Not Shaving Sharp- Edge Pro?

mrgreen

mrgreen

Joined
Dec 26, 2009
Messages
313
Am I screwing something up? Using my new Apex on an Izula and Busse Meaner Street, they finish up looking great, seem sharper, but won't shave hair. I do each side until I feel a mild burr.I go up to the 1000 stone, then use the ceramic rod. What am I missing.
Thanks
 
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Try using less pressure, in fact use only the weight of the lever/stone. You don't need to use the ceramic rod except to remove burrs.
 
That's what I'm doing. I made the mistake of using too much pressure the first time I tried to sharpen the Busse Meaner Street. After I reread the instructions and re-watched the DVD, I started all over again, starting with the 150 grit stone. The edge looked great after that, but still won't shave.
 
Are you using clean stones, or dirty loaded stones? Make sure you're using enough strokes on each stone. For me, I can shave arm hair cleanly off the 320 grit.
 
Clean stones, brand new. I'm also using the sharpie for each stone change, it seems most of them hit at a slightly different angle, the 120 is much different.
 
Yeah, the stones are slightly different sizes. You have to make some extra passes to remove more steel so that it levels out.
 
Yeah, I found I had to make adjustments, for the 120 and 220, I change the angle as needed. It just seems there is some step or trick I'm missing. Stropping, maybe?
 
mrgreen said:
Yeah, I found I had to make adjustments, for the 120 and 220, I change the angle as needed. It just seems there is some step or trick I'm missing. Stropping, maybe?
Click to expand...

I can get mine to shave before the stropping, but if the issue is burring then stropping would fix it. Worth a try.
 
2 things I'd suggest... see if it makes a difference...

The 120 stone is meant to be used for major reprofiling... but you want to avoid, if possible, going all the way to the edge. It's a pretty rough grind to clean up. You might want to resharpen starting with the 320 up to the 1K, just to insure you've got a good solid edge.

Don't use the ceramic. If you're new, you may not be using it right. Plus, it's really not necessary if you're taking the knife to the 1K stone. The ceramic actually becomes a step back. Follow the instructions of making a few very light alternating passes with the 1K stone and then test the results.

See if either of those help.

cbw
 
cbwx34, thanks I'll see how that works. Try again tonight after work. On the Izula I think I started with the 320, seemed better then the factory edge after I was finished, maybe the ceramic was a problem.
 
cbwx34 said:
The 120 stone is meant to be used for major reprofiling... but you want to avoid, if possible, going all the way to the edge. It's a pretty rough grind to clean up.

cbw
Click to expand...

Could this be why the 120 stone is so much thicker and contacts the blade at a different angle? If I set the 120 at the same angle as the finer grits, it doesn't contact the very edge. If this is by design, how did I miss this info?
 
The stone is a little thicker because it wears faster than the others. The tip to try and avoid the edge with the 120 comes from Edge Pro, although I can't recall where I learned it.

cbw
 
You also want to make sure you have a burr on both sides before you progress to your next grit. If you jump up a grit without there being a burr, it will not be sharp.
 
Personally I start out with the 220 grit stone to clean up and even out the edge when I 1st sharpen it, not reprofiling per say, just evening out the edge.
 
Use a Sharpie on the edge for each stone! Not all the stones are perfectly uniform in thickness/height. This will make a big difference in your final edge. Take your time and do it right. You'll have shaving-sharp edges in time.
 
I know this thread is a bit outdated and I use the EP Pro, but it's the same as the Apex.
I can get any knife easily shaving sharp with just up to 320 stone.
So it simply comes down to practise. The EP system makes sharpening a lot easier and will give you the most accurate edge.
But it still requires to learn the technique which simply takes practise, practise........
Hope you got yours sorted out.
 
What grit is your ceramic? I've got some 8000 grit ceramic rods that'll take me to shaving sharp in all but the most stubborn cases. Sometimes an edge that didn't quite shave hair after the ceramic will after I strop on my jeans or an actual strop.
 
Are you getting the full bevel?
Use the sharpie trick to see if your getting all the way down to the very edge.
 
Hi,

I had the same problem with the Edge Pro. In my honest opinion it just doesn't work as good as some people say.

I think the paper wheels work way better.

Electric
 
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