Finally got a Wicked Edge

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  • cbickel

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    Van by the river
    So it happened. Last week I picked it up, but just finally assembled it tonight. I got the Pro Pack 1. Per Deans advice, I'll most likely get the upgraded arms for it soon. Probably more stones too. I'm going to attempt to sharpen one of my cheaper knives as a tester to see how I do.
     

    cbickel

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    Van by the river
    So I progressed through the 1000 grit (all I have atm) and the edge is super clean with a nice bevel, but it's not sharp. The technique I used was just alternating strokes... I did ensure the entire bevel was being touched by the stones with a marker. Any ideas? Looking at you Dean...
     

    Dean C.

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    Hahah my ass is still up! When you first start on the edge you need to really only focus on one side outright to start with using the 100 grit untill you feel a burr on the opposing side then you do the exact same thing on the other side. Once you can get a burr formed on both sides then you start with the alternating side motions.

    Hopefully that made sense , if not let me know!! And good luck with the wicked edge and merry Christmas!!!!
     

    cbickel

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    Van by the river
    Merry Christmas to you too!

    I definitely did feel a burr on both sides. That's why I'm a bit confused. Do I have to create the burr on every stone? I only did it in the 100/200 stones.
     

    Rookie

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    Kokomo
    Just checking. I've noticed that it doesn't feel very sharp, but it will shave curls in paper. Obviously, you tried the same thing. Sorry, I can't help much.
     

    Dean C.

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    Merry Christmas to you too!

    I definitely did feel a burr on both sides. That's why I'm a bit confused. Do I have to create the burr on every stone? I only did it in the 100/200 stones.

    I only personally create a burr using the 100 grit myself and never had an issue. What I would do is check for a burr on either side when you get to the 1000 grit, there might "slop" between stone thicknesses and the gen 1 arms to throw it off a bit. Did you happen to get strops they might really help.

    Also when breaking in new stones once I originally got my wicked edge the more I used them the better results I got personally. The first time I used the WE I got OK results then the more I practiced and worked at it the better the results got.

    Also as a side note use light pressure with the stones do not push, instead let the diamonds do the work for you, if you apply too much pressure you can inadvertantly create a small burr
     

    cbickel

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    Van by the river
    Cool, thanks Dean. It sounds like I've got the right idea. I might just need to practice a bit. I did receive strops with 3.5/5 micron paste. I keep going on this cheap blade, might just go through the stones again and try a different angle. I keep you all posted!
     

    Dean C.

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    Cool, thanks Dean. It sounds like I've got the right idea. I might just need to practice a bit. I did receive strops with 3.5/5 micron paste. I keep going on this cheap blade, might just go through the stones again and try a different angle. I keep you all posted!

    Also small note on the "cheap blade" depending on how cheap it is it might not sharpen too well, I once sharpened a knife as a favor to a non knife person friend and the steel was so soft the 100 grit stones would basically rip slivers of steel off the edge making it very difficult to get a nice edge on. If you have any say VG-10 Spyderco's laying around they are great practice knives.
     

    cbickel

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    Van by the river
    The knife I'm practicing with is a Kershaw Volt II. It's like a $25 knife. I do have a Delica that I could get as well. Question about the tip when using the WE. How do you protect it? I'm afraid I'm going to roll the tip when doing the stokes.
     

    cbickel

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    I tried my Kershaw again tonight and I got pretty much the same result... sort of disappointing after spending $450 on a sharpener. I'll try the delica I suppose.
     

    moosehead

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    When I picked up my wicked edge I also bought a few moras to practice on. They're cheap, take an edge, and when you're done you've got some decent knives. It was very helpful for figuring out what I was doing wrong.
     

    cbickel

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    Van by the river
    Just an update. I've really got the hang of using the Wicked Edge now. I have been making my knives sharper than they have ever been before. I haven't really changed my technique at all. I'm guessing the stones just needed broken in?
     

    cbickel

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    Van by the river
    I really need to play with a Wicked Edge or Edge Pro. I need to sit down with one of you guys sometime, and experience one firsthand sometime.
    It was definitely amazing to see how much sharper a blade can get. When I pulled my knives new out of the box, I used to think "How could they get any sharper than this?" Well... it's crazy. Scalpel sharp. Like "just touching the edge hurts your finger" sharp.
     

    Bradsknives

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    It was definitely amazing to see how much sharper a blade can get. When I pulled my knives new out of the box, I used to think "How could they get any sharper than this?" Well... it's crazy. Scalpel sharp. Like "just touching the edge hurts your finger" sharp.

    For production knives, factory edge means "just sharp enough". I can't think of a company that manufacturers production knives that you can't get a better, sharper edge than what comes from the factory...... Spyderco might come the closest. Obviously, "just sharp enough" does not apply to custom, and most mid-tech knives. :twocents:
     

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