help me spend my $250 on a sharpening solution

Guy enters bar swinging. I'm not going to argue semantics with a total stranger. What a way to troll.

:thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown:
 
Night Rider said:
Yo! I think it kind of is a consensus.
rk9x1kO.jpg
Click to expand...

Hi,
kinda sorta but
The word appears very much Loaded ...

if you follow on webster
It goes
consensus: general agreement : unanimity
unanimity: the quality or state of being unanimous
unanimous: having the agreement and consent of all
..

The word appears very much Loaded
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consensus_(disambiguation)

1 What consensus is not
1.1 Not a majority vote
1.2 Not unanimity
1.3 Not all or nothing
...


marchone said:
Guy enters bar swinging. I'm not going to argue semantics with a total stranger. What a way to troll.

:thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown:
Click to expand...
Heh
 
Bigfattyt said:
I have a 1x30. I've had it for about 10+ years. I don't really recommend it for most people.....

I've used it on knives in the 1k range, but it is super easy to absolutely destroy your knives. They are high speed, no changing speed, and they are a bit more "bouncy" also.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. My point was that there are other options for sharpening a knife in addition to WE, KME type sharpening systems and stones. A belt sander/KO workshop is one of them. It seems plenty of folks use the HB on youtube. I have the HB one too. I think it is a good, cost effective beginner tool for knife sharpening. If it doesn't work out, you can probably find a use for it around the house with other things. I found out I like hand sharpening best tho. YMMV.

After looking at the KO workshop, the price is cheaper then I remember it too.
 
Belt sharpening is easy to do if you have any practical experience using power tools. Some guys can't cut a 2x4 straight with a circular saw and need a chop saw. Know thyself is what the good book says. And some people can screw up a cup of coffee. Not trying to create drama now either. Just the way I see it.
 
Wanted to circle back, I forgot about the UltraSharp combo stone in 300/1200. That would make an excellent starter and actually, a really good "one stone". I actually leave a 300 grit edge on a lot of my blades.
 
I have freehand Norton India stones, and a Sharpmaker... but the sharpener that let me do all the things I wanted to do like reprofile and repair, is the Work Sharp with the Ken Onion Blade Grinding Attachment. Plus a strop and good to go for everything with minimal mess or liquids.
 
Daniel L said:
I have freehand Norton India stones, and a Sharpmaker... but the sharpener that let me do all the things I wanted to do like reprofile and repair, is the Work Sharp with the Ken Onion Blade Grinding Attachment. Plus a strop and good to go for everything with minimal mess or liquids.
Click to expand...
I think having some form of power tool to reprofiling or correct is necessary even if you want to freehand. Freehanding hard stainless that is severely rounded off or changing the angle is a very time consuming activity especially if your just starting. And then you need something to reprofile bolsters as well.
 
1. Modify your HF 1x30 by adding a treadmill motor (variable speed & reversible) with MC60 controller and a buffer on the other end. Your can find what you need for very cheap. This gives you the ability to reprofile, thin and clean up blade face while setting the primary bevel. Convexing is also a piece of cake.

2. Get the Wicked Edge Go for ~$225. I use this to refine to primary bevel, sometimes add a micro bevel & final light stropping. The ability to accurately control your angles, final finish and verify using a $30 USB scope as well as clamp the knife in a repeatable position (for touch ups) while working both sides at the same time is a game changer IMO. You never have to reposition or touch the knife. You can also jury rig many ways to handle one offs. Depending on the condition of the knife, I start on my HF 1x30 and finished up on my rigged up WEPS for long flexible knives. Check out my pics of a very long flexible knife which was originally a mess and now can pop hair along the entire edge.

This can all be done in 30 mins or less. Time is money and Quality is priceless.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8Zrvcv5ypc9LYLXf8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q83j4QyKYGTKsuwT7
 
I'm trying to decide too. I want a hair whittling, mirror edge on my s30v blade. I looked at the WE Go model, but it doesn't include a lot of stones I need for that price. I haven't compared the KME yet, but the EP looks suitable. Would the KME be a better choice?
 
