Edge Pro Sharpening Tips, Mistakes, and Lessons Learned

Wow!
Thanks, mods!
Such an honor.

I will try my best to keep this thread up-to-date and concise.
 
miso2 miso2 Have you thought about reaching out to the manf with your PDF? I know everytime I've called them they were more then happy to chat with me and give me pointers. Also, your PDF is more detailed and updated then what they have on their website too.
 
krazichinaman said:
miso2 miso2 Have you thought about reaching out to the manf with your PDF? I know everytime I've called them they were more then happy to chat with me and give me pointers. Also, your PDF is more detailed and updated then what they have on their website too.
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You mean Edge Pro inc?
That has not crossed my mind.

But, it would be helpful to get inputs and tips from them regarding the common mistakes/issues documented in the PDF.
I will try e-mailing them.
Thanks for the suggestion.
 
krazichinaman said:
miso2 miso2 Have you thought about reaching out to the manf with your PDF? I know everytime I've called them they were more then happy to chat with me and give me pointers. Also, your PDF is more detailed and updated then what they have on their website too.
Click to expand...
True that, called them just a few days ago, talked with Cory?/Cody?, very helpful and talked a good 15 minutes on leveraging the slide guide, vs small knife adapter, positioning type things.

Can't imagine too many places you're gonna buy a knife sharpener and get personal, direct support like that in this day and age. It's actually rather rare.

And as mod suggests, would be cool to get their input to this guide and see it up on their site, too. They need to update their default help docs. :p
 
This is a HUGE help to Edge Pro newbies like myself. After reading this post and thread, a digital angle cube seems very useful for being consistent over time and also across different stones of varying thickness. Beyond a digital cube, are there other accessories that make the process more consistent and efficient?
 
d.cutting.edge said:
This is a HUGE help to Edge Pro newbies like myself. After reading this post and thread, a digital angle cube seems very useful for being consistent over time and also across different stones of varying thickness. Beyond a digital cube, are there other accessories that make the process more consistent and efficient?
Click to expand...
Yes my friend. Get a sharpie marker, then you can get the actual edge angle in degrees on the digital cube, and keep it for future reference, essential. :thumbsup: I would get a jewelers loupe, about 20 magnification, when you can see the scratch marks and burrs you can check your progress as you work through the grits. I would also get Pocket Microscope with LED lighting and 60X magnification, they take some getting used to using, but when you do, will take you to a new level of sharpening. :thumbsup: They teach you about the geometry of the blade and the amount of metal you are removing and most importantly removing the wire edge that forms on the Apex, you cannot see it with even the loupe, but it is there. And if you strop, if you look at a strop before you start using it then after use, the amount of microscopic pieces of metal embedded in the strop is staggering. If you can only afford one out of the 2, get the pocket microscope, you will never regret it. They are available on Amazon for under $20US, and well worth it. Get these 3 things as well as the digital cube, and your sharpening will improve out of site. The Edge Pro is a great choice, enjoy your new addiction.🤣🤣🤣
 
cudgee said:
Yes my friend. Get a sharpie marker, then you can get the actual edge angle in degrees on the digital cube, and keep it for future reference, essential. :thumbsup: I would get a jewelers loupe, about 20 magnification, when you can see the scratch marks and burrs you can check your progress as you work through the grits. I would also get Pocket Microscope with LED lighting and 60X magnification, they take some getting used to using, but when you do, will take you to a new level of sharpening. :thumbsup: They teach you about the geometry of the blade and the amount of metal you are removing and most importantly removing the wire edge that forms on the Apex, you cannot see it with even the loupe, but it is there. And if you strop, if you look at a strop before you start using it then after use, the amount of microscopic pieces of metal embedded in the strop is staggering. If you can only afford one out of the 2, get the pocket microscope, you will never regret it. They are available on Amazon for under $20US, and well worth it. Get these 3 things as well as the digital cube, and your sharpening will improve out of site. The Edge Pro is a great choice, enjoy your new addiction.🤣🤣🤣
Click to expand...
Thank you! I have a digital cube, jewelers loupe and a pocket microscope on the way. Right now I'm using a 4.5X magnification loupe (used for inspecting DSLR sensors) and I can't see the wire edge. Today I tried sharpening another knife and am beginning to appreciate the amount of practice and time it'll take to become more competent. I am enjoying my new addiction:) Thank you!!
 
d.cutting.edge said:
Thank you! I have a digital cube, jewelers loupe and a pocket microscope on the way. Right now I'm using a 4.5X magnification loupe (used for inspecting DSLR sensors) and I can't see the wire edge. Today I tried sharpening another knife and am beginning to appreciate the amount of practice and time it'll take to become more competent. I am enjoying my new addiction:) Thank you!!
Click to expand...
You will be fine, i personally think you have the best angled sharpener in the Edge Pro, it is the closest to freehand in that you still have to hold the knife to keep it steady so you have to concentrate but you still are in control, you can get the magnet attachment from Edge Pro if you like to make it easier while you are learning, or make your own, with some red earth magnets. You will be blown away when you get your pocket microscope and see the edge through it, it will help take you to a new level in your sharpening, it will take a bit of time getting used to it but once you master it you will find it probably the most useful tool in your sharpening kit. I don't go above 60X magnification, you lose a bit of perspective if you go any higher, but that is just me you may be different. But you are on the right path after reading your reply, you sound like you know what is in front of you, there are TEN things that are required to become a competent sharpener or better, TEN thing my friend, the 3 P's. Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Persistence, Persistence, Persistence, Patience, Patience, Patience, take your time and go slowly, get the bevel correct with your first grit, remember, do it once and do it correct. There is plenty of help here if required, and keep us updated how you go. :)
 
