Benchmade 710 and Sharpmaker... need help!

Try the flats of the white stones at forty - you may well find that they raise a burr straight away, as I have found that Benchmades come with a shallower edge bevel nowadays.

I only ever use the flats of the Sharpmaker stones. For the 710's mild recurve I find that pointing the tip slightly away from the stone and tilting the handle in causes the stone to work on the recurve (kind of like using half flat/half corner)

For reprofiling a back bevel I lean a coarse benchstone against the Sharpmaker stone.
With this 710HS I back bevelled at 30 degrees with the benchstone, then with the brown Sharpmaker stone, before sharpening the edge on the white flats at 40.







I then strop the edge in the palm of my hand with some Dovo strop paste that I bought with my straight razor:







I wash my hands and then use just what is left on the blade to finish:


This leaves a nice sharp edge. Holding a piece of kitchen roll from the top, I can penetrate with the tip and cut to the bottom in one slice:


..and a shot with Goldie to finish!
 
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After 70 years of utilizing just about every sharpening method conceived by man....the romance of it all is gone!

The little Benchmade "Tactical Pro Sharperner" #983903F (or it's slightly larger cousin) is all you really need. Attach it to your key ring.....Lightly run you knife blade through it twice - once a week (or once a month) and your in business! (The larger one even has a small ceramic honing surface for those that are still romanticaly inclined).

And the real secret, of course, (Learned from a Tibetan monk many years ago) is: "Never let your blade get really dull in the first place."
 
Man, that's a beautifully done edge by hand, nice job Steven Andrews. That black blade would tattle on the slightest error.... :thumbup:

I must have a defective SharpMaker, as my grind is maybe 1/2 the size of your's at the 30 degree inclusive... :confused:

The little Benchmade "Tactical Pro Sharperner" #983903F (or it's slightly larger cousin) is all you really need. Attach it to your key ring.....Lightly run you knife blade through it twice - once a week (or once a month) and your in business! (The larger one even has a small ceramic honing surface for those that are still romanticaly inclined).
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Are these really any good? 60* inclusive??
 
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Thanks for all your knowlege! I will use my Sharpmaker at 40 degres and be patient. But how does the "Tactical Pro Sharperner" hold up. Is it working? Can I replace my Sharpmaker with it? (it would be so much easier).
 
I hear they're good Slowstarter. They say 60 degrees right on them - wow that a fat bevel but I figure that if it's perfectly set, then it's actually going to be sharper than a poor job at a more shallow angle.
 
Slowstarter said:
So, I finally got my dream-knife, the mighty Benchmade 710 D2, and so far I love it. It´s big, strong and beautiful... but how do I keep it sharp? I have the Spyderco Sharpmaker (no diamond rods) and I only want to keep it sharp (no re-profiling). I don´t need it to split hair, just a sharp and strong edge. What angle should I use? 30 or 40, should I use the corners or the flat sides of the rods? brown or white? any special technique? Please share your knowledge! I need to know cause after I got the mighty 710 I can´t se myself ever needing another folder (well...).
Cheers!
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Check the following link, it has some great info specific to sharpening the 710

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=90315&highlight=sharpen+Benchmade
 
stitchawl said:
Five minutes work with an EdgePro and a 120 stone.

Stitchawl
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I have to say, the edge pro is the best investment I've made as far as sharpening. I have a dmt aligner, a crkt slide sharp, a spyderco sharpmaker with the diamond rods, and bought the edge pro apex last.

edge pro apex gave me that zen moment of "oh...thats what sharp is.." It's my favorite thing in the house currently. I have to warn my wife now, "hon, cooking preparation requires a bit more care...see that mirror finish on the kitchen knives..."

:)

save up. its worth it.
 
john22galt said:
The little Benchmade "Tactical Pro Sharperner" #983903F (or it's slightly larger cousin) is all you really need.
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A pull thru carbide sharpener is about the worst thing you can use on your knife, if you want a good quality edge. It literally peels and roughs up the metal to give what resembles a cutting edge.

cbw
 
It literally peels and roughs up the metal to give what resembles a cutting edge.
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I agree, but it might be handy to have one in your field kit for an emergency is about it. There are ceramic pull-throughs for that matter though, that might be better for emegency use. I never got why a quality company like BM would sell that thing?
 
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