I can't get my Sharpmaker to work at all!!!!

M

Mmm390

Joined
Jan 26, 2019
Messages
97
i sharpen knives daily. Nothing fancy mostly just working edges and when I have extra time I'll put mirror edges on them to get them hair popping scary sharp.
I mostly use wet stones, steel strops, belt grinders and leather strops.
I saw great reviews on the spyderco Sharpmaker so I dropped around $200 on it with all the extra rods and I can not get this thing to work.
Im about ready to throw this thing out the window!
I've watched all the tutorials, read all manuals and nothing works.
I've tried to get it to work on a daily basis for the last month!
Hours and hours and hours of time wasted.
I can take razor sharp knife...and the Sharpmaker will make it dull!
Doesn't matter how straight and locked my wrists are...
Doesn't matter that all my edges are already 30 degrees to match the Sharpmaker..
NOTHING works!

I thought this thing was supposed to be easy to use and idiot proof.
Well I guess I'm a big enough idiot that it doesn't work for me.

Any advice? :/
 
Take a breath and relax. Don't sharpen razor sharp knives. And what steel are you trying to sharpen with which rods?
 
Have you tried the sharpie method to verify you are actually hitting the apex. My guess is you are not. I own a sharpmaker and I can verify it works great when you contact the apex. If you are ok with freehand sharpening you can place the stones in the triangle slots side by side and use it like a bench stone.
 
Something does not compute here. If you can sharpen freehand, you (should) understand how sharpening works. But then again, you wouldn’t be sharpening razor sharp knives either.

Most Sharpmaker complaints involve the time required for reprofiling as it’s not really well suited for that. And also, trying to sharpen high Vanadium steels...not a good choice without diamond rods.

Maybe you’re using too much pressure. A light touch is best.
 
I don't use a sharpie. I feel for a burr.

I've tried it as a bench stone and I actually get better results that way. But I didn't buy it for that purpose. I bought it for on-the-go quick 30 degree touch ups when I don't have access to my large bench stones or grinder.

Steels I tried on it are mostly S30V and 154cm.
I didn't want to try any ultra premium steels on it until I got the basics down first.
I have all the rods.

Ultra fine, Fine, medium, coarse, diamond, and cubic boron.
 
The only time I have ever had a problem, was because the edge angle was different and I'm changing it by using the rods at the set angle. I had a Hinderer come not very sharp at all, NIB and it did exactly what you are describing. Made it worse, but I stuck with it a long while and now the edge is matching the angle on the rods. I can use the knife and let it get just a bit dull and it comes back sharp on the rods very quickly.
 
Sounds like you're overthinking with locked wrists and elbows.

Just make strokes that mimic a natural cutting motion and let the edge of the blade and the stone find the angle.

I have found that on mine if I sharpen on a table by a window and look straight down I can see the contact area.
 
"Something does not compute here. If you can sharpen freehand, you (should) understand how sharpening works. But then again, you wouldn’t be sharpening razor sharp knives"

I hate explaining myself in such great detail.
Say my knife is already razor sharp but doesn't have a mirror polished ultra refined edge.
The ultra fine rods are supposed to polish up that edge and refine it.
Instead it dulls it to the point where it won't shave anymore.
 
Mmm390 said:
"Something does not compute here. If you can sharpen freehand, you (should) understand how sharpening works. But then again, you wouldn’t be sharpening razor sharp knives"

I hate explaining myself in such great detail.
Say my knife is already razor sharp but doesn't have a mirror polished ultra refined edge.
The ultra fine rods are supposed to polish up that edge and refine it.
Instead it dulls it to the point where it won't shave anymore.
Click to expand...

That actually makes sense to me now. I used to do the same thing whenever I sharpened my knives freehand. After I was done on a 1k stone for instance, the edge was shaving sharp. Once I moved up the grit to refine the edge more, I somehow managed to dull it instead of polish it. Eventually it kind of worked itself out, but I do know what you’re talking about. I still don’t know why it happened, maybe my angles weren’t right, but it bugged the hell out of me.


