Before a few here decide to throw the baby out with the bathwater, set the mocking tone aside and understand that the Unicorn Method is different from other sharpening strategies, is useful, and has a place alongside other methods.
What the Unicorn Method is not: it is not a new way of sharpening for all. It is not about speedier sharpening. It is not about sharper than sharp. It is not the new Nirvana. As I mentioned in my earlier post, it is to be used selectively.
What the Unicorn Method is: the strategy is to add a “nano” - even smaller than micro
- tertiary bevel of around 45 degrees. The aim here is to create a more durable edge for those blades where the steel is soft and folds too quickly. Or, if you wish to beef up the sharp end of a bevel deliberately kept low for easier entry, such as a chisel paring only. The high nano tertiary angle does this.
It is possible to do so without resorting to a power strop, that is, by using stones. David Weaver, who first posted the method, described how he used a soft loose cloth wheel as he found this quick and reliable. I concur - it is easy to overdo the tertiary nano bevel on a hard strop. Another “not”: it is not created on a hard strop, such as a leather wheel. A leather wheel is too aggressive. A soft cloth wheel is delicate.
A similar method was described to me about 15 years ago by Harrelson Stanley, when we were discussing side sharpening. He referred to this a “jointing the blade”, which involved delicately making a single side stroke with the blade held near vertical. This was done after honing, and not as a preparatory step.
The Unicorn Method was named after that mythical animal, because it is seems to be a myth that one can get a long lasting sharp edge together with ease of sharpening. The method is designed for cheap or soft steel, especially chisels. It is not to replace sharpening methods generally.
Regards from Perth
Derek