Coarser Rods for Sharpmaker?

C

coolcrow

Joined
Aug 5, 2007
Messages
134
I'm fairly new to sharpening, and I've had great success using a sharpmaker. I would like to be able to re-profile my knives to the angles on the sharpmaker, but this would take a very long time just using the regular medium brown rods. I really don't want to have to spend close to $100 to get the diamond rods. Does anyone know of any coarse rods that would fit in a sharpmaker? Also, does anyone know the exact grit measurements for the medium, fine, and ultra fine rods that are made for the sharpmaker? Thanks again for all the help guys.
 
You could buy any coarse stone and work out a guide system to profile your blades to 30 degrees (included). Then you'd have the perfect bevel or back bevel for the Sharpmaker and the edge would be ready for the Sharpmaker's medium stones.

I like to use a 15-degree wooden ramp to set the stone on. Then I just have to keep the knife horizontal and I'll get a 15 degree edge on each side.
 
Some folks put strips of sandpaper on the flats with double sided tape in order create a coarser surface. Lots of different grit choices there to speed things up. I've never done it but can't see why it wouldn't work like they say.
 
Thanks morrowj_98, that's just the thing that I am looking for. I'm guessing that the ruby rods are made from a different material than sharpmaker rods? Do they need to be cleaned like sharpmaker rods and if so, how? Also, how does the 320 grit compare to the brown medium stones of the sharpmaker? Does anyone else have experience with these stones? Do they wear out at all? Thanks again guys.
 
morrowj_98 said:
I just picked up 2 each of the following 1/2 inch triangle stones from Congress. 60 grit...150 grit and 320 grit. These stones are 6 inches long and fit in the Sharpmaker triangular slots. Here is a link to the page...
Spyderco makes diamond "stones" for the Sharpmaker but they are expensive and I've heard mixed reviews.

http://www.congresstools.com/congresstools/catalog?action=getcat&parent=24
Click to expand...


That's what I was about to suggest, so I'll just second it!

I got 60, 120, and 320, but it's more or less the same setup. I love it.
 
For re-profiling on my Sharpmaker, I just insert one rod and rubber band an el-cheapo $5 diamond bench stone I found at the hardware store to it. Re-profile one side, rotate the Sharpmaker 180 degrees, and do the other side of the blade.

Then proceed sharpening with the standard rods....
 
IIRC, the medium are 600, as Stretch said, and the fine are 1200. I've read different numbers on the ultra fine -- from 2000 to 5000.

I have the diamond rods -- they weren't worth it in my opinion. The Congress rods are so inexpensive I'll have to give them a try.
 
I saw a pic of the congress ruby stones. The edges seem wery rough. Are you able to use them? Or do you just use the flats of the ruby stones?
 
ratdog said:
I saw a pic of the congress ruby stones. The edges seem wery rough. Are you able to use them? Or do you just use the flats of the ruby stones?
Click to expand...
I just use the flats. Then again, I generally avoid the corners of the included SM stones, too.
 
I e-mailed Congress to see which one of their stones would be best for re-profiling on a Sharpmaker. I haven't received a reply yet though. Do the ruby stones need to be cleaned like the Sharpmaker stones? If so how? Can you use them dry?
 
coolcrow said:
I e-mailed Congress to see which one of their stones would be best for re-profiling on a Sharpmaker. I haven't received a reply yet though. Do the ruby stones need to be cleaned like the Sharpmaker stones? If so how? Can you use them dry?
Click to expand...

They probably don't know, though they've probably discussed it with a forum member who actually visited their warehouse. They make stones for industrial machinists, polishing plastic molds, dies and machine parts. And, some are meant for hand use but others for ultrasonic profiling machines (too hard and slow for hand use).

I got an assortment of them a few years ago to experiment with as hand files for sharpening small curved blades and started mentioning them (along with the Boride Gesswien and Falcon stones) to Thom and Curtis et. al. as replacements for edge-pro stones (think Ben used a Boride AM on one of his hones). Someone was complaining about the Sharpmaker and I mentioned that the 1/2' stones were exactly the same width as the sharpmaker rods so thought the triangle stones should fit the Sharpmaker (less an inch in length), and mentioned that I liked the smooth, even finish the flex-cut leaves, and the aggressiveness of the Ruby (though they wear faster than some of the others).

