5 Part Video: Sharpening with the Edge Pro Apex.

Ankerson

Ankerson

Knife and Computer Geek
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Just watched it.... looks good! There's a lot of tips in there (like the super light burr removal strokes) that hopefully viewers will pick up on.

cbw
 
Thanks man. :D

I was kinda in a hurry do to the 5 min limit per video on my DSLR , but I think people will pick them up. :)
 
Great series! Lots of good information in there and it was fun to see someone else's style with the Edge Pro. I personally use edge trailing with the polishing tapes, and keep my hone within the width of the table (moving the blade left and right more than the hones), but other than that do it pretty much like in the videos.

Thanks for taking the time to make those.
 
Excellent information. I just bought my sons EP as he bought the Pro Model last week. I just have the EP stones from 125-1000. He has many many more. He sharpens a lot of high end chefs knives.

I did my Tyson Bushcraft knife today and while I got it really sharp, I am having a bit of trouble with the points. That is to say, the last 1/2- 3/4 inch of the blade. Not sure just why yet.
 
udtjim said:
Excellent information. I just bought my sons EP as he bought the Pro Model last week. I just have the EP stones from 125-1000. He has many many more. He sharpens a lot of high end chefs knives.

I did my Tyson Bushcraft knife today and while I got it really sharp, I am having a bit of trouble with the points. That is to say, the last 1/2- 3/4 inch of the blade. Not sure just why yet.
Click to expand...

Sometime the tips will be just a little thicker or a different angle than the rest of the edge.

Just move the Point over the table, it might take more work to get the angle to match the rest of the blade.
 
Just looking at a old Buck knife here and I can see what you mean. It is thicker at the point. Probably from years of not getting quite out to the point:D I will try that, I am sure it will take me a while to master it. Your video makes it look so easy and watching my son is the same deal. I have come to appreciate the job he does on those chefs knives. He takes a lot of time and goes through a series of about a dozen stones.

I am trying to stay away from stone collecting.:rolleyes::)
 
udtjim said:
Just looking at a old Buck knife here and I can see what you mean. It is thicker at the point. Probably from years of not getting quite out to the point:D I will try that, I am sure it will take me a while to master it. Your video makes it look so easy and watching my son is the same deal. I have come to appreciate the job he does on those chefs knives. He takes a lot of time and goes through a series of about a dozen stones.

I am trying to stay away from stone collecting.:rolleyes::)
Click to expand...

Most factory blades are like that so it takes some work to thin it out on the 1st sharpening. :)
 
I noticed you made some 'compromises' (I don't mean that negatively) because of the camera angle and time considerations. You mentioned shorter-than-normal strokes as one of them. I'm wondering if there were any other modifications made to your regular technique or routine for the sake of the video. Specifically, I'm curious about these things:

-- Do you usually use more water? I noticed the stones getting quite loaded. Or does permanently soaking them like you do make frequent rinsing and moistening unnecessary?

-- All the Edge Pro research and advice I've encountered regarding burrs recommend flipping the blade only after you've raised a burr along the entire edge. You seemed to be flipping it quite often. Do you usually work one side more thoroughly to the point of burring before flipping? Or does raising a burr become less important as you become more experienced and proficient with the EP?

-- And the main one I'm curious about is your use of the Sharpie. IIRC, you used it only once at the very beginning to check for contact with the edge. Given the time and freedom of no video camera, do you normally mark the edge after every stone change to account for stones of varying thickness? I think you mentioned that your stones are very well used and worn. Or have you lapped them all to the same height? Or, if not, is the difference so slight that it doesn't really make a significant difference? I figured since you're using the glass tape blanks instead of aluminum, that you are very particular and conscientious of even the most minute details and variances.

I really enjoyed the videos and appreciate the time and effort you put into the project. It's one thing to read about EP techniques and tips, but quite another to actually see those methods put into practise. Thanks for that. I hope to see more of your work in the future, specifically sharpening (or reprofiling!) a folder with some arc and belly to the blade, or one with a spine that's not parallel with the edge, as those knives require a lot more maneuvering and precise placement and holding on the plate/table, which is something I'm still having significant difficulties with.
 
KarlMaldensNose said:
I noticed you made some 'compromises' (I don't mean that negatively) because of the camera angle and time considerations. You mentioned shorter-than-normal strokes as one of them. I'm wondering if there were any other modifications made to your regular technique or routine for the sake of the video. Specifically, I'm curious about these things:

-- Do you usually use more water? I noticed the stones getting quite loaded. Or does permanently soaking them like you do make frequent rinsing and moistening unnecessary?

-- All the Edge Pro research and advice I've encountered regarding burrs recommend flipping the blade only after you've raised a burr along the entire edge. You seemed to be flipping it quite often. Do you usually work one side more thoroughly to the point of burring before flipping? Or does raising a burr become less important as you become more experienced and proficient with the EP?

-- And the main one I'm curious about is your use of the Sharpie. IIRC, you used it only once at the very beginning to check for contact with the edge. Given the time and freedom of no video camera, do you normally mark the edge after every stone change to account for stones of varying thickness? I think you mentioned that your stones are very well used and worn. Or have you lapped them all to the same height? Or, if not, is the difference so slight that it doesn't really make a significant difference? I figured since you're using the glass tape blanks instead of aluminum, that you are very particular and conscientious of even the most minute details and variances.

