Is the Spyderco sharpener the way to go?

O

Ors

Joined
Sep 16, 2000
Messages
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I am going to (hopefully soon) add a Commander to my humble collection of knives. I have a CQC7, and since I am new to knives, I know very little about sharpening. Someone suggested the Spyderco Tri Angle sharpening set, because it was idiot proof. I just checked the specs on it, and it has pre set grooves to sharpen at 30 degrees and 40 degrees. I seem to remember that the chisel grind requires a 25 degree angle. Is my memory correct there?
Also, will 30 and 40 degree pre sets let me sharpen my soon to be Commander (as well as other knives)?
Or is there a better solution?
All advice is welcome and appreciated.


------------------
Ors, MTS

"In the end, there can be only one"

"Paranoia is just reality on a finer scale"
 
Ors,

I have both a Spyderco sharpmaker and a DMT deluxe aligner system. When sharpening my Commander, LaGriffe, or CQC7 (or my wife's Raven), I always use the DMT so that I can get a precise angle. The Sharpmaker is great for double-ground knives, but the angle is not quite right for Emersons. You can, however, sharpen your Emersons fairly easily free-hand with one of the stones from the sharpmaker, using the flat side of the stone to sharpen the obverse side of the blade, and then wiping the burr off of the back with the pointed side of the stone. This is actually pretty easy to do, because the single grind of Emerson knives leaves a fairly tall primary edge that is easy to lay flat against the stone. Hope this was helpful.

Take care,
Fedaykin

"We cannot live better than in seeking to become better" -Socrates
 
I just got my Commander yesterday, and it would shave, barely, but not very well (scraping). After some experimentation with a fine DMT (red), and the Sharpmaker, I found my answer.
The Sharpmaker 204 works, but you have to compensate for the angle.
With the edge of the white stones set at 40 degrees included, I tilted the blade away from the stone until the edge matched up with the edge of the stone (keep in mind that the stone is at 20 deg., and the edge is ground at 30 deg.). Facing the Sharpmaker, stones on the right, hand on the left (right-handed), with the edge against the stone on the left. The tip is pointed back toward the "safety" rod that is on the back side (away from you). Looks like about 45 degrees (rather than pointed straight back). Draw the blade back toward you, turning your hand back toward you as the blade comes down the stone to keep the edge at the proper angle, and in contact with the stone (this allowed for the recurve).
Five strokes like this on the left stone, and one with the edge flat on the right stone to remove the burr, has the edge popping hair from my arm.

I hope that was a good description. Took a couple of hours total of experimenting, and looking at the edge in relation to the stones under bright light (so I could twist around and see how the edge was matching up to the stone-if you concentrate, you can feel it when the edge hits the right angle).
My edge is still not perfectly even. The recurved portion pops hair, but the tip "merely" shaves cleanly.
Hope that helps, it worked for me.


[This message has been edited by OwenM (edited 11-17-2000).]
 
So I've been weighing pros and cons, and the question comes up, can I ruin my knife by improperly sharpening it? I mean I've compared the Sharpmaker and the DMT system, and wonder if I go with the Sharpmaker, with it's approximate angles for what I want to sharpen, if I do something really wrong, will I ruin the blade beyond repair? Keep in mind I've never sharpened a knife before.
Also, thanks for the replies.




------------------
Ors, SMT

"In the end, there can be only one"

"Paranoia is just reality on a finer scale"
 
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