EdgePro "what am I doing wrong?" thread

[Lucky Bob]

Got an edge pro, sharpened a AG Russell Funny Folder and Kershaw Needs Work to less than 25 degree included edge at 800 grit ("ultra fine" according to EdgePro) and neither will shave my arm hair! On both of them, I developed a burr on the finer stones, and got rid of it (as far as I can tell) already.

Anybody got any clues what is (or I am doing) wrong?

 

[thombrogan]

When that happens to me with the EdgePro, the culprit is usually excessive pressure. The reason it's usually excessive pressure is because I keep the stones flat so that it's easier to match angles with the stones used on the previous grits so I can see whether I'm hitting the edge each time. It leaves excessive pressure or holding the knife's handle so that I'm changing angles while sharpening.

Please try making sure your waterstones are flat, at matching angles, and that you're not using a lot of pressure with the 320 grit and 800 grit stones.

The same thing happens to QuietOneD every time he changes from EdgePro to freehanding and goes back and he's an insanely good sharpener, so it can (and does) happen to the rest of us, too.

Good luck, Lucky Bob!

 

[Ben Dover]

I agree with Thom. :thumbup:

Taking a day or two off, away from sharpening also helps me.

 

[Nosmo]

As you change stones, if their thickness is not identical, you will have to adjust the arm angle a fraction.

Example: If moving to a finer stone, and that stone is thicker than the previous one, the new stone will NOT be touching the actual edge.

This might be your problem.

 

[j_d]

I use an edgepro and have had good results. As you mentioned you should be able to feel a distinct burr even with the fine stones though it will be lighter. The other guys are correct that it doesnt take alot of pressure.
I for one hated the edgepro stones and modified some of my own using dmt diamond stones epoxied onto a strip of metal that I ground to the same angle as the edge pro stone backing. It made a huge difference in speed and ease of sharpening and is much more consistent with zero maintainence issues. It made the whole system about 5x's better.
Joshua

 

[Eeyore1]

Joshua:

Would you please elaborate further on your modifications? What stones did you use? How did you cut them? Etc.

PM me if you want to discuss it off-line.

Thanks!

 

[thombrogan]

When my 120 grit SiC stone was worn down to nigh-uselessness, I scraped it off with a putty knife and used acetone to remove the adhesive. Then, I took an EZE-Lap 42C (bought from the maker w/o a base) and stuck it to the remaining metal piece with two pieces of double-sided "Scotch" tape. 3M's 77 spray adhesive works, too, but unless you're very stingy with it, it will make a big mess. The 42C is a 250 grit stone which cuts slower than Ben's 120 grit stone by quite a bit, but it's always the same height. It cuts faster than EdgePro's 220 grit stone and leaves a rougher finish that the 220 grit EdgePro stone removes.

The 120 grit stone from EdgePro requires a little work to flatten and it will wear down to nothing if you get a touch of edge-o-rexia, but it's really the best deal going for this system in terms of time and money spent.