I've never used KME or EP. I started with a basic WEPS set and added things along the way. I look at it long term. The things I really like are:

1. Ability to do both sides of knife with alternating strokes you can easily see what you are doing
2. Clamping ensures no movement or repositioning of knife until you are done
3. Repeatable positioning of knife for touch ups (using the AAG), especially important if you want to maintain a mirror edge after use
4. Diamonds all the way, last a long time with no dishing
5. Speed

Watch some of the youtubes. Invest in the cam clamp setup instead of screw type. Good luck.
 
mpgt12 said:
I'm trying to decide too. I want a hair whittling, mirror edge on my s30v blade. I looked at the WE Go model, but it doesn't include a lot of stones I need for that price. I haven't compared the KME yet, but the EP looks suitable. Would the KME be a better choice?
Click to expand...


I really like the EP, and you'll find a lot of other EP users here too. It does large kitchen knives all the way down to small pocket knives if you get the small knife attachment. It really needs the drill stop collar and a strong neodym magnet under the table to get the most out of it but those are cheap mods. The stock stones are okay, I'd probably just get the cheapest EP, and then try out some various diamond and silicon carbide stones from Gritomatic if you're mainly sharpening mainly super steels. For hair whittling edges you'll also want some strops with diamond compound, 1 and .5 micron should do the trick.
 
tiguy7 said:
If I had to do it over, I would clamp a stone holder in an angle vise.
Click to expand...

Any advice on how to do this, since the jaws on most angle vises don't open wide enough to accommodate the entire length of the stone holder? If the jaws moved parallel to the axis of tilting then it would be no problem as you would just be clamping the width of the stone holder, but all the tilting vises I've seen have the jaw motion perpendicular to the tilting axis. Maybe clamp a small piece of plywood and have the stone holder rest on that and against the moving jaw of the vise?
 
You could purchase cardboard sharpening wheels for $50 - 85 dollars depends on where you purchase them. That will let you save $165 dollars or so.

Here I should add that I would rather use the Wicked Edge over the cardboard wheels, but they are FAST!
 
ekastanis said:
Any advice on how to do this, since the jaws on most angle vises don't open wide enough to accommodate the entire length of the stone holder? If the jaws moved parallel to the axis of tilting then it would be no problem as you would just be clamping the width of the stone holder, but all the tilting vises I've seen have the jaw motion perpendicular to the tilting axis. Maybe clamp a small piece of plywood and have the stone holder rest on that and against the moving jaw of the vise?
Click to expand...
The Aluminum bar stock, from which the stone shelf is made, is 1/2”X 2 1/2”. Just cut a 2 1/2” piece from a bar, rotate it 1/4th turn, and screw it to the back of the long piece (clamping across the sawed edges won’t be as smooth or square). The shelf lip is made from 1/2”X1/2” stock.
 
tiguy7 said:
Just cut a 2 1/2” piece from a bar, rotate it 1/4th turn, and screw it to the back of the long piece
Click to expand...

Ah I see, with a custom-made stone holder. Thanks for the advice. There is a cheap 3 1/2" angle vise available from the large chain home improvement store, and I think I am going to try to make this work with the rubber & metal universal stone holder I have. If not, I'll follow your guidance and fab something up.
 
Knock yourself out. You can adjust the angle to 0.1 degree with an angle cube.
 
tiguy7 said:
Knock yourself out. You can adjust the angle to 0.1 degree with an angle cube.
Click to expand...

Thanks to tiguy7, this is what I came up with. The vise cost less than $40 and the stone holder is commonly available for $15-20. The stone holder is held pretty securely just as shown, I can't imagine budging it with the knife as I sharpen. If that becomes an issue I will come up with something more sophisticated. The vise itself weighs 12 lb so I'll set it on a rubber mat and it won't be going anywhere. The angle is continuously adjustable between horizontal and vertical. Add an angle cube and some stones of your choice and you are up and running. I haven't tried it out yet but am presently deciding which knife I will make my first attempt to reprofile with this set-up.

iwmeyUt.jpg
 
Good job! If you put your vise in a plastic bag, you can spritz the stone with water from a spray bottle. If you put a turntable under the rig, it makes it easier to switch between R & L bevels. My stone holder relies upon gravity to orient the stone. It makes for quick stone changes. My lower lip protrudes 1/2”.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top