Tips

Sharpening Knives and Cutting Tools:

1. Determine the angle you want for finished edge. From 5 – 10 degrees is normal for knives. The more acute the angle and the thinner the edge, the sharper the blade will be. However, a thin edge is less durable than a thicker edge, and you should select the angle according to the use intended for the knife. If in doubt, use 7 – 8 degrees, the angles usually set by better knife manufacturers.

2. Place the knife and the EZE-LAP together at the angle you’ve chosen, and maintain approximately that angle throughout the sharpening process. If you don’t stay close to the angle, sharpening will take longer, and the edge probably will not be completely satisfactory.

3. Move the knife or the sharpener whichever way is more convenient. The objective is to remove the same amount of metal on either side of the blade. You can use a circular or figure eight pattern, or slide the blade against the EZE-LAP with the edge first or the edge trailing. Frequently change the side being sharpened to keep metal removal equal, and carefully approximate the angle you selected for the edge.

4. Start the sharpening process with heavy pressure for rapid metal removal to shape the edge and finish with progressively lower pressure to provide the smoothest possible edge. With a small angle and careful attention, you can produce a shaving edge on any knife. Remember, however that a razor edge won’t hold up well in everyday use.

When Sharpening, Keep These Points in Mind:

1. If you’ve selected an edge angle different from the angle that was set by the manufacturer of the knife, you will be removing a relatively large amount of metal until you establish the new angle. At first, the edge won’t be in complete contact with the EZE-LAP, but with a little patient work it will be.

2. Take special care to maintain the selected angle. Because the EZE-LAP surface is such a good metal remover, only on or two strokes at a large angle will undo much of your work. If you do make this mistake, you will be able to reshape the edge.

3. The EZE-LAP is slightly magnetic and will hold steel dust removed from the blade during sharpening. This dust may be removed by wiping or washing with water. If it is allowed to build up, it can pack between the diamond particles on the EZE-LAP and reduce the tool’s ability to sharpen rapidly. No fluid is required during the sharpening operation.

4. If you aren’t certain about the actual angle you’re maintaining as you sharpen, try our “ink trick.” Simply coat the blade edge with ink, using a felt-tipped pen. (Water-soluble ink is preferable, since any excess can be removed easily.) You can then check your progress in sharpening by observing how much ink is removed. If proper contact between the blade and the EZE-LAP isn’t being made, you’ll be able to adjust your procedure. You can expect that an area from 1/16-inch to 1/8-inch back from the cutting edge will be in contact with the tool.

Sharpening Fishhooks

To Sharpen a Hook:

1. Grasp the point of the hook between forefinger and thumb as if to squeeze the point.

2. Force the EZE-LAP between your thumb and finger so it contacts the point or barb. Your thumb and finger act as a sharpening guide to achieve the right angle.

3. Test the point on you thumbnail. If it skids on your nail under very low pressure, sharpen it again. Be very careful not to puncture your nail with the ultra-sharp point EZE-LAP will give your hook.

The EZE-LAP Model “S” pocket clip tool has a small flat area with a groove on the back of the sharpener. A hook is sharpened by rubbing the point back and forth in this groove, with the final finishing strokes made into the point.

Sharpening Scissors

To Sharpen Scissors:

1. Use a felt-tipped pen to put ink on the anvil surface of each blade. The anvil surfaces are the ground areas on the blades. They are usually not as shiny as the rest of the blade surface, and they face each other.

2. Open the scissors and place one point on a pad of paper at the edge of a table. (The pad simply protects the table.)

3. Rub the EZE-LAP over the inked anvil surface with circular motion, using moderate pressure. The metal will glisten as you proceed. Continue until you have removed all the ink from the surface. Do not use the EZE-LAP on any surface except the anvil surface. The last dozen strokes should be performed with reduced pressure to give a smooth finish.

4. Repeat step 3, working on the other blade.

5. Open and close the scissors rapidly as if you were cutting paper. This action removes tiny metal splinters created in the sharpening process.

Using EZE-LAP Round Sharpeners

Using versatile round EZE-LAP tools can sharpen both ordinary and serrated blades.

Flat Blades:

1. They are used like a butcher’s burnishing steel, but their principal action is sharpening rather than burnishing. The EZE-LAP removes metal to renew the edge, while the steel merely straightens the edge, in some cases working out and breaking off a thin “wire” of steel. As with a steel, the knife should be kept nearly flat on the EZE-LAP, at an angle between 5-10 degrees. If you imagine that you are using the knife to cut a thin layer off the tool, you are doing it correctly.

Round Tool:

1. Round tool may also be used like a flat tool with a circular filing motion to sharpen a flat blade. The blade is held stationary and the tool moves

2. If you are using a round EZE-LAP to sharpen scissors, you must be careful to avoid sliding it over the scissors points and thus rounding them. You should place the EZE-LAP point directly on the paper pad right over the scissors point. The point of the EZE-LAP will slide easily on the paper as you sharpen, and it will not round off the blade tip. In other respects, instructions for sharpening scissors with a flat EZE-LAP apply.

Serrated Bread, Steak, or Electric Knife Tools:

1. These are sharpened with a back and forth filing motion, moving the knife against the EZE-LAP. The tool is braced with its tip on a protective paper pad on a table, and the knife is rubbed up and down the tool in turn in each of its grooves. The angle can be judged by inking the blade as described earlier.

2. When sharpening of a serrated blade is sufficient, burr can be felt on the flat, or reverse, side of the knife blade. (You can feel the burr with your fingernail.) This burr should be removed by rubbing that side of the knife on the EZE-LAP with a circular motion. If no burr appears, then the angle was too small, and the work on the grooves must be repeated using a larger angle.

Sharpening Chain Saws:

1. EZE-LAP manufacturers a patented Diamond Chain Saw Sharpener and Guide which provides a fail-safe tooth sharpener that will sharpen faster and more accurately than other tools available. The sharpened cutting edge will last three times longer than edges sharpened by other methods.

2. Sharpeners are in 5/32″, 3/16″, and 7/32″ sizes and can be used with any common electric hand drill. Also available is a complete and handy field sharpening kit (CSK) with d.c. motor drive (PCSD) in a durable and compact carrying box. Ask your dealer or write to EZE-LAP for information.