Knife tip is rounded/dull after sharpening blade.

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knife117

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Jan 30, 2014
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I tried sharpening my ESEE-3 on a Spyderco Sharpmaker, and the blade edge is sharp, but the tip of the knife is more dull than when I started. What am I doing wrong that would cause this?
 
I'd be willing to bet you're not stopping with the knife tip still on the stone.
 
I think y'all are right. I wasn't keeping the tip on the stones at the end of each stroke.

I was using both the corners and the flats.

Is a rounded tip easy to fix?
 
When sharpening with the sharpmaker, you have to be careful when approaching the tip of the knife. You don't want to let the tip slip and grind against the stone, doing so will result in tip rounding. I find that a light even stroke while carefully stopping at or right before the tip will help prevent that. It was a little difficult to do at first, but generally using lighter pressure will help control the stroke more.
 
Tip rounding will most likely need to be fixed on a diamond bench stone.

The consensus is correct. You gotta not let your tip fly over the edge. Good practice makes good habits. Don't get discouraged, I am a huge fan of the SM.
 
knife117 said:
I think y'all are right. I wasn't keeping the tip on the stones at the end of each stroke.

I was using both the corners and the flats.

Is a rounded tip easy to fix?
Click to expand...

It depends on how bad. If all you have is the SM for sharpening. The easiest way would be to carefully grind the tip back to sharp with one of the hones in the flat lay down position.

If it is really bad you will need something a little more aggressive.
 
blame it on god said:
It depends on how bad. If all you have is the SM for sharpening. The easiest way would be to carefully grind the tip back to sharp with one of the hones in the flat lay down position.

If it is really bad you will need something a little more aggressive.
Click to expand...

I have actually done this to a friends knofe as well. I used the groove side, on my SM brown. Good call BOG.
 
Here's a picture of it. How bad is this?

EDZAo8m.jpg
 
I fixed a tip like that with s30v on the brown stones. I used the 40 degree as normal but only sharpen the tip and at a more steep angle. How i do it is i start at thr tip and just barely swipe away from me. Have to be very carful as to not make it worse but it can be done.
 
L2bravo said:
I have actually done this to a friends knofe as well. I used the groove side, on my SM brown. Good call BOG.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I've made my mistakes before and learned from them.

knife117 said:
Here's a picture of it. How bad is this?

EDZAo8m.jpg
Click to expand...

That's not too bad. I say the lay down position because it is easier to keep the rod wet. I would use water with a little soap in it to keep the hone from loading up. It shouldn't take long. Good luck and happy sharpening. :-P
 
knife117 said:
Here's a picture of it. How bad is this?
Click to expand...
That's not bad at all. I can't recall fixing a tip like that on spyderco ceramics (haven't used them in a while), but on a water stone it would be easy peasy. Pick a point that will be the new tip and sharpen until you reach it. Sharpen "almost up to the tip" and you won't risk overshooting and rounding it off again.
 
I think I'm getting it closer to where it needs to be by focusing on the tip with the flat stones.

QK22LZE.jpg


Does this look better?
 
I would take a few strokes off the top of the spine and drop the tip a tiny bit.
It will be as good or better than new without whittling away at the length.
 
FTR-14c said:
I would take a few strokes off the top of the spine and drop the tip a tiny bit.
It will be as good or better than new without whittling away at the length.
Click to expand...

I might consider that, but I'm completely new to knife sharpening. What's the best way to do that?
 
Place sandpaper or stone on a flat surface and drag the spine toward you a few times checking your progress.
You will wear through the coating back about .5" and taper your work down past the broken tip and meet the apex of the V grind creating a very acute point.
The whole thing should take twenty seconds and remove less than a millimeter of material off the top of the spine.
 
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