Question for EdgePro users

A

AlonzoMosely

Joined
Aug 18, 2002
Messages
250
Received my Edgepro today, and am somewhat frustrated, though I understand that there is a learning curve. Anyway, alot of people here seem to like to re-profile a blade at 15 degrees on the Edge Prop, and then maintain a cutting edge with the Sharpmaker at 40 degrees. So, my question is, how long should it take to reprofile a folder (say a VG10 Delica or 154CM MOD Hornet) to 15 degrees with the 120 stone on the Edge Pro?
 
Reprofiling depends on the type of steel, the steel's treatment, length of blade and how much you are changing the angle.

My BM D2 941 took me about 20-25 minutes to reprofile.

It helps if you let your stones soak overnight or at least a couple of hours. Start with the 120 grit and let the hone do the work. Only go to a smoother stone when you start raising a burr. Flush frequently with water.

To make things really easy, just decrease your sharpening angle by 1 degree each time you sharpen the knife until you get to the desired angle. That way you don't have to do it all in one session.
 
Soak the stones??? I should just leave them in a pan of water overnight and that will make them cut better? If that's what you mean, I will give that a try.

I noticed Ben suggested in the videotape changing by one or two degrees every sharpening to re-profile slowly, but I'm kind of an impatient person.
 
also, be sure to try and use the entire length of the stone during your stroke, instead of just sweeping back and forth over a couple inches. your stones will take much longer to "dish out" or end up concave this way.



abe m.
 
20 to 25 minutes to hog of the excess metal.

Then as long as you want to refine the edge.

Practice on a junker first.
 
The video that came with mine did not seem to say that the stones should be very wet - the man on the video just squirted some water out of a bottle onto them. But I am coming to think that having them completely soaked is the main idea. This is especially so after seeing how some folks keep japanese stones sitting in a pail of water for days on end.
 
I also just received my EdgePro Apex today. I tried it on a couple of cheap kitchen knives from work. I was kind of rushed for time and got a pretty decent edge on the Chef's Knife. Next time I'll try soaking the stones cuz there is still no way that these knives got "scary Sharp".
 
Soak those stones and keep them wet and flushed frequently. If you see a sludge building up that's slurry and it will reduce the grit value of the stone. You want to keep the stone flushed for maximum cutting speed.

As far as time, 20-30 minutes like everyone else has said. It really shouldn't take long. You can use the magic marker trick to check your progress. Just mark along the edge, make your passes with the Edgepro and see how much more black is left to remove from the edge.

If you let that stone get dry and build up with slurry you will get no where fast. I think Ben flushes the stones and wipes them frequently in his video. I usually just keep a bucket between my feet and rinse the stone off over the bucket. I usually get water everywhere anyway, but I do this in my basement where it doesn't matter. :)
 
i attached it to my bathroom counter, about 3-4 inches from the sink itself, on the left-hand side. this makes wetting the stone a snap: just swing the stone to the right. it'll be sitting over the sink completely, so you can just drown the danged thing in water. this is also nice because you can make a big mess with the water, and just sponge it all up when you're done.

and don't forget that a Scotch Brite pad with an abrasive cleaner (Comet, Ajax, etc.) will clean the excess metal out of the stones when they become clogged (this is especially evident on the 600 grit).

abe m.
 
One of the few benefits that the apex has over the pro model is that the apex is smaller and can be used with less overall mess.

I can put the apex on a deep cookie sheet, and keep all the wet and mess contained.

Flush, flush, flush, wet, wet its all about flushing and keeping the stones wet. I can basically reprofile with the 100 stone touch up with the next two levels and go straight for the sharpmaker.

Trial and error with a black felt tip will tell you the proper angle on the edge pro.... and yes, use a beater knife to test.
 
As you are re-profiling, you can watch your progress as the new angle starts at the shoulder and works it's way to the edge. It's slow, but worth the effort. Different types of steel seem to have no effect, it's the thickness of the knife that makes the difference.

I've done thin folders in 10 - 15 minutes, a Busse Steelheart in an hour, and a CS Trailmaster in under 2 hours. Talk about hogging off a **lot** of metal. It's when you take the edge waaaaay down that it takes a while,simply because of the amount of metal that you have to remove.

