Frustrated with my apex 4.

CrimsonTideShooter

CrimsonTideShooter

Joined
Oct 23, 2010
Messages
3,196
Well my edge pro came in early and I've been trying to get used to it all day. I'm so frustrated that I can't get tp slicing edges and hair whittling edges. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Every time I sharpen a knife it'll be set perfectly and it's sharpening the whole bevel, but when I flip it over it seems like that is not the correct angle for the side I flipped it to. I have no clue what I'm doing wrong and I'm pretty frustrated with it already. Y'all said there would be a learning curve but really? Is it this hard?
 
It ain't easy! :D

Don't get frustrated. Leave it alone, and come back when you are in a different state of mind. Yes, there is a very big learning curve for a lot of guys. I would not expect anyone to be slicing tp without at least a dozen knives under his belt. The variables are plentiful, and you will need to know every aspect of the stones, machine, and technique for tp slicing.

Are your knives sharper than ever before? Cuz that would be successful in most noobies eyes.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
Well my edge pro came in early and I've been trying to get used to it all day. I'm so frustrated that I can't get tp slicing edges and hair whittling edges. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Every time I sharpen a knife it'll be set perfectly and it's sharpening the whole bevel, but when I flip it over it seems like that is not the correct angle for the side I flipped it to. I have no clue what I'm doing wrong and I'm pretty frustrated with it already. Y'all said there would be a learning curve but really? Is it this hard?
Click to expand...

Try to have the least amount of pressure holding them down on the EP table. Maybe you're inadvertently muscling them down.
 
When I first got mine I was trying to go to fast. Once I slowed down (like really, really slow) I started to be more aware of what I was doing, and how it changed the interactions between me, the machine, and the knife.

I also practiced the heck out of some thift store knives. They all have awesome edges now :)

Just keep practicing, and go slow. Slow is good. I think Ankerson (or someone else?) has youtube videos of how to get super edges with the EP.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
Well my edge pro came in early and I've been trying to get used to it all day. I'm so frustrated that I can't get tp slicing edges and hair whittling edges. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Every time I sharpen a knife it'll be set perfectly and it's sharpening the whole bevel, but when I flip it over it seems like that is not the correct angle for the side I flipped it to. I have no clue what I'm doing wrong and I'm pretty frustrated with it already. Y'all said there would be a learning curve but really? Is it this hard?
Click to expand...


CTS, I'll relieve you of your agony & give your $50.00 for it . . . :)
Just kidding, seriously the best advice is what Iklemz said was to go slow, take you time, & maybe practice on some knives that if you do ding one up, it won't matter too much. If it starts to get frustrating, take a break & come back later. Some of my wive's kitchen knives were so dull you could run your finger along the blade & it would not cut it. Now, once I got the hang of it, they are all slicers. Patience is the key, young grasshopper.
Be safe.
 
Nobody gets hair whittling edges the day they get one, unless it is their second one.

It takes practice, patience and time.

I've had mine a few weeks and I get better as I go and as I read the hints and tips here.

Also if you are having inconsistent issues side to side, you are placing it inconsistently. You have to get used to setting the flat of the blade on the platen and holding it matched to the force you apply with the stone so it stays consistent side to side. If you are laying the blade's bevel on the platen, that can work too, but you also have to set it exactly that way for the other side too.

Practicing on cheap kitchen knives makes life simple as they are a flat grind and broad so holding them correctly on the platen is a lot easier than smaller blades that are hollow ground.

There's a reason that people will pay for higher end sharpening jobs...but not a lot of reason why most people can't learn to do it too.
 
grizzled gizzard said:
It ain't easy! :D

Don't get frustrated. Leave it alone, and come back when you are in a different state of mind. Yes, there is a very big learning curve for a lot of guys. I would not expect anyone to be slicing tp without at least a dozen knives under his belt. The variables are plentiful, and you will need to know every aspect of the stones, machine, and technique for tp slicing.

Are your knives sharper than ever before? Cuz that would be successful in most noobies eyes.
Click to expand...

To be honest with you I'm not getting edges any sharper than I can get with my sharpmaker.

I just don't know WTF I'm doing wrong.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
To be honest with you I'm not getting edges any sharper than I can get with my sharpmaker.

I just don't know WTF I'm doing wrong.
Click to expand...

How long are you spending per stone? How many strokes per side? Are you going up and down the blade multiple times? How often do you flip the knife? When do you switch to just drawing the stones? Are you you moving the stone in a circle, verses the "y" that Mr. Dale suggests?


All these will alter how the edge comes out. I spent about 45 minutes "rebeveling" (read, putting a real bevel on) my S30V Mini-Grip (using stones 220-600). I spent another 15 minutes "stropping" with my 1000 grit stone since I don't have polish tape (yet). I also used a significant amount more of soap in the water to act as a lubricant to reduce the scratch pattern further. I could easily push cut paper, and had a decent start to a mirror polish.
 
