Maintaining a Wicked Edge

The Wicked Edge is a beautiful sharpening system, that is clear. And also the maintenance is not difficult but it is important. The Wicked Edge has many parts and additions: good maintenance is a ‘must’. Knivesandtools gladly explains how you can keep your Wicked Edge in top condition.

Maintaining a Wicked Edge: what does it mean?

Maintaining a Wicked Edge means a regular cleanup. Some parts like a drop of oil sometimes and other parts work well with a damp cloth. We will guide you through it step-by-step.

The Wicked Edge system: it is as simple as that

Do not worry: the maintenance of the different Wicked Edge parts is really not so bad. For the most parts a damp cloth with possibly some soft soap is enough. The hinges of the guiding rods and the setting screw like a drop of oil once in a while (slightly lubricating oil is fine), but that is all you have to do about that. So, all low-maintenance and friendly for you as the user!

The sharpening rods of the Wicked Edge: just like normal sharpening stones

The diamond sharpening rods of the Wicked Edge need a little more maintenance. Just like every sharpening rod also a Wicked Edge rod cannot be used forever, after 500 sharpenings they will be less effective. An advantage of the diamond rods however, is that they remain flat. In the beginning the sharpening rods will feel a bit rough but this will become smoother during the use. For diamond rods need a period of time to bed-in, after a few knives (5 to 10) they will sharpen optimally. If you want to have your rods dry more quickly you can choose to blow them dry with compressed air. Do protect your eyes when doing so: loose metal splinters might fly around!

In order to keep the diamond rods of the Wicked Edge clean, you can wipe them with water and mild liquid soap. You can do this with your hands or use a nylon brush. Then leave the rods to dry on a towel.
When you use the ceramic sharpening rods on the Wicked Edge you will notice that these will wear unevenly. That is a given you can simply not avoid. For example, you put a little more pressure on the left side or the pressure you put is not the same for the entire blade. Also a kind of pit might arise because you are not using the full sharpening rod. There is nothing you can do about that, but you can reduce it by rubbing two rods of the same size of grain slightly against each other. By doing so, your sharpening rods stay useful for a longer period of time.
You only use a damp cloth for the cleaning of ceramic sharpening rods. You can choose to use a cleaning pad by Lansky in case they are really very dirty. The ceramic rods look at bit stained and dark when they are wet. That is nothing to be scared of, as soon as they dry they look like new again!

The Leather Strops: you have to be gentle with them

The so-called Leather Strops that are supplied with almost every Wicked Edge require the necessary attention. They are the most delicate parts of the Wicked Edge. In order to stay in a top condition, the leather has to be properly taken care of. You will also really notice that difference. If the leather is completely dried out it works a lot less pleasant.

You also have to think about the storage of the Leather Strops. The best thing to do is to store two of the same strops, which have the same diamond-paste applied to them, against each other in a box or bag. Make sure you press the sides with the paste against each other. This prevents possible pollution and you keep the diamond-grains separate.
Prevent cutting into the leather of the strops as this causes ruptures.
Do not clean the strops too often: the Wicked Edge paste will only be really Wicked when the paste dries in a bit (not too much!) and therefore becomes as sticky as chewing gum!
In time you do want to clean the leather strops. It remains recommended however only to use one kind of paste on your strop. The grains are so fine, there is a big chance a little bit remains. If you would then apply a finer (or coarser) paste this might undesirably mix together. The strops also indicate which paste is meant for them.

Keeping the Wicked Edge in top condition: not as complicated as it seems

Keeping your Wicked Edge in perfect condition is therefore not so difficult at all. Common sense already gets you really far. Because the Wicked Edge is so extensive it seems to be a difficult product to maintain but a cleanup and some oil is actually enough. Do the maintenance regularly though, this keeps you assured of a smooth running sharpening system and a Wicked sharp Edge on all of your knives!