I'm a failure with the Sharp Maker

SirGeod · Dec 30, 2013

So while I was cleaning my Ultra-Fine and Fine rods for my sharp maker I absolutely cleared off the red marks off the ends and I can't tell the two apart

can anyone aid me in identifying which grit is which so I don't muck up my edges? Any help would be greatly appreciated

Cereal_killer · Dec 30, 2013

Well my UF's will arrive later today but for now I can suggest seeing which one scratches your fingernail more (alternately a penny should also work for the test).

Barman1 · Dec 30, 2013

Get them all good and clean with a recommended cleaner then use them. The UF rods will be smoother, to a degree, than the fine rods.

coiledwire · Dec 30, 2013

I don't have mine in front of me, but I want to say the UF is a shade whiter than fine.

Barman1 · Dec 30, 2013

Just took a closer look at the rods and the UF rods are about 2mm longer than the fine rods. That's pretty definitive.

RevDevil · Dec 30, 2013

The UF rods have a clearly marked red section....oh wait....

nccole · Dec 30, 2013

Maybe my imagination, but my UF seems heavier than the fine.

Barman1 · Dec 30, 2013

nccole said:
Maybe my imagination, but my UF seems heavier than the fine.

It is.
Even though the UF rods are 2 mm longer as I stated above... they weigh 1.80 oz. The shorter fine rods weighed in at 1.83 oz.

nccole · Dec 30, 2013

Barman1 said:
It is.
Even though the UF rods are 2 mm longer as I stated above... they weigh 1.80 oz. The shorter fine rods weighed in at 1.83 oz.

Oh well, I will just never get rid of the red marks

Barman1 · Dec 30, 2013

nccole said:
Oh well, I will just never get rid of the red marks

I broke out the red sharpie and re-marked mine.

AF · Dec 30, 2013

I like the fingernail test.

JustinWatts · Dec 30, 2013

Swipe each one with a blade three times and see which one removes the most metal? The ones with less should be the UF rods?

Not sure fool-proof, but some of the solutions posted here make more sense to try first.

Screwdriver · Dec 31, 2013

I heard if you hit the rods hard on a table, the UF one will break first.

Barman1 · Dec 31, 2013

Screwdriver said:
I heard if you hit the rods hard on a table, the UF one will break first.

I've done every other test. Give me a minute and I'll come back with these results...

Revival29 · Jan 1, 2014

Although i have never removed the red marks, I marked the Fine rods ends with a black sharpie. Easy to identify and no way of washing it off.

mwhich50 · Jan 3, 2014

I don't know if you got an actual answer yet. The ends of my extra fine are slightly smoother than the fine rods.

Revival29 · Jan 3, 2014

Barman1 said:
Just took a closer look at the rods and the UF rods are about 2mm longer than the fine rods. That's pretty definitive.

My Fine rods are slightly longer than my Ultra Fine rods.

NetshadeX · Jan 3, 2014

On a side note, I don't have the UF stones (yet) I just use the sones that came with the sharpmaker and finish with a good stropping on a leather belt.

Can anyone confirm that those UF stones will make a world of difference?

Revival29 · Jan 3, 2014

NetshadeX said:
On a side note, I don't have the UF stones (yet) I just use the sones that came with the sharpmaker and finish with a good stropping on a leather belt.

Can anyone confirm that those UF stones will make a world of difference?

I don't know about "world of a difference" but to me they definitely make a difference. Some people are happy with the sharpness they get from the fine rods. To me the UF rods are totally worth it and would recommend them to anyone that has a sharpmaker.

mwhich50 · Jan 3, 2014

My fine and extra fine stones appear to be the exact the same length.
Maybe you could mark the ends with a file mark or a little hack saw cut.