I have personally modified my technique no fewer than a dozen times. Different knives, styles, steels etc. practice on the cheap stuff first. If you make a,really bad mistake throw it away.

MichaelBessinger wrote:


I found this informative entry from the FAQ data base, hope it may help you?

wickededgeusa.com/index.php?option=com_c...eneral&Itemid=46

As for the filings in the pivot joint, prevention is the best option and people here advise wrapping those parts of your knife in plastic food wrap before you start to sharpen.
To remove the filings, I'm guessing compressed air followed by some spray product.
Not sure what, as I am from Aussie land.

Hey Michael... welcome to the forum.

A couple of notes... while 40-75 strokes to raise a burr may be a general guideline or good starting point, every knife is different... raising a burr depends on a number of factors: steel type, if you're matching the current angle or reprofiling, etc. So, on some knives it may take 10 strokes, on another it may take 500. So don't think it's wrong that you haven't raised a burr after 80 strokes. Number doesn't matter... do whatever it takes to raise a burr. Also, you have to raise a burr on both sides.

How did you set your angle? If by matching what's on the blade, raising a burr should be quick... if you picked a setting based on the instructions, it may not match what's on the knife, and could take a while. For a first sharpening, as Leo suggested, marking the edge with a Sharpie and matching what's on the knife, and making sure you're getting all the way to the edge, might be a better way to go.

Did you progress thru the finer stones? Only the finer stones need breaking in, the coarse 100 stones don't really, since they're job is to primarily remove metal at a faster rate. You will benefit from all the stones breaking in, because it's easier to remove the scratches of the previous stone, but breaking in the 100g stones isn't really necessary. I'm also one that suggests you let the knives break in the stones, and don't rub them together... they'll break in quick enough. As mentioned in the link Billabong posted... you'll end up with a sharp edge on new stones, just not as refined as you might like it to be.

To clean the pivot... if rinsing didn't work... try hot soapy water and scrub what you can with a toothbrush... then blow it out with compressed air and lube. If rust is a concern, flush it with WD40, then lube.

Finally, as Wayne suggested, get a "beater" knife to practice on. I looked up the model you mentioned, looks like a very nice knife with some quality steel. You may want to practice on something else first, so that you become familiar with the WE and how it works.

Keep us posted!!

Another small tip when trying to match the angle... start wider to work from the "top" down in a manner of speaking. If you start low, you'll end up putting a nice little scratch pattern... outside the polished area of your bevel! Sometimes the strops set to a degree or more lower than the main angle can clean that up, but better to avoid it

I just happened to think of that because I don't think I've read anyone mention it before, or I missed it at any rate. I normally start wider by default, but recently "colored outside the lines" by accident, reading the wrong line on my data table

When I read the title of the post, I visualized beating the knife with the base plate. It made me chuckle and read very carefully. Ive seen a guy on youtube called 'modderz ' or something similar...but he had a few great basic ideas for the kit and stones. Clay had a neat idea too. He used a little soapy water to keep the metal shavings stuck to the knife and stones.
Just my humble. $.02 while waiting for my PP2 and soaking up knowledge...

How did you set your angle? Did you use a sharpie to make sure that you were sharpening right up to the apex? That's like the most important thing, or else you could spend a LOT of strokes reprofiling the blade and instead of 80 strokes it could take 200 strokes to get all the metal removed to get a burr... By the sounds of it you were removing a lot of metal (wrap your pivot and handle with saran wrap to prevent the shavings from getting in there). Was the knife really that dull to begin with or were you trying to re-profile to a significantly lower angle?