Before I screw up my knife (sharpmaker related)

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gnystrom

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Dec 24, 2006
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Have used my Sharpmaker on all my small SAK and friction pocket knives with good results. I have never found the Sharpmaker to be good for me on larger, thicker bladed knives. I can get a reasonable edge freehand using a stone but the blade usually gets all scratched up and the Sharpmaker really should prevent that so....

I just purchased a Spyderco Native and a PM2. I want to keep them sharp but I do not know where to start with the Sharpmaker to match the factory nice flat edge. I know Spydercos come hand ground so the sharpening angle will vary a bit but any advice will be appreciated.

Start at 30° or 40° or?
 
If you are scratching up your blades on stones you are doing something wrong.....

Even at very accute angles and on very small blade, like a SAK, you should only be hitting the edge and nothing else.

As far as tha Sharpmaker goes, I would work at the 40 inclusive setting, but put some sharpie on the edge so you know you're hitting it.
Production grinds can vary a fair bit, and you may have to make a slight adjustment to hit the edge.

Do a couple of strokes, and check to see if you are removing the sharpie, thus hitting the edge. If not, adjust your angle until you are.

Remember. Go slow, and just use the weight of the knife as all the pressure you need.

I say you stick with stones, better results, faster.
Just do the same thing.
Mark the edge with a sharpie, and make sure that's all you're hitting....

At somewhere around 20DPS, (general production knife edge angle) the rest of the knife should be nowhere near the stone?!

Honestly. You should have picked up a Strop as an edge maintenance tool, and continued to practice on the stones.......
Just get a cheap knife, and practice until you have the mechanics of it down, and are getting good results.
 
The Sharpmaker will sharpen the apex of the edge only when the edge angle matches the stone angle or if the edge angle is more acute than the stone angle.

You can start with the 40-degree angle. It should sharpen a Sypderco, which typically comes with edges more acute than 40 degrees inclusive. If it doesn't, try the Sharpie trick, as JR88 says, to see where you are. But really, you should reprofile the edge to match the stone angle that you want to use.
 
Thank you both. I did try freehand on an old Delica followed by a strop. The knife was reasonably sharp but under a glass it looked like it was done by someone with Parkinsons. I clearly have work to do.
 
gnystrom said:
Thank you both. I did try freehand on an old Delica followed by a strop. The knife was reasonably sharp but under a glass it looked like it was done by someone with Parkinsons. I clearly have work to do.
Click to expand...

Just keep working on your technique and amount the of pressure you use...

A sharpie will be your good friend as you learn.

Everyone takes their own amount of time to figure this out, but once you get it, the results are worth the learning curve and effort.

I still remember learning to sharpen on stones, man did I butcher some edges and blade finishes!!!!
 
OK.
Six hours practice on three knives starting with a sharpie (which really helped teach pressure and technique) a Smiths diamond coarse and fine, on to a fine stone followed by more sharpie, and the two standard Spyderco rods,followed by UF rods, and a strop block from Knives+.

It ain't totally pretty but I managed to cut myself twice by just having the blade barely touch a finger that should not have been there in the first place.

Thanks for your encouragement pressing me to continue freehand on the stones. When the Delica hit the Sharpmaker it was dead on at 20°.
 
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