Ok went with something different on try number two sharpened a pearing knife. This blade was somewhat sharp to start with used the Sharpie and was down at 16 deg. I know his was the same angle as last time because I used the Tormek wet stone on it. Well it came out better than the first try and is sharp but far from Wicked Sharp.

Thanks
Mike

It'll get better!

If you haven't seen it yet you might read My knife isn't as sharp as I thought it would be.

Welcome to the forum. It will get better. Everyone gets better.

A few hints in case you didn't find them already:

Make sure to get a burr on both sides down the entire length of the edge.
Take time with the setup, use the sharpie, make sure it's all good. At first I was too eager to get sharpening I didn't spend enough time on setup, getting the position and angles set right.
Use less pressure.

Thanks for the link that does help but how many blades do I need to sharpen before he stones get broke in?

I would say at least 4-5 and they continue getting better up to as many as 10? Others may have different numbers. It depends on how long the blade is and how many strokes you use.

My 3rd knife sharpened was a repeat of my 1st knife. I could tell a big difference. And that was only my 3rd sharpening.

After seeing the results of my 1st knife I took a junk knife for #2. It was 440A steel with a lot of Chromium, so it is very hard steel to cut. I spend a lot of strokes on this knife trying to get the stones to break in. As this was a small knife I turned the stones upside down to work both ends and both directions. I could tell a difference on #3 and 4.

I am also new to the WE. I am still working through my "low" and "medium" end knives. I am forcing myself to do this. I can hardly wait to get to my high end knives with good steel. But I can tell my stones and technique get better every knife.

OK, to all fellow forum members new to WE watching this thread. Today I sharpened my 7th knife. I got the results I have been expecting, and think what everyone is looking for. I got a mirror edge (on about 90%, missed a few spots) and it is wicked sharp. It won't top hairs, but it is scary sharp, sharper than any knife I have ever held and as sharp as a old school double edge razor blade. With a 10X loupe I can see a few scratches but also many spots with no scratches.

The knife is a Sog Seal Pup Elite, steel is AUS 8. Angle was 20 degrees per side. So this is by no means a thin blade.

All of my previous knives were done with 1000# diamonds then stopping. On this knife I did 1000# diamonds (starting with 50 and a lot of steel removed to re-profile), Chosera's only to 3k, (I still have 5k and 10k in the arsenal) then leather 5 to 0.5. The Chosera's made a huge difference in sharpness and removing scratches. The strops finished off the scratches and brought out the shine.

Keep working, you can/will get the results you expect, and be careful when you do, it will be wicked sharp.

Update I have picked up an angle cube today so I hope this helps in my quest. So I guess my next question is there a way to fine tune the angle with the basic rods? I really hate to update anything before I get better results.

Thanks
Mike

TriciaMenendez wrote:
Some people have flipped the silver rod (the part used for the adjustment) so it is backwards and the "divots" are on the backside. Then you just set with your cube and have at it! Keep in mind that if you don't make sure to tighten well, there is nothing to keep it from slipping if it does loosen up a little. Nothing to worry about but good to keep in mind for super happy good time results! (sorry about that, been stuck reading a lot of bad translations today)

Good idea to get the angle cube. It should almost be shipped standard with any WE. You "can" get by without it, but i don't recommend it.