i need help with sharpening please help me out

A

AhRan

Joined
Jan 12, 2011
Messages
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hi i recently purchased a spyderco sharpmaker and also the ultra fine rods. two of my knives have went really dull. and i tried sharpening them on the sharpmaker after watching the dvd and reading the manual that was given with it. i also have been watching youtube vids on how others use it and i jus cant seem to get it right. is it the knives im trying to sharpen or is it jus me because i cant get them sharp at all. my paper tests jus suck lol. my first knife i tried sharpening is a benchmade/snody tk210 in s30v its a short lil fix blade with a really thick small blade. my 2nd knife is my coldsteel rajah 3 which is a short folder with a recurve style blade which i totally screwed up its actually duller now than it was before sharpening. i dont want to send out the knives even tho i probably will have to do for the benchmade because lifesharp service from them is an option. but the coldsteel one im out of luck with sharpening service from them.

is there any other product besides the sharpmaker with a fool proof design that will guarantee a sharp edge on a knife after using it cuz straight to the point i suck at sharpening knives and need help. any suggestions or help would be very much appreciated. thanks for ur time . Ran
 
I'd get a lansky system....then watch bluntruth4u's vid on sharpening. They aren't "fool-proof." In fact, no sharpening system is. They all have a little trial and error that accompany them as you get used to how to sharpen a blade, but its pretty easy. As a general rule, recurve blades tend to be difficult to sharpen, esp. for beginners. If ur knives started out pretty dull, then thats probably why you're having trouble. S30V can be difficult for some people to sharpen. Good luck. Email me if you have any questions.
 
Use a sharpie to mark up the edge and the bevels. Then go back and sharpen for a minute or two on each knife. Re-examine the sharpie to see where it has been worn off. If the bevels remain marked, you are hitting the edge, if the bevels are getting wiped off, you are hitting the bevel, and NOT the edge.

Also, use very light pressure--enough to keep the blade touching the rods through the entire stroke, and only a very little more.
 
What the above said. Use the marker and keep your stones clean. Don't get in a hurry.
 
All the sharpening advice so far is very good. I'd just add: do NOT follow the 20-stroke rule per the video and always expect success. Use as many strokes as necessary on the coarser stones till you can pass your paper test. Be patient, because it may take a lot more than 20. Then move on to the finer stones to refine your edge.
 
I took me about 2 months after watching the dvd and and countless youtube vid's to achieve a hair popping edge on the sharpmaker, and that was with 1095. Practice,practice,practice. The advice you are getting here is sage.
 
I use DMT diamond bench stones mostly; coarse, fine, extra-fine grits. If you want a full proof approach get a Chef's Choice electric sharpener. I warn you that you can take a lot of metal off fairly quickly with one. I also have the Lansky system, but find it a pain in the butt most of the time. I sometimes touch up an edge with the ceramic V sharpeners. They are very simple to use but you should not expect a totally dull knife to be sharpened quickly with one.
 
With the Sharpmaker, it helps to get into an almost robotic state of mind, relax and gently stroke back and forth, back and forth. My current technique is actually to stroke 3 to 5 times on one rod before moving back to the other. This gives me a more even stroke down the rod I'm on.

Definitely try the marker technique to see if the angle of the bevel matches the angle of the Sharpmaker rods. For an acute angle, go ahead and use the 30 degree setting, otherwise, stick to the 40.

And ... patience, patience. :)
 
Wrap the triangles in 220 grit sandpaper to reprofile. To sharpen you need to use the 30 degree setting, if you are in fact using the 40, you will end up reprofiling the blade with a very fine grit. That will take you a really long time. As Esav suggests, have patience...it takes time to learn. Try and sharpen your kitchen knives on the Sharpmaker. That is what I use and I can whittle hair with an 8" Santoku that has been in my use for 5 years. I would also recommend using the search and find threads that have been archived. There are very few questions about the sharpmaker left unanswered in this forum.
 
Google how to sharpen and go insane...the Sharpmaker video isn't that bad.
Sharpmaker definitely improved my freehand technique.
That's what she said...
 
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