I really enjoyed the videos and appreciate the time and effort you put into the project. It's one thing to read about EP techniques and tips, but quite another to actually see those methods put into practise. Thanks for that. I hope to see more of your work in the future, specifically sharpening (or reprofiling!) a folder with some arc and belly to the blade, or one with a spine that's not parallel with the edge, as those knives require a lot more maneuvering and precise placement and holding on the plate/table, which is something I'm still having significant difficulties with.
Click to expand...


Yes I take more time on each side normally than I did in the video and I normally don't have to soak the stones very often because I do keep them in water all the time. That was slurry, that you saw, the stones never filled up.

I do spot check the edge every once in awhile if some stones are really worn out like my 320 and 120 are. They are about spent, I have new ones already for when they are done.

I keep my stones very flat, as soon as they see them start to wear I lap them back to flat again. That's only the 120, 220 and 320, the 600 and 1000 are super hard and never seem to wear at all.

Folders with thumb studs are a real pain to deal with depending on the angle I am sharpening at. Sometimes I will just grind them down with the 120 grit stone until it clears if it's in the way.

If the spine angles a lot just set the depth to the narrowest part of the blade and then sharpen normally.
 
Nice vids! I will admit I'm a tad more anal about adjusting the stone arm between stones. A newer stone is enough thicker than a well worn one that I normally adjust the arm between each one. That needn't require a lot of work, and sometimes not even the "Sharpie trick." I'm used to the thicknesses of my favorite stones and I can eyeball the amount I need to raise or lower pretty accurately...I'll often check it to keep myself honest only to find that I'm dead-on, even under 10X magnification. Of course, under some circumstances I'll go ever-so-slightly steeper with each stone, but it depends on what I'm sharpening for. As my Dad says, I mostly do higher-end kitchen knives (and only Japanese ones, when I have a choice!;)) so I'm going up to 10k or higher most of the time. Those knives are very thin, very hard & very sharp- they generally benefit from a high polish.

One thing I noticed is that you don't seem to be sharpening the tanto point; is that intentional or something you did for this video?

Overall very nicely done!
 
Very nice video! Sorry I missed seeing it right when you put it up but I've been in bed with nasty cold! Very clear instructions, and just about doing it the same way that I do. The differences are probably nothing more than personal choice;
I use a lot more water, squirting more onto the stone with every side change. With the coarser stones I even do it after every 6-8 strokes. Costs me more in stone ware, but I prefer it. I think you may be rinsing off the blade (I couldn't quite see it) but that is something I also do quite often, cleaning both blade and table. I see the old Japanese sword and knife sharpeners splashing more water onto their stones after every few strokes and I figure if it's good enough for them... On the other hand, you're a lot neater than me! :D I have to have shop towels set on either side of the base to keep it in check!
Another difference is that I only stroke directly over the table, front to back. Probably makes no difference in the final product at all!
But one last difference, when using the polishing tapes.... Here you and I really do differ. I add water to every stroke with the polishing tapes, rinsing the tape and the blade. I only 'draw stroke' using ONLY the weight of the stone arm, and only make only one pass over the blade before turning to the opposite side. It takes me as long to polish with a 15,000 tape as it does to sharpen the entire blade from 120 to 4,000. (I.E. it might take me 20 minutes to take a wharcliff folder from 120 to 4,000, then another 15-20 minutes to do the final polishing. If I want it really, really nice! :))

Thanks again for showing us your methods. The EdgePro information that people are adding during this past weeks has been fantastic!

Stitchawl
 
I've gone both routes with using water... from alot to very little. In the end, I found there's not much difference in the sharpening, but there are some pros and cons in how the stones work and load up. I now use very little, because it helps eliminate the slurry running off, getting between the knife and the blade table, and scratching the knife. Also keeps it out of the pivot area on a folder. I do occassionaly give the stone a good rinse, it will tend to load up more. But stichawl is right, I think it's just a personal choice... there's no real right or wrong, unless you're trying to acheive a specific goal.

I must add from the videos, your use of the tapes impressed the heck out of me. I always had to be very careful, or I'd slice it right off the blank. I also never used a glass blank... I bought one, but had kinda moved away from the tapes, so hadn't used it. I'm going to have to revisit them.

cbw
 
cbwx34 said:
SNIP..... But stichawl is right, I think it's just a personal choice... there's no real right or wrong, unless you're trying to acheive a specific goal.
Click to expand...

...And what IS that goal? Is it the 'process' or is is it the 'end result?' We each strive for something slightly different. No bought a doubt it, we all like our toys and enjoy playing with them. *grin*

What we need now is a really uniform non-subjective test for sharpness (as opposed to edge retention.) Some of us whittle hair into carvings of the Eiffel Tower, others of us push cut single-sheet toilet paper. I keep trying to split a silk handkerchief by dropping it on the blade but I guess they must be making tougher silk these days. What would you say is the very best result YOU'VE gotten using the glass blanks and polishing tapes. Personally, I didn't find any difference between them and properly flattened aluminum blanks a friend made for me. But my glass blanks were home made too... Perhaps therein lies the rub?

Stitchawl
 
How timely!!

I just received my Apex kit off the UPS truck today. The DVD that came with it is really for the Pro model, so this video really helps.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to put this info out :D
 
The EP will get knives screaming sharp for sure but the thing I like best about it is the edge control, being able to sharpen a given blade for a given task and repeating it every time.:thumbup:
 
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