Will the Ken Onion Edition worksharp electric sharpener work on high end steels?

Have one with blade grinding attachment. I pretty much only use it as a light beltgrinder by now. It sure is fast but also fast to mess stuff up and not as precise as a wicked edge, KME, edgepro etc. are.
Plus the long term costs are higher as the belts will wear out way faster than stones.
But there still are lots of people that like it for a reason.
 
Just got two KO type diamond belts to use on a GSO 5 in 3V that had so far jap slapped me. In fact I bought the
WSKO just because of this knife. But the stock belts were helpless. Even after 150 passes with the coarsest grit per side only a faint hint of a burr!!

The diamond got her sharp fast, real fast--I was amazed. But I do see metal being impregnated into the belt already. The diamond belts aren't cheap so maybe I'll try a diamond stone. They cost over a hundred but should last.
 
I would recommend to use some form of coolant/lubricant when using diamond belts on steel, as this will protect both your edge & the diamond particles themselves from overheating.
Holding a piece of candle to the spinning belt for a second or two will do in a pinch.
 
I have a Work Sharp Ken Onion, and use it effectively though I don't want to overstate my competency with it. I do suspect that I have, in the past, overused it and taken off more metal than necessary.

Having said that, what about using it on my Takamura Hana Damascus Petty Knife (Forged and Cladded R-2 steel Rockwell 63-64)? I'm concerned that some have said "get more experience" before using on a knife like this, but haven't see precise information / directions in order to ensure success and avoid screwing up my beloved knives. Thanks !!!
 
Trippstadt, nice "Takamura Hana Damascus Petty Knife"
How many knives have you used your WSKO "effectively" on? Are any of those kitchen knives similar to this one? Do you strop, steel/ceramic yet? What specifically leads you to suspect you removed to much metal?

You should practice on, use and hone about a dozen similar knives before sharpening the Takamura on your WSKO. Their belt kit comes with a 6000 grit belt for honing. I love our USA made 12,000 Micro-Mesh stropping belts with .5 micro aluminum oxide and titanium oxide mixture, off the bay. Use a light touch, power magnifies errors but speeds up process.

If I had invested in this knife, and did not know how or want to learn free hand, I would get a guided kit:
Least expensive- Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener, Sharpmaker, Idahone, or Gritomatic's less expensive guided sharpeners.
Mid priced - KME, EdgePro, Hapstone, etc.
High end - WickEdge, TSprof, etc.
 
I have one and have used it on a bunch of higher end steels including S30V, S35VN, Nitro V, Elmax, M4, 20cv, and probably some that I am forgetting. I have almost exclusively used it with the blade grinding attachment though and I would recommend spending the money to upgrade to that if you are going to be using this on higher end pocket knives.

As others have said, it will do the job even on higher end steels but you have to know what you are working with. If you touch that moving belt on the face of the knife at all it is going to mar the finish pretty bad. If you dont get the angle right you are going to remove a lot of metal fast. And to compound that, most finishing work on those types of steel should be done with diamonds or CBN and because of that, I also recommend getting a stropping belt and loading it with diamond paste.

Be careful and use the sharpie trick, dont trust the angle measurements.
 
Doesn't make as nice of an edge on higher end steels. I wouldn't want any of my custom knives to be sharpened on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top