FSH + Sharpmaker

M

Mr. Clean

Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
2,114
Hey quick question. I got the diamond rods for my Sharpmaker to make quicker work on my FSH. I'm concentrating on one side as the grind is assymetrical. Is it normal for the diamond rod to feel a little less rough after it's first usage?
Thanks!
 
You ain't lyin. That's why I picked up the diamond rods. They suprisingly make pretty quick work of the knife. About 15 minutes and I'm halfway re-profiling the left edge...
hah...15 minutes. Anyhoo...
 
the sharpmaker stones need to be cleaned as metal will build up on the surfaces.

i normally use ajax or comet and a sponge.
 
Mr. Clean said:
You ain't lyin. That's why I picked up the diamond rods. They suprisingly make pretty quick work of the knife. About 15 minutes and I'm halfway re-profiling the left edge...
hah...15 minutes. Anyhoo...
Click to expand...


Yep those Diamond Sharpmaker Rods are pretty darn fast. They will smooth up some with use as the high spot diamond grits are knocked off or chipped down.
 
Thanks all!
Sounds pretty standard then. Overall I'm pretty darn impressed still with the Sharpmaker. It's done everything now from a Chicago Cutlery knife to a FSH!
 
All the diamond hones I've ever used (dmt, ezlap, generic,) have had a short "break in" period where the loosely adhered diamonds on the outer surface of the diamond coating get knocked off, after which it remains unchanged until the hone eventually gets worn out.
 
So is the sharpmaker NOT a good choice for sharpening knives 6" or bigger? My largest knife right now is my Fehrman LC and I recently bought a Sharpmaker. Haven't used it yet because I'm a little intimidated. Will I be able to use it effectively on my blades?
 
I'mGatMan! said:
So is the sharpmaker NOT a good choice for sharpening knives 6" or bigger? My largest knife right now is my Fehrman LC and I recently bought a Sharpmaker. Haven't used it yet because I'm a little intimidated. Will I be able to use it effectively on my blades?
Click to expand...

The sharpmaker is excellent but not if you have to reprofile the edge. Once the edgeprofile is OK all I use is the sharpmaker to maintain a sharp edge on all my user Busse's (Biggest user I have is a HOGFSH).

The trick with the diamondrods is to apply very little pressure otherwise you knock the diamonds off the rod and they become useless.

For reprofiling I'd recommend the Edgepro.

Happy sharpening:thumbup::p:)
 
how do you know if your edge needs reprofiling? my BATACLE came shaving sharp, but my GW did not. It does fine slicing in the kitchen with some pressure, however.
 
Busse's often come with a thicker than needed edge, with few exceptions they always err on the side of durability at the factory. Infi is great stuff though so for heavy users you can put a nice thin edge without worry (unless you plan on chopping nails and rocks all day). I've heard Fehrman edges are a bit thinner from the factory so you may not need to reprofile at all to use the sharpmaker.

To find out use the magic marker trick. Using a sharpie permanent marker or equivalent, color the cutting edge of the knife, and do a few swipes as if you were actually trying to sharpen on the sharpmaker. What you want to see is the marker worn off the entire bevel, or at least worn off the very cutting edge. If there's still marker left near the cutting edge and it's worn off elsewhere then the edge is too thick for the sharpmakers built in angles and you'll need to remove some material first.
 
When you stroke the knife along the sharpmaker, if the actual edge is touching the stones, you are okay.

But many Busses have such obtuse edges, that you cannot use the sharpmaker untill you reprofile the edge.

If you do 10 or 20 strokes, then look at the edge. If you are only touching the junction of the grind line, you are needing to reprofile in order to use the shaprmaker.

Someone else take over, i don't know how to say what i'm trying to say! :foot:
 
Sheesh...that is WAY more complicated than I was hoping it'd be. :( I always get into the complicated hobbies.:D

Seriously, though...I haven't opened the Sharpmaker. Now I'm thinking maybe I should take it back to Bass Pro and return it for the EdgePro.
 
How does one reprofile? Is that sanding and whatnot? Do I need a bunch of stuff to reprofile and keep the satin blade nice looking? Wait, I shouldn't hafta reprofile a .17 GW should I?
 
The Edge Pro is a better system, but it is much more complicated than the Sharpmaker. The sharpmaker is really simple, really simple.

The complicated part is finding words to explain the simple procedure!

No, you shouldn't have to reprofile the .17 game warden, i bet your sharpmaker will work fine on that one.
 
Reprofiling just means changing the angle of the edge bevel. This is not a task the sharpmaker is ideally suited for as it will be slow going if you need to thin the edge. It will work, just may take a while. For reprofiling alot of folks like to use coarse benchstones or belt sanders and finish on their tool of preference, the sharpmaker works great for actual sharpening once you have the edge angle set properly.
 
Let's see if i can do better explaining.

On your FSH, there is a point where the blade grind meets the edge grind. In other words, look at the flat side of your blade --- see how there is a flat grind from the spine down to where the "edge" starts? If you were working with a coated blade, this would be the point where the coating stops and the satin edge starts.

If your edge is too thick or obtuse for the sharpmaker, when you stroke it on the stones, you would actually be rubbing this line (where the paint stops) against the stones, instead of the actual cutting edge.

So, if it's too obtuse, you could stroke all day long and NEVER EVEN TOUCH the true edge. (actually, eventually you would get there, but it really would take all day long!)

So, if you reprofile the edge, you are actually making it thin enough, so that when you stroke the blade down the stones you are working the cutting edge.

Does that make sense?

I'm sure some of my verbage/terminology could be better...
 
Just for the record, she's done! It took for-ever. 12 days from this original post! The hones are fine, the Steel Heart is sharp. It took off a lot of metal though, it feels like it went from a 30 degree edge to a 20 (only one edge needed reprofiled).
Crazy! Good investment though.
 
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