Perfect, just showed up at Home Depot, thanks.

Alrighty, Back To The Top!

I finally bit the bullet and picked up an Apex. Just started a few runs this weekend.

I'm sort of in the same boat as Pasta...probably the same frustration level too.

Maybe I just have super-human strength arm hair??? ...but honestly I don't recollect receiving ANY folders from any vendor that would "pop hairs" (whatever that means). Do you consider "hair popping" the same as "hair shaving"?

Questions for the seasoned EdgePro'ers:

Let's take an old Buck Lite folder. (my guinea pig) Lord knows what the steel is. Edge condition: 80% of the time that you try to cut paper at 45 degree angle, it just chatters and doesn't cut, or tears the paper. i.e. It ain't "poppin' no hairs", ok?

Let's say that I have the time, lets go 220 stone, to 320, to 600, to 1000 grit stones.

(1) Approx. how many passes on each side (assuming ~4 to 5 strokes per pass) would you need to do to get the infamous burr?


(2) Can you really keep much of an edge-retention with a "hair popping, scary sharp" edge? I get that this one is type-of-steel dependent, but is "scary sharp" really realistic to maintain?

(3) When you loose the hair popping properties due to normal cutting, does the ceramic rod get it back alone? (assuming you weren't trying to cut cinderblocks with it.

(4) By the time I'm at the 1000 grit stone, she's pretty polished; I lightly run her on the ceramic rod, she'll cut paper pretty easily but no shaving action. It's weird. Maybe I need to re-sharpie marker the edge between each stone?

Thanks folks!!!!!

TDOGG, maybe I can answer a few of your questions.

As far a hair popping and hair shaving goes, I just don't go there. I've done it, but pretty soon I have big patches of hair missing and my arms look like a bombing range. Instead, I use paper to test sharpness. You mentioned how your old Buck chatters and doesn't cut paper. Well, if it would glide through paper, I think you would be satisfied. That's what I try to get and it saves my arm hair.

Did your EdgePro come with a coarse 120 stone? That's what I usually start with unless I'm just touching up a knife that I've previously sharpened.

I've gotta go for an hour, but I'll be back to answer the rest.

-fj

TDOGG, first of all, if that Buck has a hollow ground blade, switch to a flat(ter) grind to learn with - it'll be easier to to apply it to a hollow grind later.

Second, you can't just rely on counting passes to get your burr - you have to feel for it. The reason is because even brand new blades can be unevenly sharpened, so when you do feel the burr, it may be only in a few spots and not along the entire edge. The trick is to make certain the burr runs the entire length of the blades' edge. Also, even if you could judge how many passes it takes to raise a burr, it would vary tremendously due to type and hardness of the steel and ho9w badly dulled the individual blade is.

To feel for the burr, run a finger at the edge, but not along the edge...feel from the back of the blade toward the edge - that would be in the opposite direction from the cutting stroke. Another method is to take a piece of tissue paper and drag the blade across it from the back of the blade while trailing the edge. A piece of nylon stocking also works for this. When the tissue (or nylon) catches, the burr is there.

I mentioned several times over the past few months that I don't stop with the ceramic rod. To get a blade sharp enough to shave with, I have to use a leather strop, as well. And, yes, I believe edge retention is just fine when "scary-sharpening" a blade. Look at it this way: For generations, barbers had one or two razors they used to shave customers. On any given day, they would shave face after face with nothing but a few strokes on a good leather strop, and that's what works for me, as well. And I didn't spend all kinds of money on asome special "barber strop," I just use the same leather belt I've worn since 1985 or so. Even out in the field, I can whip off the belt, step on the buckle, pull it tight and strop on!!

quote:

pull it tight and strop on!!

Sorry , my minds in the gutter here

Its easy to get a burr with the course stone , but your also taking off more metal.
Only use the course stone for reprofileing and spoon dull blades.
Be sure your stones are flat and clean ..... I awsum being new they are .....
I can also see where a cheap steel blade might clog up a stone too. I dont know this for a fact though.
The lower the angle the eassier it will cut but will also get dull faster.
If you say you cant get it to shave ..... if one side wont shave , try the other side , sometimes one sides edge will have a slight burr and not the other or it will roll on you a bit. enough talk ....experiment.

Let me start by tossing up the link to my How I Sharpen Things bit.

As the others have said, when you get a burr on the edge you'll know it. If you want the quick visual of what it's like hold your hand out flat, palm down. That's your edge. Now curl your fingers. That's the burr.

With a dull blade start with pretty much the coarsest stone you have and go to a burr. If you're taking off enough metal you're reprofiling flip the blade over occasionally. Once you get a burr all along one side flip over and you should get a burr on the other side pretty soon (unless you're reprofiling).

Now you're done with the burr, unless you're doing a multi-bevel edge. Actually, first time on a dull knife I'll take the few seconds to re-do the burr with my next less coarse stone and then move up to any secondary bevel where I'll once again go for a burr.

Once you've gotten a good burr from both sides you've got your edge angle set on both sides and brought it right down to where the two sides intersect.

Now you have to get rid of the burr so you'll have a nice clean edge. Any left over burr is now going to be a wire edge which will make you think you've done a great job until you try to make a second cut and find out it's folded over.

Get to a good burr on both sides and then clean up the edge and the hairs really will pop right off when the edge touches them. As soon as you get that, find some other way to recognize that level of sharpness because hair grows back slow.

What great advice guys. I am learning so much! Thanks all. I can't wait to get me EP.

Something important I forgot to mention is, once you've raised a burr on both sides, you then know that you've got the same profile on both sides of the blade. From that point forward, you need to count the number of strokes on each side and keep them equal - that includes every grit from that point on. This should ensure an even edge from both sides.

Kinda glad I never graduated past Flat Oil stones and crock stix.

quote:

Originally posted by fastjan:

Did your EdgePro come with a coarse 120 stone? That's what I usually start with unless I'm just touching up a knife that I've previously sharpened.

-fj

Very good call FJ. I've been working on my 710D2 today, just got it back from LifeSharp and didn't like the grind on it, so out came the Edge Pro.

First pass went OK from 220 on down but it just wasn't sharp enough. This afternoon I pulled out the 120 stone and went back down to the 600, and the difference is right there. Shaves hair and easily slices paper, then went to a carrot in the fridge and it sliced the thing easily too.

We have to remember just how tough D2 is, but with patience AND practice it's not that hard. It does take longer though than ATS-34/154CM will if you're watching the clock.

Edge Pro 1, SharpMaker 0...not for D2...well, maybe if you have a few days.