Frustration starting to set in

S

SarcoBlaster

Joined
Jul 1, 2002
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602
The Spyderco Sharpmaker should be pretty idiot proof and easy to use, right? Wrong! Every single time I try to sharpen my knives, I get a damn wire edge on it and I can't seem to get it off. I've read the sharpening FAQ about a thousand times now and it's not really helping. I don't have a leather strop or anything like that, so stropping is obviously out of the question. I've tried to strop on cardboard, but once the wire edge is gone, it's pretty dull. I don't understand why I get a wire edge everytime I sharpen. Aaarrrggghhhh!!!:mad:

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

-Randy
 
oh man, i've got the same problem. i love my sharpmaker to bits but it sometimes frustrates teh hell out of me cuz it just can't get the edge back! i find that going REALLy REALLy slowly and take extra care with every stroke adn then touching it up slightly with a kitchen steel really helps

although i haven't read the instructions as many times as you have, but whatever works right?

aXed
 
I had similar trouble when I first got my Sharpmaker. In my case, the problem turned out to be that I wasn't holding the knife straight up and down.
 
Maybe the problem is that you very very good steel in your knives.
You might need the ---diamond--- sticks
Hope this helps.
 
The above suggestion of going slowly and making sure the knife is straight up and down should help. It is best to use the Sharpmaker while standing at a counter, etc. I have read that 440V tends to take that wire edge, however, I personally have not had that problem. If it is 440V, after stropping, it probably won't "feel" sharp, as do most of the CPM steels. However, your standard cutting tests should tell you if it is sharp, even if it doesn't "feel" as sharp as say, a simple carbon steel or even AUS8 will. Hope this helps.

Leo
 
The Sharpmaker is very prone to forming a wire edge, as are all rod type sharpeners. Because the contact with the blade happens over a very small surface, the pressure is very large and this can squash the steel readily. If you want to try something very frustrating, sharpen a very soft knife on the corners. It is near impossible to get a crisp edge to form as the steel in the edge will just bend and not be abraded.

In general here are some tips :

1) Make sure the edge isn't full of damaged steel. If the knife has been used fairly hard showing visible chips, dents or rust - all this has to be honed off before a crisp edge will form. Stay on the coarse rods until the edge shows no reflection under a strong light, and then give the blade another few passes just to be sure.

2) Vary the amount of force used. If you press too light, pretty much nothing will happen as there isn't enough force to let the abrasive cut. If you press too hard the edge will bend before it is cut. Different knives require different amount of force to be used, don't expect to be perfect the first time.

3) Make sure the hones are clean. The dirtier they are the easier they will bend steel and not cut it.

4) Avoid the corners when finishing. These are the worse for forming burrs and wire edges. The pressure here is tremendous. Use the corners to do the rough shaping only. Once you get a feel for how much force is need you can use the corners somewhat, but on some knives they are near impossible to use.

5) Try a last couple of strokes at a slightly higher angle by inclining the blade to the rods (just a degree or two), this will focus the honing on the very edge, blasting the burr specifically.

-Cliff
 
A few points:

What dsvirsky said. Hold the knife in a saber grip, thumb extended along the back of the blade. This should help you keep it at a stable angle both horizontally and vertically.

Don't press too hard on the downstroke. Just maintain a light contact with the stone. Concentrate on maintaining contact the length of the blade until just before the very tip (you don't want to round the tip off).

Don't overdo the sharpening unless your blade was very dull to begin with. Try just running it over the edge of the white stones. The more strokes you do, the more likely your concentration will slip and you will begin to wobble slightly.

If you do this evenly, alternating left and right, you should not get a wire edge. If you think you have, try this: stroke a couple of times at a slightly wider angle, then repeat this on the other rod. I clean the edge off by stropping on my pants leg.

Remember, stropping is drawing the knife away from the edge, as opposed to sharpening it, which is drawing the blade edge on against the stone.
 
I have found the spyderco sharpener to be a very good sharpener. It is actually what I recomend to my customers.
If you are getting a wire edge you are actually very close to getting your knife sharp. A wire edge indicates that your don't need to take any more material off the primary edge. Try useing the flats on the white stones with light pressure and alternate every other stroke. This should remove the wire edge and leave you with a very sharp knife. As with most things the right technique and a little practice will go a long way.
 
Cool, thanks for the tips, everybody. My small Sebenza is giving me the most problems right now. I know it's a convex edge, but on CRK's site, they recommend the Sharpmaker to maintain the edge. Anyway, no matter how many light strokes I do on the flats of the white rods, the wire edge is still there. If I tilt the blade at the right angle, I can get the light to reflect off of it. I can barely see it, but I know it's there. Would it be OK to just start with the coarse rods and then move onto the fine ones as if I was sharpening the knife from the beginning? Or are there any other ways to get rid of that small wire edge?
 
I usually tilt the knife a few degrees past vertical and take a few gentle swipes down the fine stones using just the weight of the knife to get rid of a wire edge. Seems to work pretty well for me.
--Josh
 
I know it sounds stupid, but have you tried the Sharpie trick?

It really helps to teach you if your maintaning the angle or just removing more metal than needed.
 
IMO, it takes a while for the Sebenza's convex grind to be reprofiled. I usually sharpen mine with Buzzbait's instructions.
Matt
 
You take a black sharpie and color the edge of the blade where it's to be sharpened, than as you draw it across the stones or Sharpmaker you can see which way you have to adjust your angle to match the factory grind based on how much marker you wore off. If the edge mark is wearing towards the spine and not the edge you have totilt away from the stone if the edge is wearing more than you have to tilt into the stone more.
 
This is nothing new, but I'm a little confused here. My impression was that a wire edge is formed on only one side of the blade at a time. If you put a little too much sharpening emphasis on one side, it leaves a "wire" edge on the other. Yes? No? In other words, I'm saying that I didn't think you could have a wire edge on both sides (at the same). So, if you take the same number of strokes on both sides, with the same pressure and at the same angle, you shouldn't end up with a wire edge, right? If I have my wires crossed, please enlighten me (I guess that would be wire "edges" crossed). :p
 
After spending a loooong time today on the Sharpmaker, I think I finally got good edges on my Griptilian and Sebenza. It turns out that I just needed to tilt the blade just a little bit on both sides and go slowly making sure everything was just right. Thanks for the tips, everyone!

BTW, one last thing. Is there a way to tell if I really got rid of the wire edge instead of turning it straight down? I cut some cardboard with both knives and they would both shave hair really easily afterwards. Would that suffice?
 
A piece of cardboard on a table edge makes a great strop. Just use a piece from a soda or beer 12 pack.
 
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