Sorry for delay show... I am out-of-town since friday, will be back late sunday.

For now, I will address the easiest question, why it's called a 'balanced' strop? Initially I want to call it a 'well balanced' as in well-balanced in gaming. A strop which offers these attributes:
* Sharp: clean shave (facial hairs), smooth diagonal slice newsprint, push-cut printer paper all directions, durable
* No rounding/convexing/dulling the edge up to 2.2lbs (1Kg) pressure - pardon my use the weight unit instead of SI (pascal)
* Sharpen/touchup/polish creates 99.9% free of burr/wire that affect performance
* Work for all carbon and most stainless steels (including high-alloy such as s90v)
* Durable edge
* Almost mirror finish
* Inexpensive : less than $10 total strop life cost (assembly & operate). WAG life worth - 10K uses on average (excluded knuts).
* Super easy to use via freehand or guided system such as EP/WEP

Balance = non demanding + support lo & hi skilled sharpeners + capture the bell-curve of good results (hence avoid nano-edges and rounded/dulled edge extremes).

I will read all questions again later and join the discussion. I made total of 4 videos, if time permits & interested please watch/scan them.
Part 1 - youtu.be/m8QhYFsXJwE
Part 2 - youtu.be/ujhB1IYedHw
Part 3 - youtu.be/pm9Cs3zVwt
Part 4 - posted by OP youtu.be/Q4O6boh0f2U

Edit: I also do think a stropped-edge is slightly weaker than edge-lead sharpened edge. However Cliff Stamp's assertion is way over-blown. That's said, he sure has much better credential+track-record than who-the-heck-is-blunt

Glad you responded BluntCut... I didn't figure out the videos were yours until after I posted the first one. Hope you don't mind... found it interesting since pressure while stropping is often mentioned.

Thanks!

PhilipPasteur wrote:


I agreed, pressure controls the rate of metal being abrade from the bevel. Interestingly, pressure hardly induce rounding for this case. One of the major criteria/reason for demoing in this video. As I've repeated tries this strop vs diamond (16 micron to 0.1 micron). Starting around 12 micron the diamond loaded strop increase the rounding rate, reached maximum rate (per pressure against backing) around 6 micron. So 6um & finer abrasive it double my knife bevel angle - from around 30* inclusive to 60+* - proportional to the pressure. Corresponding to how much the backing flex upward. I observed the same for CrO & CBN at 0.5um.

W/o micrograph, I don't know how fine one can produce using this 'balanced / white compound strop'.

leomitch wrote:

Summer breeze pressure, sure, it lightly abrades the bevel & ultimately controlling/trying/hoping:
1. not too much to cause backing flex upward to round the edge
2. abrading force vector to actually push/deflect the apex upward, thus create burr or a micro hollow just below the apex.
3. of course, enough force to actually cause abrasion and or burnish (plastic flow)

See - good reason for me to look for something to supports my (and 99.99% of cutlery users) Summer sneeze zero patience self like fast metal removal (when wanted so) and not rounding to edge

[quote="BluntCut" post=9261
I agreed, pressure controls the rate of metal being abrade from the bevel. Interestingly, pressure hardly induce rounding for this case. One of the major criteria/reason for demoing in this video. As I've repeated tries this strop vs diamond (16 micron to 0.1 micron). Starting around 12 micron the diamond loaded strop increase the rounding rate, reached maximum rate (per pressure against backing) around 6 micron. So 6um & finer abrasive it double my knife bevel angle - from around 30* inclusive to 60+* - proportional to the pressure. Corresponding to how much the backing flex upward. I observed the same for CrO & CBN at 0.5um.

W/o micrograph, I don't know how fine one can produce using this 'balanced / white compound strop'.[/quote]

OK, I just would like to know how you determined these numbers:


How did you determine that the diamonds "rounded" the edge.

What exactly is the white compound that you are using. I have at least three different grades of compound that are all white.
Just trying to undersand your methodology.



I think that hand stropping expressly to remove metal is much different than finish stopping on the WEPS.

I will discuss further. It is late here now.

Phil

PhilipPasteur wrote:

I've applied this strop to many knives at least a month prior to my BF post & videos. Edges are around 90% durable compared to my edge-lead to 0.1um poly diamond stone. And not as clean (burr free) as edge-lead. I can switch back & forth between 2 approach for an edge and still hitting the apex (either manual or EP), so sort of confirm not rounding affect. Also from the paper cutting test, the edge entry cut angle remained low instead elevated even at heavy pressure. Oh well, there is no secret with this strop, so it's very easy to try to figure out whether it: worked or sort-of or not.


I really don't know my conjecture holds water or it's just a simple grasp a 'sound good' reason for why my edges not not look like a bunch of parabolas. I actually have another more far-out explanation but figured that my kevlar vest has poor coverage

I sure hope people try & tell me why - better than me flailing my arms theory/conjecture.


I agreed with you Phil. However there are many variables involve when we are talking about this type of stropping interaction. Hence with a right setup, you can get a perfect-storm to weaken the edge, but the norm for abrasive collides to steel in stropping (pushing away from apex) will has a slight chance of stretching/crack the steel/alloy lattice, which are undetectable or visible, until fracure when in use. In the larger scheme of thing, impact forces from cutting usually many magnitudes greater than a few moleculars weakening. I can see where edge-trail belt sharpening could crack/stretch at grain level, whereby this edge will perform poorly.


IF it works, maybe it can simplify WEPS strop configuration & enhance its effectiveness. Easy route of stropping success for WEPS's users.


Take a spyderco vg-10 or zdp-189 blade, strop with CrO 0.5um or 1um diamond at 0.5 lbs pressure. Oh do it for a few minute, I am sure you will get a wire-edge. To guarantee occurence, lower the angle to 20* inclusive. At this angle, I thinkg it's about 3x more difficult to get a clean edge without burr/wire/rounding.

PhilipPasteur wrote:

Fresh sharpened an edge with dmt benchstone all way to 3um, measured angle with caliper. Rubbed on diamond charged strop, measured angle with caliper (iffy read) and use sharpie marker + loupe edge-lead on dmt EE.


I used/tried

1st - bulk white compound (probably alox) ferrous/stainless-steel rated at 1.2K grit. $5 per lbs.
2nd - Razor Sharp white compound (for slotted paper wheel), as I read - it's around 15um. $8 per 3oz.

Sharp is sharp

An easy way to test for edge rounding with the Wicked Edge is to use a marker and magnification. Here's an example: sharpen at a specified degree, then strop. Color in the bevel with a marker. Make a few, very light passes with the stone at the original sharpening angle. Examine under magnification. If there is still marker, only on the edge, then there has been some rounding. Another option is to get some samples made that show the cross section of the bevels i.e. bar stock cut in 1" or 2" lengths and then sharpened on the long edge. The cross section cuts would need to be very clean and surface ground very flat in order to observe any rounding.

wickededge wrote:


Smart thinking! Not that I'd expect anything else from you of course , but I'm gonna try this.

wickededge wrote:
...

Or there is a micro bevel.


Phil