Wicked Edge ?

Lagrange

Well-Known Member

I feel like I ought to be getting frequent flyer miles for riding the short bus so much, but here goes another example of my undying ineptitude.

…and I know this horse has probably been rode to death and been buried. But I've got a brand new shovel and I'm going to dig this horse up and see if it has a couple miles left in it.

Well, normally I sharpen my knives on my belt sander and finish them on a strop, but for some reason I got a wild hair and decided to give the wicked edge sharpening system a shot.
I got the wicked edge pro I package, and honestly the thing is impressive looking out of the box and obviously well thought out and put together.
The problem is, other than telling you what grit sanding blocks to use; there isn’t much information that comes with the kit.
I have watched the video's they made and they make it look like it’s easier to sharpen a knife than riding a bicycle.
Problem is it really isn’t (for me). I had to find a place to use this thing where the assembly would be at the right height for my arms to function properly so I didn’t feel like a fish out of water – my arms flopping all over the place. (I wanted to look cool like the guy in the video)

The next thing I know I am slapping (poor choice of words) these sharpening blocks left and right and getting metal shavings on the desk top, but not nearing anything in the neighborhood of sharpness.
I watched the dude in the video put a paper slicing razor edge on a knife in a matter of a couple of minutes. I sat in my room and popped and snorted for about 20 minutes and didn’t get anywhere close to razor sharp.
The system must be good...it costs enough (if that's any indication of value) and I have heard other people swear by this thing.
I wanted to be able to take this thing on the road with me to sharpen blades on demand...something I can’t do if I rely on my belt grinder. Sure, I feel more comfortable doing it on my belt grinder, but have you ever tried to lug one of those things around under your arm?
Anyway...you can call me dumb for getting this thing, you can call me a moron for asking for advice, and you can call me simple for not wanting to use my wet stones like my granddad did. Whatever, I probably deserve it.
But after you're done throwing me under the bus I'm driving, give me your two cents on what you find it takes to run this thing effectively.
I'm struggling here, and desperately wanting to feel like my investment wasn’t a waste of money and time.
Help?
 
Eric, check your angle and make sure you're reaching the edge ( I know how this sounds but it happens). Use a sharpie to mark the edge so that you can see your progress. Work up a burr with each stone and strop with some Chromium Oxide followed by leather at the end and you should have a nice scary sharp edge.
 
Eric,
The edge you seen in the finished part of the video and the edge he works on for only 20 minutes can be two different knives? It's called editing.

That said I have heard good things about that system but the two parts they never include in any sharpening kit is a can of Elbow grease & a box of patience . :biggrin:

Make some kind of a shoe on a small board to hold the stones in place like grampa may have had on the corner of his work beach, This will keep the stones in place which will greatly decrease your time.

Also don't use oil on the stones. Use the cleaner "Simple Green" To float the grit out of the stones then wipe clean every so often.

I hope this helps? I too am addicted to using my 2 x 72 for super sharp convexed edges. I use a Lansky tri-sharp for manual sharpening.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
Eric , I have the Wicked Edge System and I love it !! I know it can be a bit pricey for the stones but they work great for me .. After I finish making my knives and im ready to put an edge on them . I use my belts to get my knives sharp. When done on belts , I then use the wicked edge and true everything up .. I set my angle at 22 or 23 degreese and I work throught the different grit stones. I usually start at 400 ( depending on my edge ) flip to other side 600. I then use the 800 / 1000 stone and then the 1200 / 1600 stone and I finish up with with the strop . The angle is ALWAYS ! dead on and RAZOR RAZOR SHARP !!
I would definitely check your angle , you may need a rougher grit stone for start ? just to establish your angle. Once your bevel is locked in , you just work through the different grits to achieve your sharpenss. Your should be able to shave when done .
I dont know if this helped but , I like it .
 
Thanks guys. I guess a little patience would be in order here.

I grabbed the thing out of the UPS guys hands like he was trying to abduct my kid, then ran (if you can call the waddle I do running) into the house swiped everything off the table and onto the floor like I was preparing for surgery. Ripped the box open like it had called me a bad name and stuck things together in a haste that would make those cup stacking kids dizzy.

I probably should have taken my time and worked at it more deliberately.

I am sure this thing works, I just needed some words of guidance and reassurance.
 
I have owned a wicked edge since the very beginning and have bought one for everyone in my family. I still am unable to do it like they do on the video, but who cares. Take your time and enjoy the perfect mirror edge when you are finished. It takes me about 15min per blade. I have found that I get sloppy when trying to do the back stroke, so i don't do bother with it anymore. I guess I just enjoy sharpening so I feel the time spent is more of a stress reliever a form of meditation if you will.
 
Sounds like your first experience was like mine. I switched to the next stones to quick. When I learned to make sure to create a burr with the first stone things got better. It does take a long time compared to other methods though.
 
Eric, I love mine. All the tips above should be helpful. Try wiping down the inside of the clamping device before use. Could be fileing debris clinging to the surfaces. I find tightning the top screw first till blade is firm in clamp...then tightning the lower screw last does the trick for me. All the best, Ron.
 
...oh yeah, and the clamp scratched the blade. Is that me over tightening it?

That right there is why I only use the belt grinder to roll the edge to 0 then go to bench stones. I doubt any of the folks I sell knives to will have a bench grinder and most will use a stone or something similar to sharpen it so I try to make it easy on them to get the hair popping edge back with as little effort as I can.
 
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