Beginner sharpening set-up: Tell me what you think!

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Leotheo

Joined
Oct 27, 2010
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Ok, so after a little research, I'm about to pull the trigger on a basic sharpening set up that will get me great edges relatively easily. My new kit would consist of:

Spyderco sharpmaker
2X Very fine add-on stones
Leather strop with green polishing compound for finishing

Would this be enough for me to put a great, hair shaving edge on my knives? (Who's steels consist of S30V, D2, 154CM and VG10) Should I make any additions or subtractions? (Should I also add in a separate strop for Rouge polishing compound?)

Thanks
-Leotheo
 
The diamond rods or some sort of coarse stone would be a very useful addition. Spyderco ceramics are more of a finishing step. The brown ceramic is only about a 1k grit plus they work slower so heavy metal removal will be difficult.

After the UF ceramic I recommend a 1 micron diamond compound on Balsa wood or hardwood. Its a better step down from the UF and will be more effective on the steels you want to sharpen.
 
I also second the idea of adding a coarser stone of whatever type for easy reprofiling and edge repairs. The cheapest way to do this is to wrap some sandpaper around the Sharpmaker rods. Before switching to paper wheels, I had a homemade jig for my bench vise that can hold a full sized diamond bench stone at various angles like a Sharpmaker on steroids. That made things a whole lot easier.
 
I would replace the Ultra-fine stones for a set of the Diamond rods. It is pretty easy to reach arm hair shaving sharp on just the fine stones that come with the standard Sharpmaker kit.
 
So lets say I wanted to sharpen a totally dull knife. Here is the progression with the current set-up that I have outlined:
Start with the diamond stones at 40 degrees
Then on to the medium stones
Fine
Then Ultra-fine
Then on to a 1 micron diamond compound on a balsawood strop
Lastly stropping on leather with green polishing compound.

Does that sound about right?
 
From what I have read I wouldn't want to sharpen a "totally dull knife" with the Sharpmaker. Better to keep up on maintenance with that setup.

Good Luck
 
Hard H2O said:
From what I have read I wouldn't want to sharpen a "totally dull knife" with the Sharpmaker. Better to keep up on maintenance with that setup.

Good Luck
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Well ok, maybe not a totally dull knife. more like my Endura 4 FFG who's edge got dulled a little from cutting fruit off of a tree.
Also, if I'm using the 40 degree angles with the sharpmaker, does that mean I would strop each side at 20 degrees?
 
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Go with Wicked Edge you will be very happy. Cost about $350 all in but what the hell its part of the hobby.
 
beltman said:
Go with Wicked Edge you will be very happy. Cost about $350 all in but what the hell its part of the hobby.
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Yeah...I don't really have that kind of money. (I'm already spending $150+ on the sharpmaker+extra stones+stropping compounds :eek: )
 
Leotheo said:
Yeah...I don't really have that kind of money. (I'm already spending $150+ on the sharpmaker+extra stones+stropping compounds :eek: )
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If you're fine with using power tools you can try this instead:
Cheap benchgrinder and a set of paper wheels, under $100.

Then spend a couple dollars on some cheap kitchen knives from Goodwill or a garage sale and practice, practice, practice. Then you'll get comfortable with the paper wheels and be able to put a very sharp edge on your knives in no time at all.
 
I think you will want to be sharpening (back-bevel) at 30 degrees, then micro bevel at 40 degrees on the UF rods. If you strop on leather, it will conform to the edge and blend the micro bevel in when stropping at ~30 degrees.
 
If I'm not mistaken someone posted that the Endura 4 FFG comes with a 20* inclusive bevel. That could be wrong though. Ditch the Sharpmaker and get some DMT stones. ;)
 
If you're fine with using power tools you can try this instead:
Cheap benchgrinder and a set of paper wheels, under $100.

