1) Is using heavy pressure a bad idea?
I got the impression that I'm actually changing the angle of the grinding by putting too much pressure on the stone when I'm sharpening, which results in the angle lowering enough to scratch the coating off the knife by the edge. Yet even when using the coarse grit stone(120), I feel tempted to just mash the handle down in order to avoid spending an hour grinding off enough metal to remove the chipping from the edge of some old butcher knives.

2) How do you keep the painter's tape on?
It's been suggested to use the tape to prevent accidental scratches or damage to the table itself, yet the fact that the EdgePro needs water for its stones(and soapy water for 1,000 grit and polish tapes, not sure about the diamond stones/tape) seems to make it pointless, as the water will quickly cause the tape to slide right off. I typically have to replace the tape about 5+ times every time I sharpen one knife. Sometimes the tape will stay on, but I don't know why. I still have to change the tape once the stone grinds through to the table, and the next tape might not stay on long. Putting tape on the knife seems equally tedious and pointless because of the above issues, and the need to cut the tape exactly along the edge of the knife to avoid gumming up the stone with the tape.

3) Will using the ceramic hone on ZDP-189 damage either of them?
I've only managed to find one mention of a possible problem of using ceramic to touch up a ZDP knife, but nothing consistent. It was said that after honing the ZDP blade on ceramic, the user ended up with a burr he couldn't remove. It's been mentioned more frequently that because of the hardness of ZDP, there would be some complications with using it on something of equal hardness(it seemed to be suggested that both would suffer damage).

4) What's the practical difference between using a 3,000 grit Diamond tape and the regular 3,000 grit polish tape?

This sounds like a call for DJ, Skimo or FastJan. Not using the Edge Pro I forgot about the water part with the tape, none of which sticks well when wet. Be interesting to see what they say.

I can reply to only part of your questions. What kind of tape are you using? The blue colored masking tape made by "Scotch" 3M, 1 in. wide, is what I use and I have no problem, wet or dry. The tape on the sharpening table has been there for a couple months. When you put it on a blade you don't have to be super accurate. Just keep an edge of the tape about 1/8 in. from the cutting edge and trim off the back of the blade if the tape is in your way. Put the tape on a dry, clean surface, table or blade and this tape does not come off until you pull it off! I don't think you need a lot of pressure on the stone. You want to keep the blade flat on the table. You can get diamond stones that work with the EdgePro "dry" and I like them more than the "wet" stones. Easier to use. Sorry I can't help with the ZDP questions. Regards. Gerry

I can help with the first two questions. Don't add any more pressure than the weight of your arm.

As far as the blue tape goes, I have to change it about every third sharpening. Are you using too much water? Squirt a stream down the middle of the stone, then wipe it off with a damp shop rag. Then add a tiny stream down the middle of the stone and use it. When applying water, move the stone off to the side so it's not wetting your blue tape and washing grit all over your machine.

Adding blue tape to the knife blade isn't necessary as long as you don't mind getting scratches on your blade.

-fj

Thanks for the replies.
I'm definitely using a lot of soapy water, as I would have water dripping off the stone constantly, and the water also seems to leave this white powdery stain when it dries.

Oh, and quick question:
What's better for a finish? The 7,000 grit polish tape or a strop loaded with red/white buffing compound?

quote:

Originally posted by Noctis:
Oh, and quick question:
What's better for a finish? The 7,000 grit polish tape or a strop loaded with red/white buffing compound?

I can't answer that question, (somebody probably will). And what if, whatever they told you... your own experience proved different? Or, it was a close call either way.

Why don't you try for yourself and see what works for you?

Just my $.02

i use light to medium pressure on the coarse with light on the fine,always use plenty of water on the stones...

No presure on the stones (arm weight only)
Masking tape ...... be sure table is dry before putting it on .....I have no problem.
Ceramic rod is not for sharpening , it doesnt remove any metal. It only straightens the edge back out. Once you cut things with your knife the edge will kind of roll (persay) and doesnt cut as good as before , depending on what steel your blade is. Run the blade down it like you would the sharp maker and it brings the edge back as good as new , you can do this a few times before haveing to resharpen your knife.
Better advice yet , is to watch the video he has , if you dont have one , there is one on his web site. It answers all of your questions.
WATCH THE VIDEO ............dj

Ive watch it every now and again , just to refresh my memory sometimes .

quote:

Originally posted by dj:
No presure on the stones (arm weight only)
Masking tape ...... be sure table is dry before putting it on .....I have no problem.
Ceramic rod is not for sharpening , it doesnt remove any metal. It only straightens the edge back out. Once you cut things with your knife the edge will kind of roll (persay) and doesnt cut as good as before , depending on what steel your blade is. Run the blade down it like you would the sharp maker and it brings the edge back as good as new , you can do this a few times before haveing to resharpen your knife.
Better advice yet , is to watch the video he has , if you dont have one , there is one on his web site. It answers all of your questions.
WATCH THE VIDEO ............dj

I think you're confusing the ceramic rod with a smooth steel rod.
The smooth steel will simply straighten out the wire edge, which relaxes back into its original deformed state over time, or the wire edge will simply roll to one side while cutting.
The ceramic rod however is extremely hard and is abrasive at 1,200 grit, which will remove a microscopic layer of steel, making the honed edge sharper and more durable than what you can get with smooth steel. It removes the wire edge entirely, leaving little to nothing for the edge to "roll over".

I finally got my Endura and I'm currently working on reprofiling the edge from the factory edge(seems to be over 27 degrees per side) down to about 15 degrees per side, and finishing with a micro bevel of 20 degrees. The work is slow with the 120 grit stone(1 hour of grinding just one side so far, and I'm not even halfway to the very edge yet), and the angle seems to be much lower when approaching the tip(the "edge" seems to be longer at the tip, almost as though the blade becomes a lot fatter when approaching the tip).