Sharpener Upgrade

M forge said:
I am not looking to start a war. I have sharpened some blades to a polished edge, but I don't think I have gotten them down to where you guys are talking about though. Therefore I am curious how they cut when polished really fine.

Maybe this would be for a new thread or one that has already been discussed.
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It really depends on what you're cutting. I've found that a toothy "coarse" edge works better for fibrous materials like corn and rope(haven't cut much rope myself though, you'd have to ask Ankerson to be sure). Whereas in the kitchen, a polished edge will make a happy chef.

Actually, aside from fibrous materials and hard plastic, I've found a polished edge is good for just about everything, including cutting yourself:thumbup:.
 
Alright, after careful consideration, I ordered the Apex 4 with 6000 grit tape and some stone leveling sand. I'll get a sheet of glass from the hardware store later. Figured that since it's the more popular system, it won't be too hard to sell it and get a Wicked Edge if this one doesn't work out for me. I'll keep the Chosera and DMT upgrades in mind; thanks for all your help! Couple of quick questions: for those of you who said to keep the sharpmaker, do I just need the UF rods, or the whole set? Also, how do I know how to adjust the angle between stones to keep the sharpening consistent?
 
Excellent choice, I think you'll be very pleased with it. :) The hardware store glass will work just fine, I just use the DMT because it's less messy than the grit. They're about equally effective as far as actually flattening the stone, though. And as a worst-case scenario, look at Ebay. If you can find a used EdgePro at all, they're only perhaps 10% below retail price. The resale is very good indeed.

I'd hang onto the whole Sharpmaker set, it's still a very handy tool. I suspect you'll find yourself grabbing it for touch-ups between EP sharpenings, especially on hard jobs. You can pocket it and have it with you on an outing a lot easier than carrying the EdgePro.

To keep the stone angle consistant between different thickness stones, there's the "Drill Collar Trick," or you can just check the angle each time with a sharpie. I use a variation of the Drill Collar, using a heavy binder clip.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Alright, after careful consideration, I ordered the Apex 4 with 6000 grit tape and some stone leveling sand. I'll get a sheet of glass from the hardware store later. Figured that since it's the more popular system, it won't be too hard to sell it and get a Wicked Edge if this one doesn't work out for me. I'll keep the Chosera and DMT upgrades in mind; thanks for all your help! Couple of quick questions: for those of you who said to keep the sharpmaker, do I just need the UF rods, or the whole set? Also, how do I know how to adjust the angle between stones to keep the sharpening consistent?
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I kept the whole set(no diamond rods) because sometimes with a lot of use, you do need to go back to the brown rods. I for lower angles. I usually rebevel at about 28 degrees inclusive and micro bevel(touchups) at 30 on the SM making for a 28/30 edge. With higher angles(which I prefer) I rebevel at 36 degrees and micro(touchups) at 40 on the SM making a 36/40 edge.

I tried rebeveling at 30 and 40 degrees but there seem to be inconsistencies in my technique on the EP so that as a result, with some knives, I was taking way too long to touch up because I was hitting a larger part of the bevel. I decided to go a bit lower than the angle settings on the SM to be sure I hit the edge when I touched up.
 
Can't wait for it to arrive! How would I add in the aforementioned strops? Is there a size I can get that attaches to the polish tape blanks, or..?
 
Tsujigiri said:
Can't wait for it to arrive! How would I add in the aforementioned strops? Is there a size I can get that attaches to the polish tape blanks, or..?
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I just use diamond paste on worn polish tapes. I use 3 micron paste on the 2000(blue) and 1micron paste on the 3000(yellow). A poster here told me that you can get even more spectacular results by using .5 micron paste on worn 6000 tape. Haven't tried it yet though.
 
Another good option is to just order one of the $3 stone-mounting blanks, and glue a piece of the stiffest Balsa wood you can find at your local craft store onto it. Makes a nearly perfect strop.

If you prefer leather, Ken at CKTG offers a pre-made high-quality leather strop for the EP.
 
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I would recommend 1/4 inch balsa on an EP blank in the strongest possible terms. Wipe on paste with a gloved finger, or spray on spray compound and allow to dry overnight.

Use a draw stroke only (edge-trailing) and a VERY light touch.

There's a bit of a learning curve, of course, but I can assure you that the time and effort is worthwhile.
 
Ben Dover said:
I would recommend 1/4 inch balsa on an EP blank in the strongest possible terms. Wipe on paste with a gloved finger, or spray on spray compound and allow to dry overnight.

Use a draw stroke only (edge-trailing) and a VERY light touch.

There's a bit of a learning curve, of course, but I can assure you that the time and effort is worthwhile.
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Is a hair dryer bad for the adhesive holding the wood to the plate? Though some models come with a cold dry setting:thumbup:.
 
Shouldn't cause any significant change, the best adhesive for that is the 3M Super77 spray. At least, that's the best I've ever found. It generally takes boiling water to loose it off, just don't go crazy with the drier.
 
Thanks! I'll look into those options. Just got a couple sheets of glass today off Craigslist for $4, waiting on the system to come in so I can get started!
 
Hey, I got my Edgepro and I'd like to thank everyone who helped me in making my decision! It is a little finicky, but I'm really liking the control it gives the user. Here's my best one so far. It's not perfect, and there are some scratches on the polish, but it slices like I never thought my 0551 would. Took forever to sharpen (High wear steel + thick blade = hours of reprofiling), but well worth it!

DSCN7999.jpg
 
Hey, that came out looking quite good! Congratulations, looks like you're getting the hang of it fast. :)
 
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