Can't get my CRKT Folts Minimalist sharp

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wonewin78

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Mar 19, 2012
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Really could use some help of the knowledgeable folks here. I have a spyderco sharpmaker w/ ultrafine stones and a coarse DMT stone, but I just cannot get my new CRKT Folts Minimalist sharp.

My original intention was to regrind it with the DMT so that I could use the sharpmaker for maintenance, but at this point it's just to get this thing sharp. I have tried the sharpie trick, sharpening it with the medium grits on the 30 degree angle for what seemed like an indefinite time, sharpening it on the 40 degree side to see if that would work better, sharpening it on the DMT stone and seeing if that would make a difference... I have tried a variety of methods but without success. I can currently get it to a work edge but not hair whittling sharp like I can with my other knives using the sharpmaker. It sure as heck looks nice with a polish edge, but what's the point of looking nice if it's not sharp?

When I touch/feel the edge, on the actual edge starting from the top to bottom the top part is almost straight and then it suddenly folds together to form an "edge". Very hard to explain... Also the actual end of the edge feels quite thick.

It would be great if anyone could help me out. I know I'm probably not doing the right things at all but I am just so frustrated.

Thank you.
 
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You said you tried the Sharpie trick, but you didn't explain the results.

If you're getting a polished edge, but the edge is not sharp, then you haven't formed a proper apex.

First, decide what angle you want on your edge, such as 30 degrees.

Then go back and do the Sharpie trick at the 30-degree setting on your Sharpmaker. You want to pay attention to where the ink is ground off on a single pass of the stone. You need to do this on both sides of the edge. The missing ink will tell you if your edge angle is too obtuse, which it probably is. If it is too obtuse (you're scraping ink off the shoulder or back of the bevel, rather than the full edge bevel or mostly near the apex), then you either need to reprofile the edge to 30 degrees to match your stone angle or switch to the 40-degree stone and go with that edge angle.

The important thing to watch for is the formation of a burr. The burr will tell you whether your apex is formed. You want to form a burr along both sides of the full blade. Then gently remove the burr by using ever lighter strokes and finer stones.
 
It's hard to tell exactly what the issue is. Telling us the results of some cut tests might be helpful. Will it slice printer paper? Push cut it? Shave arm hair?

I have some guesses. If you have the Bowie version of that blade, it's almost all belly, as it's only a little longer than 2 inches. The combination of "all curve" plus it being so short is going to make it more challenging to sharpen. I would also guess that blade has a rather thick spine. The way you describe hold the sides of the blade are almost exactly parallel to each other and then all at once bevel in to form the edge indicates a thick profile. "Thin is sharp" is always true, and blades with thick profiles don't cut nearly as well as blades with thin profiles. Even in something like paper, the resistance of the sides of the blade make a difference in how the cut feels. With shaving tests, the thickness is mostly not an issue.

Essentially I'm saying that you're fighting against a poor and difficult geometry in trying to get this blade sharp. That being said, all the basics still apply as TwinDog has pointed to. You want to make sure that you form a full length burr on both sides before moving to the finer stones. Have you formed a burr?

Best of luck with this. Report more here and we'll try to help.

Brian.
 
Thank you so much guys.

It will barely push cut paper- I would describe it as a utility edge, maybe even less than that.
I have the wharncliffe blade.
I have tried to form a burr as I usually do with my knives. It won't form a burr, and my guess is that it's a matter of finding the proper angle for this... When I try the sharpie trick, with the 40 degrees angle it will hit the back bevel, the one near the shoulder as twindog explained. I have tried holding the rod and trying free hand and it seems as if any time I try it will hit only a certain part and not the full edge.
 
wonewin78 said:
Thank you so much guys.

It will barely push cut paper- I would describe it as a utility edge, maybe even less than that.
I have the wharncliffe blade.
I have tried to form a burr as I usually do with my knives. It won't form a burr, and my guess is that it's a matter of finding the proper angle for this... When I try the sharpie trick, with the 40 degrees angle it will hit the back bevel, the one near the shoulder as twindog explained. I have tried holding the rod and trying free hand and it seems as if any time I try it will hit only a certain part and not the full edge.
Click to expand...

Now it makes sense. You received a blade with a very obtuse edge.

If the 40-degree stone scraps only across the edge shoulder, then the edge on your knife is greater than 40 degrees, so neither the 40- nor 30-degree angle stone angle will work until you reprofile the blade.

You won't raise a burr until the stone is making contact with the apex. I'd use your diamond stone to reprofile the blade, and on a knife that small, I'd go with a 30-degree angle.

Freehanding an angle is tricky for many of us, but you could use the 30-degree stones on your Sharpmaker as a guide for your DMT diamond by holding the DMT against the 30-degree stone. Or you could use a protractor and a flat board to create a 30-degree ramp for your DMT stone, and then sharpen the blade holding it exactly horizontal as you scrap it across the DMT stone on the 30-degree ramp.

Use a loupe and/or the Sharpie to watch the grind lines. The grind lines will gradually approach closer and closer to the apex. Once the grind lines reach the apex, you'll start to raise a burr. And once you raise the burr, you can switch to using the Sharpmaker in the normal way at the 30-degree setting.

Raise that burr the full length of both sides, then remove the burr by using very light sharpening strokes and ever finer stones.
 
Thank you Twin dog.

So if I continuously sharpen with my DMT stone at a 30 degree angle, I should eventually get a 30 degree edge and can use the sharpmaker to fine tune it... Man keeping that 30 degree angle steady on a freehand is going to be hard haha, but I will definitely give it a go. Thank you so much.
 
wonewin78 said:
Thank you Twin dog.

So if I continuously sharpen with my DMT stone at a 30 degree angle, I should eventually get a 30 degree edge and can use the sharpmaker to fine tune it... Man keeping that 30 degree angle steady on a freehand is going to be hard haha, but I will definitely give it a go. Thank you so much.
Click to expand...


Yes, that's right. If you use the existing Sharpmaker stones, they could be be a guide for the DMT diamond stone so that freehanding isn't so hard. You could also go with a 40-degree angle if you want to make the reprofiling as easy and fast as possible.

Watch the scratch pattern on your edge as you go. It will talk to you.
 
Use a diamond stone and forget the sharpmaker. It is a good sharpener but doesnt alwyays do the job. U can use sandpaper too. Im justordered the bowie and im gonna give that sucker aconvex edge. Then ucan just steel it to maintain it
 
I had the same issue with the larger version (CRKT S.P.E.W). It was ground at some ungodly obtuse angle. I took it down to 20 per side and it will push cut printer paper. The steel is awful though, it goes dull if you even think about cutting something...
 
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