So, they and a few other people started ordering different stones and grits to try out in a Sharpmaker (I bet the poor folks at Congress never thought of using them as sharpening stones and probably thought it was a full moon when all these crazy knife nuts started showing up at their door wanting 1/2" triangle rods). Turns out they worked quite well, especially the Ruby (and I think it was the moldmaster?). Use the flats, the corners have not been smoothed and are too jagged, though you could probably round and smooth the corners a bit on a diamond plate if you are really intent on using the corners.

Here is the thread that started the sharpmaker thing http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=444326&highlight=Congress
 
I haven't tried the Congress stones. I've been curious if they hold their shape long enough to be effective. The Spyderco rods don't erode much and the Spyderco Sharpmaker system is designed around that characteristic. The rods are self supporting and must maintain their shape for the system to work.

One other note. You would want to make sure that the Congress stones stand in the slots creating a bevel angle less than or equal to the Spyderco stones (i.e. they should stand more nearly vertical). That way you would be assured that the finer Spyderco stones would act on the new blade edge created by the Congress stones.
 
yuzuha said:
They probably don't know, though they've probably discussed it with a forum member who actually visited their warehouse. They make stones for industrial machinists, polishing plastic molds, dies and machine parts. And, some are meant for hand use but others for ultrasonic profiling machines (too hard and slow for hand use).

I got an assortment of them a few years ago to experiment with as hand files for sharpening small curved blades and started mentioning them (along with the Boride Gesswien and Falcon stones) to Thom and Curtis et. al. as replacements for edge-pro stones (think Ben used a Boride AM on one of his hones). Someone was complaining about the Sharpmaker and I mentioned that the 1/2' stones were exactly the same width as the sharpmaker rods so thought the triangle stones should fit the Sharpmaker (less an inch in length), and mentioned that I liked the smooth, even finish the flex-cut leaves, and the aggressiveness of the Ruby (though they wear faster than some of the others).

So, they and a few other people started ordering different stones and grits to try out in a Sharpmaker (I bet the poor folks at Congress never thought of using them as sharpening stones and probably thought it was a full moon when all these crazy knife nuts started showing up at their door wanting 1/2" triangle rods). Turns out they worked quite well, especially the Ruby (and I think it was the moldmaster?). Use the flats, the corners have not been smoothed and are too jagged, though you could probably round and smooth the corners a bit on a diamond plate if you are really intent on using the corners.

Here is the thread that started the sharpmaker thing http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=444326&highlight=Congress
Click to expand...

So yuzuha, if you had to pick a stone for re-profiling in a sharpmaker, which one would it be and why? Thanks for the thread, it's answered many of my questions.
 
For fast metal removal, the ruby stones, though they will dish some (get some coarse and fine girts in it). Might need one of the silicon carbide stones if you're grinding away on something hard and exotic like S30v (don't know, I don't have anything in that steel but everyone says it is a real pain because of the vanadium carbides).

Someone who has tried them in the sharpmaker might be better to ask, since I pretty much freehand on waterstones and only use my sharpmaker for scraping an edge back onto my soft stainless kitchen knives (Henkels, Wusthof etc.) since the edges on those never last long enough to go through the trouble of trying to get a decent edge on them with stones.
 
here is a pic of Congress ruby stones in my Sharpmaker. 60 grit on the right and 320 on the left. I just stuck them in there to show they do fit. The 150 stones are a tiny bit bigger and you have to really push them in the slots. If you get these stones, be careful if you have stones that are a little oversized. You need to make sure they are sitting at the correct angle. They want to stand a little shallow in the slots if you're not paying attention.

P1010140.jpg
 
Thanks for all the help everybody. I've got pairs of 60, 150, and 320 ruby stones coming from Congress. I can't wait to get them.
 
My notes from Sals description on the various grits of the SM stones are mediums, 12-14 microns, 800-900 grit, fines, 7-9 microns, 2000-3000 grit, ultrafines, 3-4 microns, 4000-6000 grit.

NJ
 
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