Figured I'd update.


I'm becoming a lot more familiar with the system now and I can conistently put morrow edges on my knives but they aren't particularly sharper than what I can do with the sharpmaker.

They are very sharp, but I was expecting hair whittling. When I hold a single hair up the edge just glides right over it ad opposed to catching and filleting the hair. What can I do to make my edges sharper?
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
Figured I'd update.


I'm becoming a lot more familiar with the system now and I can conistently put morrow edges on my knives but they aren't particularly sharper than what I can do with the sharpmaker.

They are very sharp, but I was expecting hair whittling. When I hold a single hair up the edge just glides right over it ad opposed to catching and filleting the hair. What can I do to make my edges sharper?
Click to expand...

It's going to take a little time to get there.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
Well my edge pro came in early and I've been trying to get used to it all day. I'm so frustrated that I can't get tp slicing edges and hair whittling edges. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Every time I sharpen a knife it'll be set perfectly and it's sharpening the whole bevel, but when I flip it over it seems like that is not the correct angle for the side I flipped it to. I have no clue what I'm doing wrong and I'm pretty frustrated with it already.
Click to expand...

Quite possibly, you're doing nothing wrong! :p

Is it possible the blade itself doesn't have the same bevel on both sides???:confused::confused:

Many factory knives I've owned over the years had different angles on the different sides. If so, one side needs to be re-profiled to make it equal to the other.
 
Ankerson said:
It's going to take a little time to get there.
Click to expand...

I know. I guess I'm just disappointed that it's not as easy as I'd hoped it would be.

Just so I know I'm doing it right, how do you whittle hair? Do you just hold a single hair in between your index finger and thumb and then just press the edge to it? If that's how it's done then I'm sure not there yet sharpness wise. My edge just slides over the hair without catching it.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
I know. I guess I'm just disappointed that it's not as easy as I'd hoped it would be.

Just so I know I'm doing it right, how do you whittle hair? Do you just hold a single hair in between your index finger and thumb and then just press the edge to it? If that's how it's done then I'm sure not there yet sharpness wise. My edge just slides over the hair without catching it.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's not automatic. :D

What I do is drag the hair over the edge very slow with just the weight of the hair, if it's sharp it will bite, if not then it won't.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
Figured I'd update.


I'm becoming a lot more familiar with the system now and I can conistently put morrow edges on my knives but they aren't particularly sharper than what I can do with the sharpmaker.

They are very sharp, but I was expecting hair whittling. When I hold a single hair up the edge just glides right over it ad opposed to catching and filleting the hair. What can I do to make my edges sharper?
Click to expand...

CrimsonTideShooter said:
To be honest with you I'm not getting edges any sharper than I can get with my sharpmaker.

I just don't know WTF I'm doing wrong.
Click to expand...

Practice practice practice. I can get hair whittling edges with my sharp maker using the regular fine stones that came with it.

pick one thing and learn it well instead of swapping between multiple tools
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
To be honest with you I'm not getting edges any sharper than I can get with my sharpmaker.

I just don't know WTF I'm doing wrong.
Click to expand...


What you can do in the meantime is, match your bevel angle to any of the sharpmaker's angles, then try sharpening on just the white stones and the ultra fine if you have them. That should get you hair whittling and TP slicing to some extent.
 
singularity35 said:
What you can do in the meantime is, match your bevel angle to any of the sharpmaker's angles, then try sharpening on just the white stones and the ultra fine if you have them. That should get you hair whittling and TP slicing to some extent.
Click to expand...

I had no idea that Sharpmaker had Ultrafine stones! I just ordered some a few minutes ago. I have been using Sharpmaker for years and I get my knives pretty sharp but I haven't been able to get them hair whittling sharp yet. Do you sharpen your edges on the 30 degree or 40 degree? I have always used the 40 degree (20 on each side) for years but yesterday after reading some posts here I switched to a 30 degree to get a sharper edge.
 
Another update:


I think I had an epiphany while sharpening my izula today and now I'm becoming WAY more comfortable using the edge pro. I was able to use very light strokes and form a burr along the whole edge of blade.

It's getting easier to use my left hand and also easier to not bear down on the stones. I'm letting the stones weight do the cutting. Anyway after forming the burr on the 220 stone I went all the way up to the 3000 grit polish tape and I got my sharpest edge yet using the EP. I can *barely* slice TP. I can't really slice it but it does cut into it just a tiny bit, and I'm also not able to whittle hairs yet but the edge did make the hair "skip" across which must mean it was catching a little bit, right?

Overall I'm happy I'm getting better. Although I still have a long way to go.
 
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