cudgee said:
You will be fine, i personally think you have the best angled sharpener in the Edge Pro, it is the closest to freehand in that you still have to hold the knife to keep it steady so you have to concentrate but you still are in control, you can get the magnet attachment from Edge Pro if you like to make it easier while you are learning, or make your own, with some red earth magnets. You will be blown away when you get your pocket microscope and see the edge through it, it will help take you to a new level in your sharpening, it will take a bit of time getting used to it but once you master it you will find it probably the most useful tool in your sharpening kit. I don't go above 60X magnification, you lose a bit of perspective if you go any higher, but that is just me you may be different. But you are on the right path after reading your reply, you sound like you know what is in front of you, there are TEN things that are required to become a competent sharpener or better, TEN thing my friend, the 3 P's. Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, Persistence, Persistence, Persistence, Patience, Patience, Patience, take your time and go slowly, get the bevel correct with your first grit, remember, do it once and do it correct. There is plenty of help here if required, and keep us updated how you go. :)
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Thank you! Yes I think it'll get better as I spend more time establishing the correct bevel the first time, and then recording the measurement from the angle cube for future reference. I'm going to run out of budget knives to practice on! I'll have to work on kitchen knives for a while.
 
This is a great post. Really well done.

d.cutting.edge said:
This is a HUGE help to Edge Pro newbies like myself. After reading this post and thread, a digital angle cube seems very useful for being consistent over time and also across different stones of varying thickness. Beyond a digital cube, are there other accessories that make the process more consistent and efficient?
Click to expand...
One accessory many of us use is a stone thickness compensating ring on the vertical post of our EP. Once you get the angle set with your first stone, you remove it and then set the ring with the stone sandwiched between the ring and the bottom of the vertical arm attachment. I will try to get a pic of this so you can see what I'm talking about. It's hard to explain by easy to understand if you can see it. Once the ring is set for the first stone, for any subsequent stones for that knife you place the stone on the right and move the arm height up or down as needed to match the stone thickness. This makes it easy to ensure you're getting the same angle with every stone you use.
 
krazichinaman said:
Top of page 20
- You mentioned about the blade wiggling around. Maybe make a reference on using the magnet attachment or being hyper focused on using the same light pressure. Edge pro mentioned using a wedge before to help the "flat" part of the blade vs resting it on the initial grind.

You made several references about using "corner" of stone to help ricasso / heel / choil area.
- could you add a section with photos going more in depth?
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I'll give my opinion on this having sharpened dozens of different blades on my EP. It has two big downsides: the inability to keep the blade in the same position, and having to tape your blades to prevent them from getting scratched. You can get a flat grind blade into approximately the same position. I always put a Sharpie mark so I know where the blade aligns relative to the edge of the EP table or to one of the points on the slide guide. It's probably close enough.

However, working with hollow grind or convex grind blades is a big pain on the butt on the EP. You can shim the blade, but that's also a hassle in my experience. As much as I like the EP, I'm looking at a clamped system to solve these two problems. Of course I'm only considering any system that uses EP stones. If I could figure out the clamp it would be fairly easy to make my own. All you need is a vertical post and a pivoting arm to hold the stones that slides and fastens to the post.
 
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David Richardson said:
This is a great post. Really well done.


One accessory many of us use is a stone thickness compensating ring on the vertical post of our EP. Once you get the angle set with your first stone, you remove it and then set the ring with the stone sandwiched between the ring and the bottom of the vertical arm attachment. I will try to get a pic of this so you can see what I'm talking about. It's hard to explain by easy to understand if you can see it. Once the ring is set for the first stone, for any subsequent stones for that knife you place the stone on the right and move the arm height up or down as needed to match the stone thickness. This makes it easy to ensure you're getting the same angle with every stone you use.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I've seen the drill collars used for this purpose. I'm using a digital angle cube to get to the same angle each time and with each stone. A collar is simpler and as a physical stop, less prone to error.
 
David Richardson said:
I'll give my opinion on this having sharpened dozens of different blades on my EP. It has two big downsides: the inability to keep the blade in the same position, and having to tape your blades to prevent them from getting scratched. You can get a flat grind blade into approximately the same position. I always put a Sharpie mark so I know where the blade aligns relative to the edge of the EP table or to one of the points on the slide guide. It's probably close enough. I

However, working with hollow grind or convex grind blades is a big pain on the butt on the EP. You can shim the blade, but that's also a hassle in my experience. As much as I like the EP, I'm looking at a clamped system to solve these two problems. Of course I'm only considering any system that uses EP stones. If I could figure out the clamp it would be fairly easy to make my own. All you need is a vertical post and a pivoting arm to hold the stones that slides and fastens to the post.
Click to expand...
I added the Slide Guide and Retractable Magnet to my EP. I haven’t used a clamp system but with the guide and magnet I’m able to get consistent positioning with hollow grinds like the Sebenza 31.
 
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