- Joined
- Jul 16, 2007
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- 1,068
Okay, watched the DVD, then read the book...time to grind some steel!
I chose as my first "victim" a newish Chigaco Cutlery Kyoto 7" Granton Edge Santoku. While it was reasonably sharp from the package, the bevel was noticably uneven in spots as you might expect from a lower priced CC knive. I laid down a peice of rubber shelfliner, then put a cookie pan on it, to which I stuck the suction cups of the Apex.
First I chose a likely angle to begin, then lightly marked the edge of the blade with a Sharpie. I then adjusted the knife guide. Turns out my guess was pretty good- only a minute change was necessary to neatly cut the mark cleanly. I wet the 220 stone and went to work. As expected, it initially felt awkward. By "initially" I mean for about 3 minutes. Then you start to get the feel for it. By no means do you master it, but it begins to feel intuitive. Even though the angle is pretty close, after a few minutes of not feeling a burr I realize I'm not putting any real pressure on the stone, so I put a little "umph" into it- nothing major, just light-to-moderate pressure. I try to keep it to only five or six strokes per section of the blade.
Then after another minute or two, presto! A burr began to form along a good portion of the blade. Being my first effort I didn't want to overdue it, so I flipped it and lightly knocked the burr off. A couple of very light polishing licks to each side (still w/the 220 stone) and I called it good. After carefully feeling for any burr I determined that I was done for now and tested the edge.
For my first try it's not bad at all. Cuts like a lightsaber compared to out of the box. I stopped a bit short of shaving sharp since I wanted to try to make a good working edge that will hold up. It cuts paper very agressively and sliced rolled towels vastly better than before. That's a somewhat coarse stone and I did no polishing, so you'd expect that type of finish on the edge.
Bear in mind, I'm just learning how to use it. I'll probably see if it will take a razor edge (and of course, see if I can do so on the Apex or if I need a bit more practice- I don't expect it to be instant). I chose that knife because it was pretty cheap, but the X-factor is that it's hard to know what the blade is capable of.
The fit and finish of the machine is excellent, especially considering it only cost $200 shipped. It assembles very easily and is quite solid- between the 2 suction cups and two widely spaced legs it really stays put. Even more impressive is how smooth everything feels. It's very easily to manipulate the stone arm; it really glides with very little effort. For a minute I couldn't figure out how to get the stone to stay in (note: I always save the instructions as a last resort!). Then I realized, Duh! You give the knob a twist... Obviously I imagine I'll get a lot better once I do a few knives, but it's pretty easy to get the hang of.
I'll take a few pics when time permits. For now I think I'll play with it some more.
I chose as my first "victim" a newish Chigaco Cutlery Kyoto 7" Granton Edge Santoku. While it was reasonably sharp from the package, the bevel was noticably uneven in spots as you might expect from a lower priced CC knive. I laid down a peice of rubber shelfliner, then put a cookie pan on it, to which I stuck the suction cups of the Apex.First I chose a likely angle to begin, then lightly marked the edge of the blade with a Sharpie. I then adjusted the knife guide. Turns out my guess was pretty good- only a minute change was necessary to neatly cut the mark cleanly. I wet the 220 stone and went to work. As expected, it initially felt awkward. By "initially" I mean for about 3 minutes. Then you start to get the feel for it. By no means do you master it, but it begins to feel intuitive. Even though the angle is pretty close, after a few minutes of not feeling a burr I realize I'm not putting any real pressure on the stone, so I put a little "umph" into it- nothing major, just light-to-moderate pressure. I try to keep it to only five or six strokes per section of the blade.
Then after another minute or two, presto! A burr began to form along a good portion of the blade. Being my first effort I didn't want to overdue it, so I flipped it and lightly knocked the burr off. A couple of very light polishing licks to each side (still w/the 220 stone) and I called it good. After carefully feeling for any burr I determined that I was done for now and tested the edge.
For my first try it's not bad at all. Cuts like a lightsaber compared to out of the box. I stopped a bit short of shaving sharp since I wanted to try to make a good working edge that will hold up. It cuts paper very agressively and sliced rolled towels vastly better than before. That's a somewhat coarse stone and I did no polishing, so you'd expect that type of finish on the edge.
Bear in mind, I'm just learning how to use it. I'll probably see if it will take a razor edge (and of course, see if I can do so on the Apex or if I need a bit more practice- I don't expect it to be instant). I chose that knife because it was pretty cheap, but the X-factor is that it's hard to know what the blade is capable of.
The fit and finish of the machine is excellent, especially considering it only cost $200 shipped. It assembles very easily and is quite solid- between the 2 suction cups and two widely spaced legs it really stays put. Even more impressive is how smooth everything feels. It's very easily to manipulate the stone arm; it really glides with very little effort. For a minute I couldn't figure out how to get the stone to stay in (note: I always save the instructions as a last resort!
). Then I realized, Duh! You give the knob a twist... Obviously I imagine I'll get a lot better once I do a few knives, but it's pretty easy to get the hang of. I'll take a few pics when time permits. For now I think I'll play with it some more.
The EP is great for really removing material, but the Sharpmaker is much easier to set up for touchups.
). Very soon I'll try the other stones, but I want to make sure I'm doing the basics all correctly before I move on to the next element.
Damn cheap Chinese junk! It's going back tomorrow![/rant off] I want a bit higher power one, maybe one on an arm, to examine the edge and to see more precisely where the stone is cutting the Sharpie mark. My eyes aren't the greatest and my prescription is a bit out of date, too.