DMT Magna-Guide limitations

[KarlMaldensNose]

I have a Magna-Guide on order and was wondering about it limits in terms of knife length. What's the longest and shortest knife (edge) one can realistically sharpen on this rig? Also wondering about thickness... I understand it won't do thin very well, such as kitchen kives, but what about really thick, such as quarter-inchers like an ESEE-5 and some Busses?

I read about a mod to the magna-guide (by Stitchawl, I think) for getting lower angles than the lowest factory 15 degree setting. It involves two pieces of copper wedged into the stock magna-guide clip, holes drilled into the copper at about the halfway point for a screw/bolt and wingnut used to tighten this extention clamp. Anyone ever try this or a similar mod? How did it work out? Any other mods out there that can get it to sharpen at a lower angle than 15 degrees? Thanks.

 

[singularity35]

My beef with the aligner kit is that you really can't go low enough. So you need mods to it for it to useful.

 

[Jason B.]

What bench stones do you have????

 

[singularity35]

I read about a mod to the magna-guide (by Stitchawl, I think) for getting lower angles than the lowest factory 15 degree setting. It involves two pieces of copper wedged into the stock magna-guide clip, holes drilled into the copper at about the halfway point for a screw/bolt and wingnut used to tighten this extention clamp. Anyone ever try this or a similar mod? How did it work out? Any other mods out there that can get it to sharpen at a lower angle than 15 degrees? Thanks.

I kinda worked up a mock up of this with two rulers, the problem is that you will have to extend the rod on the stone holder too.

 

[KarlMaldensNose]

What bench stones do you have????

Only a Norton IB-8 (8x2 coarse/fine india) at the moment. After learning freehand I'll be graduating to diamonds or Naniwas. Why do you ask?

I kinda worked up a mock up of this with two rulers, the problem is that you will have to extend the rod on the stone holder too.

Doh! Any way of troubleshooting that? I suppose it'd be possible to replace the stock rods with generic ones of whatever length needed... just buy really long ones and cut to size? But I don't have the magna-guide in my possession yet, so I don't know if the rods can be removed.

 

[Jason B.]

Thought you had DMT's for a moment, IMO the aligner clamp works best with the diamond plates. You end up with better angles and because the plate and clamp are "free" you don't get the wide tip effect.

The kit you are getting will work well with blades up to 7-8in long and 3/16 thick though its best on folders in the 4in range. Without mods it will give you very useable angles that will get very sharp so I wouldn't really worry about that part. Setting 5 or 6 is pretty much all you'll use anyways.

You also have the option of using your bench stone following with finer grades of sandpaper on top.

This tool is useful in many ways as you will find out, good choice.

New rods would need to be milled or formed, imagine a straight line with small "shelves" to one side and that's the groove in the side of the rod. Adjustment is made by making a 1/4 turn and sliding in the straight groove to the next "shelf" then turning back locking the possition/angle.

A ideal replacement would be stainless steel rods so nearly all flex in the clamp would be eliminated.