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

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