I made the same mistake everyone does when I first used my Sharpmaker and let the tip of my Spyderco Tenacious slide off the edge of the stone. I managed to get the tip a bit better, but it's still not back to being a factory tip. Using just the Sharpmaker, is there any way to get the tip back to being factory sharp again?
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Best way to sharpen a tup with the Sharpmaker?
- Thread starter almasy87
- Start date
If all you have is the 204, then the best way is to use just the flats of the stones, or flip the 204 over and use the benchstone grooves. If you're very careful, you can stop the tip on the corners without it sliding off, but it takes practice. The 204 will eventually reshape the tip if you don't let it slide off anymore, but it will take a while with just regular sharpening.
You're best bet is to get a coarse bench stone and use that to reshape the tip to your liking. You can get them for as little as $2 at flea markets. Just don't expect them to cut very fast or leave a consistent finish. They're still faster than the 204. The 204 really needs a good coarse/medium combo stone to go with it for rebeveling and removing chips/dents. It's not complete by itself. If you're confindent with power tools, you can just drop a little $ on a cheap belt sander ($20 to $40). Sharpen at an angle below the desired 204 angle, then add a microbevel on the edge with the 204. I like about 15 degrees per side, the go to the 204 at 20 deg/side. This can be resharpened several times before having to go back to the 204, and you'll only need on grit belt in the 120 to 220 range. Practice on cheap ($2) knives first.
You could also try some coarse sandpaper (120 to 220 range) on the 204 rods. I just folded the paper around the rods, creasing for the corners, then used binder clips to hold the paper together on the back of the rod. This really only works if you use the flats of the rods, so the clips will fall conveniently at the corner opposite the flat you want to use. I tried it on a corner, and all the grit fell off the sandpaper. Use a trailing stroke, like stropping, and the grit will stay on the paper longer. A forward stroke is possible, but you have to be careful of the pressure you use. Wet/Dry paper with some water on it works best IME.
*Disclaimer*
You will get grit into the slots that hold the rods, and it will make an aweful sound every time you put the rods in until you clean out the grit.
You're best bet is to get a coarse bench stone and use that to reshape the tip to your liking. You can get them for as little as $2 at flea markets. Just don't expect them to cut very fast or leave a consistent finish. They're still faster than the 204. The 204 really needs a good coarse/medium combo stone to go with it for rebeveling and removing chips/dents. It's not complete by itself. If you're confindent with power tools, you can just drop a little $ on a cheap belt sander ($20 to $40). Sharpen at an angle below the desired 204 angle, then add a microbevel on the edge with the 204. I like about 15 degrees per side, the go to the 204 at 20 deg/side. This can be resharpened several times before having to go back to the 204, and you'll only need on grit belt in the 120 to 220 range. Practice on cheap ($2) knives first.
You could also try some coarse sandpaper (120 to 220 range) on the 204 rods. I just folded the paper around the rods, creasing for the corners, then used binder clips to hold the paper together on the back of the rod. This really only works if you use the flats of the rods, so the clips will fall conveniently at the corner opposite the flat you want to use. I tried it on a corner, and all the grit fell off the sandpaper. Use a trailing stroke, like stropping, and the grit will stay on the paper longer. A forward stroke is possible, but you have to be careful of the pressure you use. Wet/Dry paper with some water on it works best IME.
*Disclaimer*
You will get grit into the slots that hold the rods, and it will make an aweful sound every time you put the rods in until you clean out the grit.
Jason B.
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2007
- Messages
- 11,196
My usual method for reshaping a tip is to start steep, 30+ degrees per side and grind until even. It works really fast to fix things but you must then redo your back bevel until you remove the micro.
Working just the back bevel will do it but is much harder to make even.
Working just the back bevel will do it but is much harder to make even.