Edge Pro owner wanting freaky edge tips

flatface77

flatface77

Joined
Oct 3, 2007
Messages
987
So I dropped a chunk of tax return money on an Apex & got everything from the 120 stones to the 1200 & all 3 polishing tape grits. The other night I got to hurredly break it in on my friend's CS AK-47 over drinks & general revelry. It was everything I've heard it was.

I've scoured these threads for hints & tips & I'm sure I'll get even better results once I settle down & go all-out on one of my blades. I've read about a stropping setup & some indistinct talk of glass stones(?). I'm ordering a few extra blanks to attach my DMT 120 mesh steel eater to & whatever else I come up with.

What I wanted to know was: what, if anything, should I add to the process after sweet-touching it on the 6000 tape? My goal is a freakish edge, even if it does go away after the first few cuts. Thanks.
 
i glued a small leather strop on a stone blank with some green compound and it adds a little bit more scary to it. Just be sure to only strop away from the edge instead of the regular edge pro motion. I can get my knives hair whittling sharp with just the tapes though.
 
Apart from the ease of sharpening, one of the nice features of the EP is the repeatability. With careful use, the absolute minimum of metal is removed in sharpening. To achieve this, note the angle used with each blade ( Yes...write it down ) and measure the distance from the adjustable blade stop to the table edge for each blade sharpened. These two tips plus a good supply of Sharpies will help immensely.
 
I seem to be getting a better edge when I finish off the 1000 than when I go through to the polishing tapes. I test by shaving arm hair & my edge seems to peak with the 1000.

My 1200 probably hasn't broken in yet but I've been using it anyway (10 gentle back-&-forth strokes per side pyramiding down to 1) before moving to the 2000 & 6000 polishing tapes. I pyramided down from 10 strokes per side to 1 (10, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1) after everything after the 600 just to see what each stone could do for a final edge.

I've considered micro-beveling on the last 4 strokes or so but chicken out because of all the extra work I'll have to go back & redo if I make it worse. A 40x loupe is in the mail & I'm watching the included DVD to see if anything is on there that isn't on the Edge Pro site's vids.
 
I've only used mine a couple of times so far as I've only had it for a few days.
I need to spend more time with the 1000 stone before moving on to the 2 and 3000 tapes.

+1 on the use of the loupe!! I grabbed a cheapie 45x that comes with an attached light source and it offers a huge payoff in the form of instant feedback on the changes in the edge shape and condition as I switch between stones.
 
No pressure, no pressure, no pressure. I like to use the tape wondering if I'm making contact at all, that's how I get my best edges.
 
Last edited:
sodak said:
No pressure, no pressure, no pressure. I like to use the tape wondering if I'm making contact at all, that's how I get by best edges.
Click to expand...

YES, excellent point.
Also, clean everything before you begin using the tapes. My first time it took a while before I figured out why the scratches weren't disappearing...they were re-appearing from a little bit of the slurry being left on the unit and transferring to the tape and then scratching the edge.
R
 
I do still have those scratches. I was wondering about that. I do a few pull strokes with the tapes before doing light push-pull strokes but I'll try it with no pressure at all next time. The loupe should be in the mail tomorrow so I'll have an opportunity to go slow & watch everything closely.
 
Okay...Seemingly a basic question here...

When I flatten out a stone in my lineup I'm effectively changing the angle it will meet my blade at. Since the coarser stones get flattened more frequently, the finer stones will be slightly thicker on average. This means that they will be meeting my bevel higher up on the shoulder at first as I move through my stones.

Superficially this seems like a good thing, allowing me to be sure I'm hitting the whole bevel before burring the edge. But is the change in angles this causes really negligible enough to not worry about?

When I get to the polishing tape (just ordered the glass bases) I'll be back at a higher angle than my re-flattened 1000 & 1200 stones, right?

I used a DMT Aligner for years so I never had to think about these issues. I rationalized putting off stepping up the grade of my gear because of the issue of non-diamond stones dishing.
 
jeffphansen77 said:
Okay...Seemingly a basic question here...

When I flatten out a stone in my lineup I'm effectively changing the angle it will meet my blade at.

.
Click to expand...

When changing stones, unless the combined thickness ( stone and aluminum backing plate ) is the same as the previous stone, you will have to adjust the arm up or down SLIGHTLY. This is where a 'sharpie' becomes so important to see exactly how the hone is touching the blade edge.
 
Okay. I'm gathering that adjusting the angle is going to be a possibility after every stone. I've had a few weeks to play with my jeweler's loupe & it's going to help with this too. It exposed missed spots way better than my forearm ever did.

I've used the DMT Aligner for years & a diamond Lansky before that so I have an ingrained resistance to messing with the angle at all. The most I'd ever do before is a slight micro-bevel to cheat when it didn't shave near the tip. I've got my girlfriend's Persistence & then my new TSEK to do on this rare day off so I'm putting my game face on today. Thanks.
 
I'm going to buck the trend here and say "no" to the sharpie for making adjustments for differing stone thicknesses. It takes too long and isn't as precise.

Go to a hardware store and buy a drill bit stop collar for the mast on the EP. 5/16 is what you're looking for if you have the pro model. Since you have the Apex, I don't know the exact diameter of the mast. You want a tight fit w/ no play. Then go to the hardware section of the store and get a thumb screw that fits said collar.

Then follow the instructions that are posted here. These instructions are for the Pro EP model. However, they work for the Apex too. You just move the drill bit stop collar towards the pivot and make adjustments there. It looks like this where the collar is in the place of the paperclip.

This trick may seem more complicated at first, but it's not. Once you have the routine down it's much quicker and stone thickness becomes irrelevant.
 
I'm just happy to get a good looking, sharp edge with my Edge Pro. You guys are off the chart. :thumbup:
 
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