Then spend a couple dollars on some cheap kitchen knives from Goodwill or a garage sale and practice, practice, practice. Then you'll get comfortable with the paper wheels and be able to put a very sharp edge on your knives in no time at all.
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That might be a good idea. Can you point me toward a good power grinder and the right set of wheels?

I think you will want to be sharpening (back-bevel) at 30 degrees, then micro bevel at 40 degrees on the UF rods. If you strop on leather, it will conform to the edge and blend the micro bevel in when stropping at ~30 degrees.
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cziv said:
If I'm not mistaken someone posted that the Endura 4 FFG comes with a 20* inclusive bevel. That could be wrong though. Ditch the Sharpmaker and get some DMT stones. ;)
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I don't wanna risk spending a ton of money on stones, only to figure out I'm terrible at it :grumpy:
20 degrees? Thats way steep...wow. No wonder my endura cut so amazingly well out of the box...
 
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Leotheo said:
I don't wanna risk spending a ton of money on stones, only to figure out I'm terrible at it :grumpy:
...
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You will certainly be terrible at almost anything you try for the first time. Keep doing it and get better. Basic principle of life. Stones/diamonds don't have to cost a lot. A little research will uncover adequate setups. But the stones/diamonds give you SO many more options in all facets of sharpening. I'm having a lot of fun learning myself.
 
If you want an easy system that won't break the bank and will allow you to reprofile, maintain, and resharpen really dull blades when your maintenance falls behind look at the GATCO. And while the angles are not infinitely adjustable like some systems it still offers more angle choices than the Sharpmaker.

I have the GATCO Professional. I added the extra fine and ultimate finishing hones as well as a stropping step.

Good Luck.
 
Well, if you're considering powered options, I really like my paper wheels. A low speed 6 inch bench grinder (2000 to 3500 RPM) and a set of 8 inch wheels (you need the bigger sized wheels for clearance) will get you going. My grinder is a variable speed Delta unit and I run it at 2000 RPM but I already had the grinder from before so that didn't cost me any extra money.

It takes a little bit of practice and what I did was use a couple of old hack saw blades. I spent an evening learning the correct amount of pressure, consistent passes and judging angles. It's fairly easy and you can refine your skills to where hair whittling edges are possible w/o stropping.

But back to the Sharpmaker. Hair shaving edge is easy on the normal fine rods. The UF just takes it a step further.

What direction do you want to pursue? In retrospect, if I knew about paper wheels when I first started out, I would have saved myself a lot of money. I have 3 sets of unused sharpening systems and a collection of strops and compounds I no longer use. Learn from my mistakes. ;) For me, the Sharpmaker is my portable sharpening system.
 
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Leotheo said:
I'm also looking at this DMT Magna Guide system on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NCVYGG/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Would this be a good option too?
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I'm getting mirror edges with mine. The only thing you MUST have is another diafold - they sell them there. An x-coarse/coarse.

You can buy one with only the x-coarse side, but don't. Get the one with the extra "coarse" plate on one side or you'll be setting your initial bevels at a diffrent angle when using the one which has an x-coarse on one side and nothing but flat plastic on the other.

Get a couple of good strops for your mirror polish. :D
 
ChapmanPreferred said:
How about this:

Grinder

and

Wheels

And you are still in the 150 dollar range before any applicable tax or shipping.
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After thinking about it a bit, a bench grinder does sound appealing, but sharpening on one would void the warranty on a lot of my knives (specifically my Benchmades). So a bench grinder isn't an option (for now).

I'm getting mirror edges with mine. The only thing you MUST have is another diafold - they sell them there. An x-coarse/coarse.

You can buy one with only the x-coarse side, but don't. Get the one with the extra "coarse" plate on one side or you'll be setting your initial bevels at a diffrent angle when using the one which has an x-coarse on one side and nothing but flat plastic on the other.

Get a couple of good strops for your mirror polish.
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This might be a good idea. Did it take a while for you to learn how to get to a mirror polish?
 
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