New KME user

[Danno44]

Received my KME deluxe kit (plus pen knife jaws) Saturday March 2nd.
First knife was a POS 8” made in China chefs knife (real garbage, chipped, rolled edge wouldn’t cut air). Was able to put good enough edge to actually shave arm hair. (No photos)
2nd knife was a WallyWorld no name that cost 3.98. No markings. Couldn’t cut right out of blister pack. Would tear/rip paper and tape.
Not perfect now but cuts well and a slight mirror.
Need more practice, especially on the tip. But for only my 2nd knife, getting there I think.

 

[Jason Puckett]

Very cool. Are you coming from free hand sharpening or another guided system? Looking to pick up the kme myself in the near future, glad to see it's able to be picked up quickly.

 

[Danno44]

Very cool. Are you coming from free hand sharpening or another guided system? Looking to pick up the kme myself in the near future, glad to see it's able to be picked up quickly.

I was using a Sharpmaker to maintain my newer sharp knives. Tried using it on some neglected kitchen knives because I stink at freedhand and well, decided on something different.
Do to certain physical circumstances, I decided on the KME.
So far, I’m happy with how it performs, but then again still a complete newbie to it. I have taken 2 useless knives to something that can actually cut and slice.
I still have a lot to learn as far as working on the tip and refining scratch patterns. Good thing is I have time to practice and get the muscle memory to kick in.

 

[Eli Chaps]

Congrats on finding a system that works for you.

Are you centering the blade in the clamp (tip to handle wise I mean)? Be sure to do that if you aren't already.

I don't shoot for mirrored edges much any more but if you want that, keep in mind diamonds leave a lot of scratches, especially low grits. So once you establish the bevel to your liking, try to start on the highest grit possible on subsequent sharpenings. Maybe you can start with the 600 or even the 1500 and bring the edge back up. That will prevent leaving so many new deep scratches and start working at removing the ones that are already there. And remember, diamonds prefer a light touch.

Also, if you haven't already found him, Dean O on YouTube has great KME videos, including one on customizing it. I bought some aftermarket knobs and really like them. Not sure what physical circumstances you have but thought that might be something you might want to consider.

 

[Danno44]

Eli Chaps thanks for all the advice!
I have watched a lot of videos, Dean O, knife Krazy as well as the KME ones.
I wasn’t going for mirror, just playing with all the stones to get a feel for how the system works.
Alignment is something I focused on last couple of knives and has seemed to help.
Aftermarket knobs are my next purchase!