It wont get sharp!

Use the sharpie marker on the blade of your knife to make sure your reaching the apex of the blade.
 
Odds are,the blade you are sharpening has an edge more obtuse than the 30 or 40 degree side of the Sharpmaker you are using. Mark the bevel of your knife with a marker, do a few strokes and then look to see where the rods are abrading the knife. If it looks like you are hitting the shoulder rather than the apex of the bevel, you may have to put in more work until you reprofile to the angle. It doesn't matter how many strokes you do. What matters is getting to the apex of the edge.
 
you are pressing too hard when trying to sharpen it. just go lightly, just let the weight of the blade be all the pressure you use.

try just sharpening using the corner of the ceramic to start.
 
is there any way to upload it directly from the computer or is it necessary to upload it to youtube hulu ect? It may take a bit for me to get it on youtube.
 
so i cant get the video up but i can tell you im pressing HARD and i am hitting the blade also im tring my best to keep it strait up and down any ideas?
 
throwaway said:
so i cant get the video up but i can tell you im pressing HARD and i am hitting the blade also im tring my best to keep it strait up and down any ideas?
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Don't do that anymore. There may be other issues here as well (such as the edge angle too wide, as mentioned), but too much pressure on ceramic hones is always an edge-killer.

Assuming the edge angle is narrow enough to make contact with the apex, too much pressure on the edge will either roll/burr it, or chip it, depending on steel hardness. Always, always keep pressure as light as possible.

Odds are, with heavy pressure, the edge is damaged now. Some patient and light re-shaping of the bevels is likely necessary, to restore a fine edge.


David
 
how will i able to tell if the blade is damaged? I just looked at it under a microscope the edge is completely flat and no bur.
 
throwaway said:
how will i able to tell if the blade is damaged? I just looked at it under a microscope the edge is completely flat and no bur.
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By damaged, I mean it's blunt or otherwise rolled. That knife is spec'd as 440A steel, so I doubt chipping is an issue. It's not sharp (as you've said), so at the very least, it needs a clean, crisp apex restored. The fact that it's not cutting is the proof that the apex isn't in good condition.

On the chance that the original edge angle is outside the limits of the Sharpmaker (>40° inclusive), it'll still need re-grinding to a narrower edge angle, to be effectively sharpened on the SM.


David
 
Watch the youtube vid by jdavis: dull to hair whittling using the spyderco sharpmaker. Since i watched this video a while back, my edges have gone from shave hair and slice paper, to......dang, thats sharp. The method that he displays takes some practice but once you get it down, it is well worth it. I suggest buying the ultra fine stones and a preloaded strop.
 
You must stay on the first step of the Sharpmaker system directions until you set the edge: sharpen away all the material between your two bevels. If you have not set the edge, then you need to stay on step 1. If you are running out of patience, put the project down for a day. Try to find some 120 grit Silicone Carbide (black) automotive sand paper. Wrap the paper around the rods and using just enough pressure to feel the paper bite into the steel, do some strokes. Then look at your progress under your microscope. See where the deep shiny scratches are and keep sharpening (do not forget to keep the paper fresh and rotated) until they reach the cutting edge on both sides and you "set" the bevel. If you use the alternating stroke instructions and you are careful you should not develop a large burr but it sounds like you know how to identify one so you are ahead of the game. Once you "set" the edge with the sandpaper you can continue with the normal Spyderco instructed progression of stones to refine/polish your edge. You should be really sharp by the end of step 2. You should be saving sharp by the end of step 3 and you should be screaming sharp by the end of step 4.

As other have metioned, do not use a lot of pressure. Just enough to feel the stone/rod bite into the steel. You will succeed!

I usually suggest new users of the Sharpmaker system start with a 3" paring knife from their kitchen, but you seem ambitious! Well done. Keep at it but be certain to take brakes so you do not wear yourself out!

Best wishes,
Doug
 
Sounds like you're not apexed. Probably need to just keep grinding, definitely the jdavis way, working on one side until you raise a burr. Buy the diamond rods to greatly increase efficiency and speed.
 
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throwaway said:
so i cant get the video up but i can tell you im pressing HARD and i am hitting the blade also im tring my best to keep it strait up and down any ideas?
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Buy 2 small binder clips and 60 grit sandpaper. Clamp the sandpaper to the rods and run it up and down until you feel a burr on the opposite side(it basically feels like the edge is scraping against your fingers), then do the other side and repeat until you feel the burr again. Then give it a few light strokes on alternating sides(one on the right, then one on the right). After that, sharpening on the ceramics should leave you with a sharp edge.

Also on the ceramics, I would recommend only running the knife down on the rods and not running them up the rods, I generally feel that ceramics like to have you run edge leading and not trailing.
 
throwaway said:
yea i tried that the sharpie just came off the sharp bevel part...thing.
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I'm not sure what you are describing, but it's an important test. Is the sharpie coming off all the way to the cutting edge? Or is it only being removed higher up, towards the spine of the blade? If higher up, that means the edge angle of your blade is bigger than the 40 degrees inclusive that the SharpMaker uses. This means you'll need to reprofile the blade to 40 or under in order to use it.

Others have suggested using higher grit sandpaper, which will do that for you (reset the bevel angle to 40 degrees). I haven't tried it, but that seems like it would work, though it might be slow going. I'd rather use a bench stone to reset the bevel, then use the SM after to form a microbevel and maintain it from there.

The sharpie test is very revealing. Try it again and see where the SM is removing the sharpie and report your findings back here.

Brian.
 
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