Wicked Edge Owners....

Seapup said:
Wicked edge bro!
thumbsup.GIF
Still anxiously awaiting mine. I have 20+ blades around here that need reprofiling.
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Good thing that you have that many knives to work on...once you get the WEPS in your hands, sharpen is all you will want to do. The chores are not going to get done, so be prepared for a verbal tirade from herself, the lady of the house! :D
Congratulations and enjoy mate!

All the best
Leo
 
rubiconss said:
Well somebody said this thread was worthwhile so, to keep er' alive I will give my initial update to the thread (more to follow)
The MailLady arrived today ( Note to MailLady, you probably live in the same town as me so please don't leave my next box, entrusted to you. sitting in a puddle) Anyway well packaged no harm no foul.
Unpacking for the anal retentive is somewhat time consuming. I then fabricated my base now that I knew what I was dealing with. Initial observation was that this is manufactured with a left-hander in mind (Hmmmm, Clay are you a "Lefty" my friend?) ALL is set up to be mounted so a lefty can access the stuff that needs to be accessed. I being a natural born miscreant (of course) went ahead and mounted it backwards as God intended. Later my analosity dictated I reverse my mounting proclivity and I did so.
Now.
I being a prior service soldier, Father, Husband and avid sportsman whimped out and went and got a kitchen knife to start with.
I mounted it ! (Always wanted to say only that in a stand alone sentence)
I then started 100,200,400,600,800,1200,1400,1600 WaLa !! Nothing....Poopy
My mind reeled ...What did I do! What didn't I do!!! Then it hit me! read the book!
I forgot.
Build a B U R R (Dumbass) that was my adjective the book didn't say that.
So, I went back and did it again. (always wanted to say that alone in a sentence)
Built the BURR and went thru all the numbers again.

I ended up feeling like a pissed off ninja pre-schooler that just got told "No more candy" by a piece of paper.... I filleted some papier Baby!
WoW was that kitchen knife sharp!
My Wife is scared (don't print that) the kids are scared. I think the Dog is scared.
The cats are eyeing up the knife and smiling at the Dog.

I will now practice pocket knives. My first pass didn't go great. The grit block was hitting the right side of the vise and....
My stroke needs practice. (Yes, I always wanted to say that too)
More to follow.... stay tuned.
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Hi Rubiconss,
Your posts are hilarious. :) FTR, (I don't know if that's a real web thing like all those other abbreviations; it's supposed to mean For the Record) I'm right handed. When I was designing the sharpener, I wanted more control over the knife so I set it up to be held in the right hand. Obviously you've found that it does work to switch it around if you like it the other way....
 
Hep me Hep me! I'm back from my sons basketball game. My wife kept asking why I was driving so fast.... I stopped my latest sharpening session pre-strop.
Now I need help.
Are strops like the stones? smaller number to Larger (100-1600)
My pastes are in micron and I never paid real close attention during Star Trek.
3.5, 5, 10 and 14 (I think) ???
What order and any tips??
 
A micron is a unit of length, so more microns equals greater length. In this case, the length is referring to the size of the "grit" of the abrasive. As pastes go, 14 is pretty coarse, while 1 is relatively fine.
 
t1mpani said:
A micron is a unit of length, so more microns equals greater length. In this case, the length is referring to the size of the "grit" of the abrasive. As pastes go, 14 is pretty coarse, while 1 is relatively fine.
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Thank you! I am off to the strop fest! I will go 14 - 3.5 Thanks again.
 
I'm back! The Acies is now officially a light saber! Holy Cow! Sharp and like a mirror.
I may shave my legs tonight! Not because its Saturday either, I just want to pop some hairs and no body else will let me get close enough.
I am thoroughly impressed with the WEPS. I can not testify to the speed although I believe that attribute is likely.
I dim the lights and play 70's Adult Film music while I use mine - speed is not my goal as I thoroughly enjoy the process.
Carefully and methodically placing the knife.
Recording my settings and measurements.
Proceeding through each level of steel and wiping things off as I use them.
Finally the 4 levels of strop and out she comes.
The Acies is my favorite knife and at about $400.00 is (I suppose) mid-price but now I have confidence for all to have a turn.
No marking of the blade by clamping at all. First knife I removed I did gasp a bit because a line of shavings had come to rest while it was clamped but it simply blew away with a gentle puff.
Clay has a right to be proud of his invention. It is truly an accomplishment.
Cheers! Clay.
Now I know he is Right handed I like him all the more.
So, whats next?
My wit.
I have long desired a sharpened wit so... to that end I will be attempting to sharpen it next. I'm just not sure how to go about it yet but.... you know I will get back to y'all when I figure it out!
 