It's very much worth it, if you've never had a large chopper at 20 deg, the difference in ability is like a new knife. Keep the stones flushed!

By the way, just doing a lot of removal on one knife will cost me a 100 grit stone. It's very dished out and ugly when I'm done. The 100 stones cut MUCH faster than the 120's. Just my opinion, ymmv. Good luck!
 
I guess I either confuse easily or am just too anal.

When using the Edge Pro, or any system, I understand that you use the lowest grit 100, 120 or something like that and keep at it until you raise a burr. That I understand.

My questions is, as I move up through the higher number grits ending with the 600, do I keep stroking until there is always a burr before progressing to the next stone?

Thanks in advance,
Tim
 
Thanks everyone. Have been practicing on some knives and am starting to get some really nice results. I love the mirror image you can get with the polish tapes, but I'm going through those tapes at the rate of one per knife. I'm also starting to see how factory knives often come with very poor edges - uneven, rough, very blunt angle etc.
 
You are on your way. Don't worry about using up the polishing tapes. They are expendable. Most of my secondary bevels are polished and once done, do not get touched for a long time, as the re sharpening always takes place at the edge that is far away from the polished area.

Once you really get into the E-pro , you will discover that is does everything with exact precision.

And I too was amazed in how the factory edges , while looking great, are all over the place when it comes to angles.
 
AlonzoMosely said:
Thanks everyone. Have been practicing on some knives and am starting to get some really nice results. I love the mirror image you can get with the polish tapes, but I'm going through those tapes at the rate of one per knife. I'm also starting to see how factory knives often come with very poor edges - uneven, rough, very blunt angle etc.
Click to expand...

Is it possible you're putting too much pressure on the polish tape? At this point the blade geometry is set as is the edge. All you're doing is smoothing the last bit of roughness along the edge. The tapes aren't really made to remove metal, just refine the edge left by the 600 grit stone.

My tapes last me through several knives. You can also use a pencil eraser to clean them. I usually just run them under water when I'm finished to get the steel out.
 
AlonzoMosely said:
Thanks everyone. Have been practicing on some knives and am starting to get some really nice results. I love the mirror image you can get with the polish tapes, but I'm going through those tapes at the rate of one per knife. I'm also starting to see how factory knives often come with very poor edges - uneven, rough, very blunt angle etc.
Click to expand...
How much do you have to do with the polish tapes?!?!
About four pases on each side gave me a mirror finish!!!
You must not be doing it right with the finer stonesf.
Make SURE you clean the knife between grits, or you will have the slurry from the corser stone imbeding in the finer stone.

Also as you finish with a stone, let the stone dry, that will give you a intermediat grit...Do this expecially on the finest stone!
You should have an ALMOST polished edge BEFORE you use the tapes.
The tapes just put the MIRROR finish on.

I really wish that he would come out with some curved stones...That would let you sharpen recurved blades and serations.
Just a holder for sharpmaker stones would be great!
 
AlonzoMosely said:
Thanks everyone. Have been practicing on some knives and am starting to get some really nice results. I love the mirror image you can get with the polish tapes, but I'm going through those tapes at the rate of one per knife. I'm also starting to see how factory knives often come with very poor edges - uneven, rough, very blunt angle etc.
Click to expand...

I sliced one of the 3000 grit polishing tapes as well. THEN I read the insert that came with the tapes and it says to only use them OFF the Blade. I believe that would mean that it is only in contact with the blade's edge as you pull the tape towards you....not on the push back motion. It also mentions raising the knife edge just a hair which would put the tape in contact with only the new edge.

I can't vouch for this as I only got my machine this past week, but it makes sense.
 
I use the polishing tapes ( 3000 grit ) and other even finer grits (12,000 ) with the hone pushing and pulling. I have found the trick is to work ones way up using progresivly finer grits.

Mine get torn if I loose concentration and hook the tip or the choil.
 
Jhillas: Using a deep cookie sheet sounds like a great idea. I'm going to try that next time I bust out my Apex. I actually reprofiled two HI Kukri's (like a damn fool) I think it took about two hours apiece and it dished the hell out of my 120 stone could never get it level after that. For heavy reprofiling best to level your stones often.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top