThomT said:
sounds like I should strive for even "wear" across the entire stone when breaking them in, yes?
Click to expand...
That would be the way to go. You have not had your new system for long, and like all systems they have their own idiosyncrasy's and take time to learn. Just take your time and learn your new system, but your are 100% correct about using the full stone to get even wear. This will save you going down the aftermarket rabbit hole.
 
cudgee said:
That would be the way to go. You have not had your new system for long, and like all systems they have their own idiosyncrasy's and take time to learn. Just take your time and learn your new system, but your are 100% correct about using the full stone to get even wear. This will save you going down the aftermarket rabbit hole.
Click to expand...
I love aftermarket rabbit holes. But I don't like skunk holes.
 
cudgee said:
That would be the way to go. You have not had your new system for long, and like all systems they have their own idiosyncrasy's and take time to learn.
Click to expand...
Very true. I'm already seeing improvements so all should be good in time. Thank you.
 
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