I’m still relatively new to the Sharpmaker so I can’t help with that issue. I only have the basic set. So far I haven’t really had any real problems with it, but I haven’t used it a ton, either.
 
Mmm390 said:
i sharpen knives daily. Nothing fancy mostly just working edges and when I have extra time I'll put mirror edges on them to get them hair popping scary sharp.
I mostly use wet stones, steel strops, belt grinders and leather strops.
I saw great reviews on the spyderco Sharpmaker so I dropped around $200 on it with all the extra rods and I can not get this thing to work.
Im about ready to throw this thing out the window!
I've watched all the tutorials, read all manuals and nothing works.
I've tried to get it to work on a daily basis for the last month!
Hours and hours and hours of time wasted.
I can take razor sharp knife...and the Sharpmaker will make it dull!
Doesn't matter how straight and locked my wrists are...
Doesn't matter that all my edges are already 30 degrees to match the Sharpmaker..
NOTHING works!

I thought this thing was supposed to be easy to use and idiot proof.
Well I guess I'm a big enough idiot that it doesn't work for me.

Any advice? :/
Click to expand...

When you oversharpen an already razor-sharp knife, it will dull. As in anything, there is always a point of diminishing returns.

Jim
 
Danke42 said:
Sounds like you're overthinking with locked wrists and elbows.

Just make strokes that mimic a natural cutting motion and let the edge of the blade and the stone find the angle.

I have found that on mine if I sharpen on a table by a window and look straight down I can see the contact area.
Click to expand...

That's what I try and do. Same technique I use with my steel strops.
I hold the knife very lightly in my hand...wrist locked...gently bring the edge of the blade against the sides of the rods so they "find" the angle and gently pull back and down.
I can't get that technique to work with these rods. But it works fine with my steel strop which is basically the same thing.....a hardened steel rod.
 
Last edited:
Mmm390 said:
That's what I try and do. Same technique I use with my steel strops.
I hold the knife very lightly in my hand...wrist locked...gently bring the edge of the blade against the sides of the rods so they "find" the angle and gently pull back and down.
I can't get that technique to work with these rods. But it works fine with my steel strop which is basically the same thing.
Click to expand...
Try being a bit more relaxed and maybe try a pinch grip if you can.
 
As a couple people have said, the Sharpie trick (or a strong loupe) will tell you what part of the edge that you're sharpening.

If you're not raising a burr, you're grinding the edge shoulders. It's that simple.

You can try using the 40-degree setting to create a micro-bevel. That should be easy, and it is really the best use of the Sharpmaker.
 
McFeeli said:
That actually makes sense to me now. I used to do the same thing whenever I sharpened my knives freehand. After I was done on a 1k stone for instance, the edge was shaving sharp. Once I moved up the grit to refine the edge more, I somehow managed to dull it instead of polish it. Eventually it kind of worked itself out, but I do know what you’re talking about. I still don’t know why it happened, maybe my angles weren’t right, but it bugged the hell out of me.


I’m still relatively new to the Sharpmaker so I can’t help with that issue. I only have the basic set. So far I haven’t really had any real problems with it, but I haven’t used it a ton, either.
Click to expand...

I’m far from an expert, but I suspect you’re getting good results at 1000 grit because the edge has enough toothiness to cut well. Maybe beyond that point, when you’ve polished out some or most of the micro-serrations on the edge, you’re relying almost entirely on edge geometry to get results, and if there’s any sort of flaw, you end up with a duller knife.
 
OrangeBlueOrangeBlue said:
I’m far from an expert, but I suspect you’re getting good results at 1000 grit because the edge has enough toothiness to cut well. Maybe beyond that point, when you’ve polished out some or most of the micro-serrations on the edge, you’re relying almost entirely on edge geometry to get results, and if there’s any sort of flaw, you end up with a duller knife.
Click to expand...

That makes sense to me. It was happening whenever I was still pretty new to sharpening. It surely was frustrating, though. I kind of forgot about it because it hasn’t happened for a long while. Now I probably jinxed it and the next time I go to polish an edge it’ll come back again, haha. I’m just one of those people that still screw up a freehand job every so often. Luckily that’s what the Sharpmaker is for.
 
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