Seems the WEPS has sharpened your wit too mate! A breath of fresh air. Thanks for the chuckles and the belly laughs.

Leo :D
 
Do you guys clean your grit blocks with anything AND do you wipe the paste off your strops when done or leave residual for next stropping session?
Inquiring minds want to know:)
 
I clean the grit blocks with soap and water, but if you need to, you should be able to scrub them with Ajax powder. My strops get excess scraped off with the edge of a credit card.
 
Going to start a "WEPS Tips" portion of the thread.

- Make sure everything is Tight and stays tight. The left Vise upright should be totally stationary. No wiggle at all. Mine was loose. I took it all apart and cleaned the metal shavings out from under the vise uprights and re-assembled and tightened everything.
- Tip from Medic. Credit card works great for cleaning the residue off the strops. Only drawback is; your credit card gets sharp and in the hands of the Wife can now do even more damage!
- Tip from ATony. air compressor to clean everything up. Block faces, vise, work area. Just watch the eyes, small metal filings are a bugger in the eye especially at MRI time.
Ouch!
- When working kitchen knives Burr builds rather easily. I do not find that to be the case on "Super Steels" for those I use three(3) small perpendicular ticks with a sharpie on the front/middle/end of the existing bevel. When those are gone to the edge - you are ready to move on.These "ticks" help in finding the angle on blades of unknown bevel angle or bevels you are reworking.
- Once I established the primary bevel I work to scratch removal and sharpness before progressing thru grit blocks.
- Tip from Leo. When using your diamond paste. A little goes a long way. Why wipe it off.

More to follow. Please add as you see fit and happy sharpening!
 
A tip for mounting the knife...when you are ready to tighten the screws to fasten the knife in place, do the top one first enough to hold the knife fairly firmly and then tighten the bottom screw until the knife seems to have become part of the vise itself. You can then give the top screw another bit of torque.
I have found that over-tightening the top screw first never gave me the solidity that the above method gives.
Tip number two is very Zen someone said to me. If you are mindful as you stroke the blade with the various grit paddles, you will soon start to hear and feel when that grit has done its job. I feel it more than hear it, but both senses work well. I found I was soon producing better edges i.e. sharper, as I worked on this skill. Although to many it appears that the jig does all the work to perfection and that even a klutz can do it without a thought, sharpening with the WEPS will give you much better quality edges as you develop knowledge and experience.
Third and last tip...raising a burr is an absolute necessity for the kind of perfect edge we all seem to be seeking. There should be no doubt that a burr has been raised first on one side of the blade and then the other. Don't be afraid to use the coarse first paddle until you are certain they are there...you can feel them with your fingers lightly/carefully drawn along the side of the edge or by dragging a Q-tip along the edge...cotton will be snagged by the burrs. Once the burrs are up, give several alternating strokes with the 200 grit hone to begin the process of building the edge and then go on to the other ascending grit paddles, until you have the edge you want and then refine with the leather strops/diamond paste/et al.
There is much more but, later! Good idea Rubi! Good stuff my friend

Cheers
Leo
 
I have been researching the WEPS for several weeks and decided to get rid of one of my edc's to cover the cost of a new one. I ended up ordering one from a dealer who had them in stock and also allowed me to choose the "included" stones. I opted for the 400/600 and 1200/1600. I also bought the 3.5/5 strops. My knives have always been well maintained but I have the itch to put a mirror finish on the edges. Do any current owners feel this is possible with the stones I will be receiving? Do you think the 800/1000 will be necessary? If so, anyone know of a dealer that has a set in stock? Thanks
 
