i had the same problem and it drove me NUTS. my solution not really cost effective. i went out and got the choseras. since they're thicker they clear the choil on the para 2

on most of my edc knives i use a 30 degree primary bevel with a 40 degree micro bevel. i always go for mirror polish (which i'm still trying to perfect) find that 40 degrees is almost always perfect for a final edge regardless of what i'm cutting. another thing that i think about is the thickness of the blade close to the edge. if it's thick i generally won't go down to 30 degrees. for example my zt 0560 i keep at a 36 degree primary bevel and 42 degree micro bevel which is what they recommend from the factory.

as for what grit i think it's trial and error. i remember watching a video on youtube of jdavis who's an excellent sharpener. and he sharpened a knife at his coarsest grit then went to 1000 then straght to 10000 and then gave him the best results. the 10000 gave him that mirror finish but he liked the bite of the 1000 grit. again it's trial and error.

kmm

i'm on long island. not hit too bad. i was only with out power for about 10 hours. my friend 10 minutes down the road is still out. further west got hit pretty bad. one of the ladies from work has a friend with about 2 feet of mud in his kitchen. not water, thick mud. on the south shore there are big boats just in the middle of the road. i was very lucky with it all.

kmm

i just finished working on my zt 0560. i will put up some pictures of different angles so you can see what i'm talking about. the scratches are still visible, but with a different angle they appear hidden

well i'm still working on that perfect mirror polish, but here's what i've learned so far. it is possible to take a picture of a knife with a "mirror polish" but u can still see the scratches. it depends on angle.

i read a good portion of what ur wrote so i'm going to hit on a few things. the most important thing to realize in your case. your stones are still new and not broken in. your results will get much finer as the break in happens. there's a post that i created a while back where clay shows high magnification pics of new 600 grit stones and broken in 600 grit stones. the results are incredibly different.

my technique is what clay preaches. scrub at 100 to find the burr then alternating strokes all the way up. as for how many times. that depends on so much. how many u used previously the state of the blade, how hard u pushed with the previous stone, the kind of steel. i go by sound feel and sight. i use a loup to see how many scratches are left and how big they are. at that point it's just continuing until you get them out before going to the next grit

hope that helps

i know there was an issue with the formula or the manufacturing of the original superfine ceramic stones. It has been sorted out according to clay and mine should be here very soon. that might be the reason.

i know that for me, going 1000 to 5 micron is too big a jump so i've been using 1500 and 2000 wet/dry sand paper

beautiful!

any news on whether these are coming back? I see Clay you said it would be at least 6 weeks and that was almost 2 months ago. Any new news?

kmm

i might be wrong but i seem to remember reading that the makeup of steel isn't capable of getting as sharp as obsidian. it has something to do withe the chemical makeup of obsidian vs. steel and because the way the molecules are arranged obsidian is capable of being sharper than steel. i think that's what i read somewhere. regardless i'm interested to see what others say

buy it all!!!

but seriously do that...
but really seriously this time. it really depends on what u want out of your knives. i have the pro pack 1 and for me going from 1000 to the 5 micron is too big of a jump. now with that being said i'm probably at the tail end of breaking my stones in. i'd also practice on several knives before going to your expensive favorites.

kmm

The angle cube is useful to make sure that both arms are at the same angle. because only one of the vice jaws move, if you have a thick knife in there, the angle can be off by a degree or 2. by using the angle cube you can make sure that both sides are the same angle and then have an even bevel on both sides. also the height of the knife can effect the angles. if you have a really tall knife even though you're on the 15 degree mark it might not be a 15 degree angle.

as for your stone question... i thought there was a 1200/1600 grit option but i no longer see that on the website. i think that would be the next progression. currently when i sharpen i go up to 1000 and then i use 1500/2000 sandpaper then i strop with the 5/3.5 micron strops. that's until i get some upgraded stuff

hope that helps!

kmm

I just wanted to say thank you again to you all that responded. I am getting some truly amazing results. Thank you all so much!

kmm

Welcome Eric!

Here's my advice. Pick one knife. One that you like but not love and work on that. Determine what kind of knife it is what you're going to be cutting with it and what kind of steel it is.

Once we know the above information it'll be easier to recommend an angle for you.

The next thing is to work on your technique and break in your stones. I just received my wicked edge a week or 2 ago now and Clay was explaining to me why breaking in the stones is so important. There are some great pictures there from Clay that illustrate it. I'm still not 100% happy with my results but it's getting much better.

The nice thing about the wicked edge is you can change your angles. If you sharpen it once and you don't like it you can change it. Make sure you keep track of your angles you use on each knife. that helps too!

kmm

I just wanted to thank everyone for their input. my results are getting so much better. now my next goal is to get that mirror polish. it looks like i need to get some accessories! any suggestions would be appreciated

PhilipPasteur wrote:


I definitely agree. I had been having issues as my stones broke in and my results are SO much better just in 2 days and they continue to get better. this isn't just because of the stones breaking in but really working on my technique while breaking them in. i am incredibly impatient however i want the best from my knives, that's why i went with the wicked edge. take the time and do it right!

wow thanks so much!

I think things have gotten better. but if i continue to have issues I def will send pics and videos. thanks all!

thank you both very much! i do have a loupe i need to use it more though. i'll keep you posted! off to practice!

So I've had my wicked edge almost a week, and I'm just not getting the results I thought I was going to. Prior to my wicked edge I was using Spyderco's Sharpmaker and getting really good results. It's probably my technique.

I've tried a few different things holding the paddles at the top, holding them at the top and holding the bottom out a little bit. But, I'm still having issues.

What sort of information do I need to provide to you all so you can help me troubleshoot? Most recently, I took my Kershaw Cryo and formed a burr each step of the way, 100 all the way up to 1000 and I had trouble cutting paper.

Previously with my Cryo I was lifting the paddles out at the bottom and i had no issues cutting paper but couldn't shave hair. So I'm not quite sure what my issue is. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

thanks so much for the info! can't wait to give it a try!