Best Profiling Stone for Edge Pro?

T

TriviaMonster

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Jan 2, 2012
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So I have been using my Edge Pro Apex for a week or so and have done about five or so knives. They have come out great, but I am finding the stock 220 and 400 EP brand stones to be pretty uh...insufficient for ANY serious work. I have a 2" wide 125 Micron diamond plate that came with the kit and it's okay, but it doesn't seem like it will last very long, and since I use it for flattening my Chosera's and resurfacing my stones I hate to use it up.

I have been trying(reading: wasting time) with the stock 220 but it's a worthless since the Chosera 400 cuts much, much faster, while the 220 doesn't hardly cut at all. While the Chosera 400 cuts a lot faster than what I have it still took forever to reprofile a CS Master Hunter in San Mai III(VG1 edge FYI) to 18 degrees per side down from 20-22 degrees. Okay so it wasn't horrible, but I have yet to do my BM710-2 with it's recurve M390 blade.

I have been looking at getting a DMT XC that is 2" wide for profiling and flattening, but it makes doing recurves and up swept tips a big pain judging from experience using my 125 micron diamond plate. If I can use it for both I would be one happy camper, but even I at least want to use it for profiling.

My other more expensive option would be an Atoma 140 diamond stone which cuts like a demon I hear, but I worry that my Chosera 400 may struggle to get those very deep scratches out. My goal is to keep the cost down as I have already spent an arm and/or 1 leg on my Edge Pro Chosera kit.

I know it's been discussed heavily and I have been reading and searching all over for a few days but I prefer advice from BladeForums. The Atoma 140 seems to be the way to go since I will use it to cut also, but what do you think?

Thank you guys very much in advance and I wouldn't ask if I didn't absolutely need to.

So the real question I guess is 2" wide DMT XC vs. Atoma 140 for profiling and either will work well for flattening I'm sure.

My other thought would be maybe getting the 2" wide DMT XC and having it cut into a 1.5" for flattening work(and profiling when it would be effective) and then using the .5" wide stone for recurves and large bellied blades. Is this realistic? What kinda saw would you think? This option sounds frustrating.


Thank You
-TrivaMonster
 
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How about cutting some coarse grit sandpaper to size and mount it with a spray-mount glue on a EP blank? That would be cheap and you could replace the sandpaper once it wears out.
 
TM I have the 2" wide DMT x coarse and have reprofiled several knives with it. I want the Atoma. I have trouble getting to the edge at the very heel and some of the time the tip with the 2" stone. When I grind a new bevel with the x coarse I go to the EP 180, 220, 320, 600, 800, 1000 Chosera 3k, 5k, 10k then strop with a EP 6k tape on glass. Of course I don't go through all the grits on every knife. I'll keep the DMT for large blades.
 
the sandpaper idea sounds very good, the atoma too, but what i'd like to try is the custom diamond "stones" from CKTG, from what i understand it's diamond coated films glued to aluminium plates. a lot of different grits available from very coarse to very fine grits.
 
Get a stock EP 120 stone. I use it on CPM3V, M390, S90V, ZDP189...and it cuts great. The 220 and 320 stones aren't that great IMO. I just use those to smooth out the cuts I make with my 120.

I've also used the Chosera 400 stone. I think that's good too, but for profiling, I prefer the 120. Follow up with the Chosera 400 and you'll be well on your way to getting a sharp knife.
 
I use the Congress Moldmaster 320 Grit, being Silicon Carbide it cuts very fast and doesn't wear out quickly.
 
Has Ben Dale changed the source for his stones?

My experience is that only the coarse stone skates, while the rest of the EP stones cut efficiently.

I bought the atoma 140 and it does cut like a monster.
 
Atoma 140 is the kind of reprofiling on the EP, hands-down. It's EXPENSIVE, but definitely worth it.
 
I am actually going to get some of those Congress stones that Ankerson uses. I figure for the price it won't hurt to try, and he knows his stuff. they are even cheaper than the EP 120. I'll post back with results.
 
Let us know how they work out for you! I've heard of a few people playing with the Moldmasters with good results. They're certainly inexpensive, and if you're using them for the roughing stages, they don't NEED to have a perfect grain, stay perfectly flat, etc.
 
Yeah will do. My main intended use will be some San Mai III which was surprisingly wear resistant, way more than BM's 154cm, and my M390 will also need this I imagine.
 
Heh, been there, done that! I used my Apex just a bit ago to put a 13* edge on a Para-2 in M390. That was quite the job, I was REALLY glad I had a DMT XC plate on it, I couldn't imagine having done that job with the stock 120 or 220. Would have taken FOREVER.

Incidentally, you're going to LOVE that M390 once you have a suitably shallow bevel on it. That thing is an absolute laser.
 
Ankerson said:
I use the Congress Moldmaster 320 Grit, being Silicon Carbide it cuts very fast and doesn't wear out quickly.
Click to expand...
Have you tried their "Ruby" stones? It sounds like they would be excellent for steels like M4, M390, s90v, and ZDP189 or whatever it's called.

RUBY
SHARP ALUMINUM OXIDE- Sharp grains in a medium bond result in an aggressive cutting stone. Very good results and finish on all hard tool steels and exotic metals. Maintains shape, load resistant.
GRITS: 60, 80, 100, 120, 150, 220, 320
Color: Pink
Click to expand...

TriviaMonster said:
I am actually going to get some of those Congress stones that Ankerson uses. I figure for the price it won't hurt to try, and he knows his stuff. they are even cheaper than the EP 120. I'll post back with results.
Click to expand...
Please do tell us how they work. Do you know how the micron size compares to the EP stones? Are you getting just the coarse stones, or will you go all the way to 600 with them?
 
loonybin said:
Have you tried their "Ruby" stones? It sounds like they would be excellent for steels like M4, M390, s90v, and ZDP189 or whatever it's called.
Click to expand...

ALUMINUM OXIDE is not as aggressive or as fast as Silicon Carbide especially on high carbide steels.

I have plenty of AO stones.
 
How long are the EP 120s lasting you guys? I have about 10 reprofiles on mine and it's getting a little thin.
 
Really depends on stock thickness, severity of the angle change, length of the blade and what steel you're working with.
 
Ankerson said:
ALUMINUM OXIDE is not as aggressive or as fast as Silicon Carbide especially on high carbide steels.

I have plenty of AO stones.
Click to expand...

Very good to know! Thank you. Do you use your 320 grit Moldmaster instead of the 120 and 220 or after them?
 
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