When to use a ceramic rod (Edge Pro Apex) ? I've got no clue

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garciao

Joined
Aug 30, 2022
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Hello friends.

I did a search and didn't find what I was looking for. I'm new to sharpening and I want to know when and for what purpose should I use the 1200 grit Ceramic Rod that's on my Edge Pro Apex kit.

What are ceramic rods used for? Are they an alternative to use instead of a leather strop?

I'm clueless.

Thanks.
 
If its an actual honing rod, its mostly just used for touch-ups in between actual sharpening sessions. And no, it is not a replacement for a strop.

Any type of stone (or rod), be it diamond, ceramic, wet stone, whatever, are all to some degree still refining the edge, forming a smaller and finer burr the higher the grit. Even a 2000 grit stone is still removing some amount of material and forming a burr.

Stropping, whether it's on leather, paper, or just on your pants, is intended to remove that final burr that you created using your stones. Revealing the actual edge apex.

I use a KME, but still similar to the Apex. At no point of my actual sharpening process do I use a honing rod for anything. Just my stones and lapping films up to wherever I am taking the knife, then a few seconds on the strop..

I have a honing rod that hangs out in the kitchen, but I only use it for kitchen knives. Don't think I've ever actually used a honing rod on any of my non-kitchen knives, although there isn't anything wrong with that, and that may have very well been what you were asking for in the first place..
 
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garciao said:
I did a search and didn't find what I was looking for. I'm new to sharpening and I want to know when and for what purpose should I use the 1200 grit Ceramic Rod that's on my Edge Pro Apex kit.
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The intent is to use the ceramic rod to quickly touch up your edge. If I recall correctly, there's an EdgePro video that demonstrates its usage. However, I don't find it to be very useful. If I have a knife that needs to be sharpened, I sharpen it. A ceramic rod won't get the knife edge the way I like it.
 
RustyIron said:
The intent is to use the ceramic rod to quickly touch up your edge. If I recall correctly, there's an EdgePro video that demonstrates its usage. However, I don't find it to be very useful. If I have a knife that needs to be sharpened, I sharpen it. A ceramic rod won't get the knife edge the way I like it.
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I haven't found any video explaining how to use the rod.
But I've been doing what you say - I've just been sharpening the blades.

Thanks.
 
garciao said:
Hello friends.

I did a search and didn't find what I was looking for. I'm new to sharpening and I want to know when and for what purpose should I use the 1200 grit Ceramic Rod that's on my Edge Pro Apex kit.

What are ceramic rods used for? Are they an alternative to use instead of a leather strop?

I'm clueless.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Look up Neeves Knives Knife Talk: Ceramic Rods For Knives. You may find this helpful. :thumbsup:
 
garciao said:
Hello friends.

I did a search and didn't find what I was looking for. I'm new to sharpening and I want to know when and for what purpose should I use the 1200 grit Ceramic Rod that's on my Edge Pro Apex kit.

What are ceramic rods used for? Are they an alternative to use instead of a leather strop?

I'm clueless.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
For me, a ceramic rod (triangular) has almost become a replacement for a leather strop. And realistically, I could just as well go without stropping entirely, at this point. It depends on what you're looking for in the finished character of the edge.

I favor a medium ceramic for most of the deburring work, as it still leaves a certain toothy bite in the edge that a strop with compound would tend to diminish, especially if the strop is used as the primary maintenance tool over time. Edges will always become more polished or burnished, and less aggressive in toothy bite, if stropped very much with compound over time. If you like polished edges, that's fine. But again, whether you want to replace the strop or not depends on what the goal is for your edges.

I do give the edge just a couple or three passes on a bare leather belt, after the ceramic, to clean up any leftover weakened remnants of burrs. Using the leather in that manner, without compound, very much limits and nearly eliminates the stripping away of the toothy bite left by the ceramic. Same could be done on a fabric, like bare denim.
 
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