Can't Sharpen My Police

J

jackblade

Joined
Oct 27, 2007
Messages
4
Hi everybody. I'm new here and pretty much a complete novice. Here's my situation: Got a Police PE VG-10. It was fairly sharp out of the box, but not amazing. Then I got a Duckfoot and gently tried to sharpen it up. No improvement--in fact maybe a bit worse. I've done my best to read up on technique (I do have some experience sharpening chisels). What should I do (besides getting smarter?).

My Manix S30V is unbelievably sharp out of the box, as is my Benchmade 940 S30V. Anyone care to begin my education? Thanks!

By the way: any opinions on 1) the Benchmade Apparition, and 2) the best steel for the Spyderco Military?
 
I haven't tried a duckfoot sharpener ,but a model 204 sharpmaker should get it scarysharp.
I have one & quite frankly don't know what i'd do with out one.
It's excellent & easy to use.
Just my opinion.
regards,Rick.
 
I have always felt like S30 V was eaiser to sharpen then VG-10. So maybe just keep trying.

Brad
 
Practice makes perfect when it comes to sharpening with any device. I find the Sharpmaker is the most user friendly sharpener. Practice on cheaper knives until you get better. I do not have a Duckfoot so I can't offer any other advice.
 
Consistency is the most important task when you're sharpening. It's easier to sharpen something like the chisel because it's such a small edge and such an obvious angle, but with practice you should be able to put a sharp edge on the police.
Try sitting a different way, try standing at a workbench/counter, etc. until you find the most comfortable and steady position. That'll help as much as anything.
 
Thanks for all the good advice and patience with my very basic question. I guess what it ultimately comes down to for me is what device to use: a series of [diamond] stones (with which I'm most familiar), or the Sharpmaker (which folks seem to swear by). any thoughts?

Btw, I do love my Police. Solid and smooth. My only problem is which Sypderco to get next! I'm trying to go by category: EDC, Camping (cutting rope, small wood, canvass, etc), and SD. Thanks again everyone.
 
I think that with the 204 Sharpmaker you simply cannot lose, esp. if you are considering sharpening a Spydie and buying more. IMO, it's simply the easiest system to use on the Spydie serrations, and I've gotten many PE knives of various manufacturers very sharp on it, too. I even (after a lot of work) heavily re-profiled the edge bevels on my S30V Sebenza and an old Benchmade Stryker in ATS-34 using just the gray rods of my 204.
Jim
 
Get a 204 sharpmaker, It's the only sharpener I have used for years. Works good for anything needing an edge.
 
Use a marker to color the edge (just try not to mark the rest of the blade), this way when you'll sharpen it on the duckfoot the marker should disappear where the metal is removed, you'll understand how you sharpen, this way. If your sharpening method is not efficient maybe you remove metal on the "shoulder" between the edge and the rest of the blade.
Then, adjust your sharpening angle to remove all the marker on the edge.

With the good angle setting you should get a decently cutting edge in little time, or there may be something wrong with the knife or the sharpener.
Also, try not to use heavy pressure on the duckfoot, as it can scrape away the diamond particles, and you'll end up with a sharpener which doesn't sharpen. I find putting the weight of my arm on the blade is enough for sharpening, YMMV.
 
Using the magic marker on the bevel has been a huge help to me. The Sharpmaker is a great system, but it still allows for a number of variables in terms of how you stroke the stones. The marking system will reveal to you how close to the proper angle you have come.

Always use light strokes. I used to find myself bearing down on the knife as I worked the stones. Don't. You may roll the edge, especially if you are canting the knife this way or that.

Another thing to be wary of when using the Sharpmaker: don't move to the white stones too soon. You should use the brownish coarser stones until you can feel a grabby edge.

Some have suggested ignoring the instructions and using the coarse stones on one side only until you form a burr. Then you switch to the other side of the knife and raise a burr on that side. At this point, you're almost home. Keep using the coarse stones a little more, but with soft, delicate strokes--now with alternating sides. Then move on to the white stones, and stroke back and forth on alternating sides as the instructions indicate.

I now use the Edge Pro (heresy?) to set the bevel and raise a burr. Once I've raised a burr on both sides, then I move to the Sharpmaker, and go with the alternating sides method, as in the Sharpmaker instructions.

Good luck. If the knife is still defying you, send it to Spyderco for a factory sharpening, and maintain the new edge regularly on the Sharpmaker.
 
TIZWIN said:
I now use the Edge Pro (heresy?) to set the bevel and raise a burr.
Click to expand...
As Mr Glesser says, "all good, just different", the particularity of spyderco's line of sharpeners is that it is directed toward fine grits, for people who resharpen their knives before they stop cutting jelly (maybe also to avoid having customers removing 1mm of the blade every time they sharpen?). To set a new bevel on a blade, you're right to choose something more appropriate.
(there's still the sandpaper-wrapped-sharpmaker-stones trick for coarse sharpening, but a dedicated tool is more fun and less pain to use)
heresy? not at all, we don't use only spyderco knives because we have some fidelity towards Spyderco, but because they make the best knives in the world, don't we?:D if there is something we like they don't produce, that would be silly not to buy it because it's from a competitor (other reasons like country of manufacturing, competitor's ethics, etc. may count, of course)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top