jaredharden said:
I have been researching the WEPS for several weeks and decided to get rid of one of my edc's to cover the cost of a new one. I ended up ordering one from a dealer who had them in stock and also allowed me to choose the "included" stones. I opted for the 400/600 and 1200/1600. I also bought the 3.5/5 strops. My knives have always been well maintained but I have the itch to put a mirror finish on the edges. Do any current owners feel this is possible with the stones I will be receiving? Do you think the 800/1000 will be necessary? If so, anyone know of a dealer that has a set in stock? Thanks
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My strong advice is to add the 100/200 grit paddles 'if you ever intend to build new edges on any of your knives'. When you look at Clay's instructions for using the WEPS, one of the first steps when you don't know the angle of any blade you have and are sharpening with this rig for the first time, is to begin by setting a new angle you want and raising a burr on each side of the blade at the new known/chosen angle. After that continue with the finer and finer grits to finish and polish the edge.
Your initial choice includes no coarse grits to help you with the raising of those burrs, only those for finishing and polishing. Raising the initial and really necessary burrs with those finer stones will take forever.
I think you mean to simply maintain your present knife edges with the WEPS and not to build new edges, but I have a feeling that you will not get the results you want unless you proceed with new, known and repeatable angles made during the first use of the tool you are buying. I may have to stand corrected here but I will also advise that you check with Clay and see if I am correct or full of prunes with this advice.
That aside, for getting better edges with a higher polish I would also buy the ceramic hones. Also don't forget that the new, fine Chosera and Shapton stone hones will soon become available for the WEPS
My two cents worth.

Best regards
Leo
 
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Thanks for your input Leo, I'm gonna go ahead and move forward with the 100/200. I contemplated that to begin with. This thing gets way too expensive after you get all of the accessory stones!!! Hopefully, I won't regret the purchase and my anal retentive need to have ultra sharp, mirror polished blades will be satisfied. My wife thinks I'm teetering on insanity because of the amount I've spent on this thing....
 
My wife and your wife are of one mind I think...they both think their husbands are nuts. However, it has always been so with wives when it comes to knives and accessories., or expensive stereo speakers, guns et al! Heck, we don't even shop the same way! Wives will spend all day shopping in a Pottery Barn or Pier1 to buy the correct do-dad for the living room...when we go shopping, we know exactly what we are looking for, we walk in, see the thing and we are out in less than a half and hour. And most of that time is used up talking with the guy behind the counter about how jewel-like the bolt and action on the Remington 700 are or the wonderful heft and feel of the ESEE-6 survival knife in your hand.
Still, as the French say, Vive la difference!
LOL!

Leo
P.S.
The urge to get ever sharper and ever more mirror like edges will never subside! Resistance is futile!
 
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Medic1210 said:
I clean the grit blocks with soap and water, but if you need to, you should be able to scrub them with Ajax powder. My strops get excess scraped off with the edge of a credit card.
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After using them for many knife stroppings, I clean my strops with a piece of 3M Scotch-Brite. Watch the pretty excess diamonds flutter into the garbage! Then I apply more fresh paste/spray in very small amounts.
:)

Leo
 
Leo/Clay/Whomever-

Now that I corrected my set-up. When I first did my Acies (ZDP-189) I used the 100/200 grit paddles and went until the Sharpie marks were gone. I did not believe I was going to raise a burr.
Now I'm wondering, do I go back and start over? It's sharp but.... who knows!
 
Are you pushing down into the edge, or pulling away from it? Pushing will not create as much of a wire edge/burr. Also, different steels, at different hardnesses, have different tendencies to create burrs. If it's sharp, the bevels are together already--you might be able to refine it more at the higher grits, but I wouldn't hog on it with the heavy ones anymore.
 
t1mpani said:
Are you pushing down into the edge, or pulling away from it? Pushing will not create as much of a wire edge/burr. Also, different steels, at different hardnesses, have different tendencies to create burrs. If it's sharp, the bevels are together already--you might be able to refine it more at the higher grits, but I wouldn't hog on it with the heavy ones anymore.
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Sort of what I was thinking. When I initially did it I was a little nervous. More confident with the system now. Love how you can reload the knife and have it right back where you had it before. The bevels are even, mirror finish it will slice curly cues off newspaper.
I freely admit it is just edge obsession at this point but what the hell when this is your excitement:o
Better than out chasing .....:eek:
I enjoy my workshop and this gives me reason to spend time down there.
 
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