I suck at knife sharpening.(SOME ONE HELP)

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klhayes77

Joined
Nov 28, 2008
Messages
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Man i really suck at knife sharpening. I even have a spyderco sharpmaker. I am sure there is something i am doing wrong. I anyone can help I am open to any advice.
 
the sharpmaker takes forever to reprofile an edge, so it could be you are not getting the actual edge at all. color the edge with a marker and see where you are hitting with the sharpener.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
the sharpmaker takes forever to reprofile an edge, so it could be you are not getting the actual edge at all. color the edge with a marker and see where you are hitting with the sharpener.
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What he said, that's the biggest draw back of the sharpmaker, if the angle is higher than 30 or 40degrees then you're going to be frustrated, the sharpie method is very effective, if you don't scratch off the marker at the very edge, then you're not hitting the edge and need more work with the corners of the brown stones.
 
First step, I'm moving this to Maintenance, where we discuss sharpening.

Second step, the Sharpmaker can do anything! But for some jobs it takes a while and you do have to do it right.

Some mistakes new guys make are
1. Pressing too hard against the stones, which degrades their surface.
2. Failing to hold the knife steady and vertical and stroke evenly.
3. As Rat said, not working at the proper angle.
Use the marker to see where your blade is hitting the stones.

Stay with it. Once you get one tough job done, you'll be much more effective on the next one. Meanwhile, let us know what knife you're working on -- that may also be significant.
 
Wow, that's beautiful. Relax, you're going to do fine. You've got a nice knife.

What angle do you have the Sharpmaker set at, 30 or 40 degrees?
How thick is the knife blade, 1/8"?

1095 is one of the better steels for sharpening.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Wow, that's beautiful. Relax, you're going to do fine. You've got a nice knife.

What angle do you have the Sharpmaker set at, 30 or 40 degrees?
How thick is the knife blade, 1/8"?

1095 is one of the better steels for sharpening.
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The blade is 1/8 inch thick and the sharpener is set at 40 deg.
 
Sound advice has already been given on sharpening... I just wanna say, that's a nice Newberry! :thumbup:
 
Thanks man i really like it. I would love to buy the pocket cutlass he has for sale one the makers forum.
 
Newberry knives are awesome. Great taste in knives you got there.
 
klhayes77 said:
Thanks man i really like it. I would love to buy the pocket cutlass he has for sale one the makers forum.
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That's a very nice knife. The way I think of removing metal is, these metals are like my doggies and every doggie need food shelter,water, and love. Every blade needs usage and consistent angle when sharpening. the thing is if you want your doggie to be obiedient, you need either a lot of patience or a faster sharpening system like an EdgePro, or just sharpen freehand.
 
I have been working on this knife with the 40 deg angle. How long should this take to reprofile the edge to where i can get it sharp. Thanks for the compliments on the knife it is a great knife it will be even better when i get it nice and sharp.:thumbup:
 
klhayes77 said:
I have been working on this knife with the 40 deg angle. How long should this take to reprofile the edge to where i can get it sharp. Thanks for the compliments on the knife it is a great knife it will be even better when i get it nice and sharp.:thumbup:
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Since you're using a 40 degree angle, how did you test for sharpness? Maybe it is already sharp. Can it at least shave armhair?
 
klhayes77 said:
Arm hair test and the answer is NO.
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If you hold the edge under the light, does the edge reflect? If it does, then you haven't gotten to the edge yet. If it doesn't reflect, check for burring. If no burr, then try a more narrow angle. For a knife of that size in that steel, I would go with a 24 degrees inclusive angle. 40 is way too broad.
 
cotdt said:
If you hold the edge under the light, does the edge reflect? If it does, then you haven't gotten to the edge yet. If it doesn't reflect, check for burring. If no burr, then try a more narrow angle. For a knife of that size in that steel, I would go with a 24 degrees inclusive angle. 40 is way too broad.
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Yes the light still reflects off the edge. My spyderco sharpmaker has a 30 and a 40 deg angle settings are you saying use the 30 deg angle?
 
klhayes77 said:
Yes the light still reflects off the edge. My spyderco sharpmaker has a 30 and a 40 deg angle settings are you saying use the 30 deg angle?
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OK, then you haven't reached the edge yet. Keep going, maybe 5 more minutes and you reach the edge. Try the 30 degree angle.
 
I am calling it a night. I will be at again in the morning then i will update yall on my progress. Thanks for all of yalls help so far. I am gonna get this knife sharp.:yawn:
 
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