Jill Dufour

[Jill Dufour]

I found I do it a bit, because of the technique I use. I use the 100’s to do all of the edge setting and profiling of the blade, then work my way up the rest of the grits just for enhancing the finish of the edge and bevel of course. On a knife I haven’t ever previously set, I grind just one side till I get a burr one the other side. Then I do the other side till I get a burr on the first side. Then I check the depth of the bevel on both sides and adjust as necessary till they are even, then move on to 200’s and start alternating strokes. That way I get a perfect finish and razor sharp every time, and relatively quickly, depending on how bad the blade was to start with. I picked that method up from tips gleaned watching YouTube videos of Clay doing customer’s knives.

I agree totally with this – and I always draw several little Sharpie marks perpendicular to the blade on both sides to make sure the bevels are even before starting the “alternating strokes phase”.

[Jill Dufour]

I do a lot of gardening tools and frankly – with the exception of some precision blades used for grafting or bonsai- my WEPS is more precise than needed. Mower blades are pretty much a (gasp) Dremel job, and small flat diamond hones work for pruners. Every once in a while I do use my ultra course stones (50/80) on knocked pruners (hand holding them). Those paddles are metal-removing beasts!

Jill

[Jill Dufour]

Hi! I just started using the WEPS as a side business a few months ago and I do restaurant knives. Most use the NSA victorinox/Forshner types, but a few high end places have better German and Japanese knives. Ask if the cooks are picky about angles and what they use them for (rough chop vs fine work). I tailor my work accordingly.

I’m an avid home cook, so that helps a lot.

Numbers of knives vary greatly-types range from slicers to carvers to chef’s knives to lots of small paring and prep knives.

Hope this helps.

Jill!

Ps. Thanks Clay!!! This is a great system.

[Jill Dufour]

Thanks Gentlemen! I used the Sharpie last night on my first knives (victorinox fibrox sacrificial lambs) and it worked well. I see what you mean by breaking in the diamond plates. I did pull off some sharp edges, though – if not “mirror”. I have Global 8″ chef’s knife that needs work – but I’m struggling a bit to set the angle (global site says 10-16 degrees) given that I don’t have the ball joint/riser setup.

Ideas? Jill

[Jill Dufour]

Hi. Am I the only woman in the forum?

I’m Jill, from Portland. My Dad taught me to sharpen when I was a girl. Later, I became a fish biologist and the sharpening skills helped a lot around my job. Today, quality knives area hobby for me – and I have a particularly soft spot for Japanese knives.

I just got the ProPack 1, the really coarse diamonds, the ultra ceramics, several water bench stones, and various rods for serrated knives.

I love to cook, so kitchen knives are a passion. I’ve got Shuns, Globals, Wusthofs, and Kramers. I have a variety of Kershaw pocket knives (yay Pdx- home of Kershaw) including one pretty little rainbow Leek that I just adopted.

I’m already booked with sharpening business for friends who are cooks, so I’m very interested in tips for pricing sharpening jobs and/or how to start a little “cottage industry”. I’ve really learned a lot from the forum so far! Thanks for the wisdom….

Merry Christmas! Jill

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