I just don't get it, sharpmaker question

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vaj1111

Joined
Dec 27, 2005
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I've got a new sharpmaker and I just cant get anything sharp enough on it. So far I've tried the magic marker trick and just about every knife I own is at 40 degrees. I used all the stones,sides in order and it ends up duller than when I started. I even used the 30 degree mico bevel after and it doesnt make much difference.

I've got a Rat 3 fixed blade in D2 that seems the best but I'm affraid to touch the Ritter RSK that I just got. Thin kitchen knives and Victornox knives are barely sharp enough, what the hell am I doing wrong?
 
Two possiblities.

First, how hard are you pressing against the stones? Too much pressure is not good, and will leave you with uneven bevels.

Second, have you checked for a burr? It's easy to remove, by continuing stroking but at a higher angle or by stropping (which would be better). If you don't, your actually super-sharp edge will flop over and seem dull.
 
Initial sharpening on the sharpmaker (or any other system) can sometimes be difficult. Here is a strategy that sometimes works when others fail. This method gives you proof positive that you are grinding all the way to the edge. Using the brown stones, just work one side without alternating. Do this until you develop a burr along the full edge length. Then work the other side until the burr appears on the opposite side. Then remove the burr with very light alternating strokes. This should leave a sharp edge which can be improved on with the fine stones.
 
vaj1111 said:
I've got a new sharpmaker and I just cant get anything sharp enough on it. So far I've tried the magic marker trick and just about every knife I own is at 40 degrees. I used all the stones,sides in order and it ends up duller than when I started. I even used the 30 degree mico bevel after and it doesnt make much difference.

I've got a Rat 3 fixed blade in D2 that seems the best but I'm affraid to touch the Ritter RSK that I just got. Thin kitchen knives and Victornox knives are barely sharp enough, what the hell am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...

Another thing is that we often forget that steel is tough stuff!
Stroking it on an alumina ceramic rod doesn't really faze it, especially if it's something like D2.

I just invested about an hour working a four inch ATS-34 blade with diamond stones - coarse and fine. Then stropping on cardboard to finally get the edge I wanted.
 
Using the 30 degree setting with a 40 degree bevel will do nothing except polish the shoulder where the bevel meets the main grind. You need to do it the other way around. Use the 30 degree setting until you get the edge profiled (which is going to take a LONG time on a Sharpmaker, especially with steel like D2), then use the 40 degree setting to put on a microbevel.
 
you could try and put your thumb on top of the handle of the knife like it shows in the video so the angle of the knife isn't changing when you are sharping it
 
Hey Vaj1111,
As Yablanowitz said, using the 30deg angles after sharpening with 40deg is an excersize in futility. BUT!... don;t try to take that 40deg RAT-3 and sharpen it in the 30deg setting. That would be another excersize in extreme futility! SHarpening D2 on the Sharpmaker without diamond stones will get you lots of frustration and very little results.

Almost every standard V-grind knife I own has come with plus/minus 40deg bevels on the edge. Additionally, they're never the same on each side. Your job, it seems to me, is to choose and angle (40deg), and keep sharpening until both sides are the same. Do like someone saide...sharpen one side until you get a burr, then do the other. But count the strokes so you don;t grind the edge off-center!

Your Ritter is S30V steel. The Sharpmaker will do fine with that steel, though it will take a little longer than a standard high-carbon steel. After sharpening, I wouldn;t strop either of those steels, though the experts in here could probably do it with good results.
 
I would just keep doing it until you get it right. Even then it's no garantee that it would work everytime. I sometimes have trouble with it too if I'm switching steel. Last time I had trouble with the sharpmaker was when I first got my H-1 salt. I had mine for a few years now.
 
Keep at it. It takes time to learn how to use it. As others have mentioned, watch the DVD that came with it a few times. It will really help give insight. Keep your hands straight and apply only light pressure. Also, you might want to try to clean the stones.
 
The trouble could be due to many things. I would recommend getting a 10x magnifier and looking at the edge of your knife. This has helped me understand some of my sharpening problems.
Another trick to try is cleaning your rods to make them work better. (I just rub two together with a little scouring powder in between.)
 
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