Worksharp KO Stropping Angle

[raddaradda]

I just got some linen belts for my Worksharp KO w/o the BGA and loaded them up with 0.5 micron compound after sharpening to 12K grit MicroMesh. Before I head into the stropping step, I took out the angle guide, and now I'm at a loss to what angle to strop the knife at.

Should I be keeping the knife practically vertical and running through edge trailing strokes, or should I be keeping the knife angled closer to the belt? For reference, these knives are usually sharpened to 16 degrees based on the angle guide.

 

[CasePeanut]

stropping works best at a slightly more obtuse angle than sharpening. so aim for ~17-19 degrees or so and you'll be in the ballpark. Then go get the BGA, it really improves the tool.