learning curve with sharpmaker 204?

N

newknifeguy

Joined
Mar 18, 2001
Messages
815
Hey friends,
just got my sharpmake, and I am not getting my knives that sharp. Does it take alot of practice. Also, any suggestions for sharpening:
Kitchen knives
Camillus edc 154cm
Buck 110
Crkt peck.
Should I just use the 40 degree angles as they haven't gotten too much use yet (except for the Buck)?
Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks...again! josh
 
Your best bet is to read the sharpening FAQ by Joe Talmadge; it's quite informative. Raising a burr and using a magic marker on the edge to check your progress both really help. You might also want to check out his article on sharpening the Benchmade 710-- http://www.bladeforums.com/features/makeaxisperform.shtml

Using the sharpmaker takes a bit of practice, but is not all that difficult once you get the hang of it. Remember to ease off on the pressure of your strokes once you have raised a burr on both sides. Gentle strokes seem to give me the best edge.
--Josh
 
Watch Sal Glesser's video if you can, and definitely read the brochure that came with the Sharpmaker.

Tips: practice on some old, cheap knives, but not on old, cheap kitchen paring knives -- they tend to be very hard, almost brittle, stainless steel, which does not sharpen well!

The best practice would be on high carbon steel carving knives. You can identify them by the fact that they tend to stain, to develop darkening, known as a "patina".

Don't hold the knife in too tight a grip and don't press too hard on the rods. Stroke, don't grind.

It really doesn't matter if you use thirty or forty degrees, as both will give you a sharp edge. The forty degree edge will hold up better under hard use; the thirty is better for slicing, especially on thin blades.
 
The video is a great training aid. While the how-to book that came with the 204 has some good pictures, nothing beats watching an expert do it. At least for me it did - took me quite a number of practice knives before I had good results. I guess it is about getting used to the motions. Since I'm pretty hopeless with my hands otherwise, you should have an easier job learning than I did ;)

And I also found out that some POS knives just can't be sharpened even if you were Chris Reeve...

Andrew Limsk
 
Sal Glesser expertly teaches "how-to" on the video. And not just knives. He does an admirable job on many other tools with an edge.

Get the video. You'll have those knives scary sharp in little or no time.;)
 
Yes, I think there is a learning curve. It takes a little practice, and every knife is a little different.
Pay close attention to how you hold the knife, and concentrate on keeping the edge bevel flat on the stone, rather than the spine of the blade perpendicular to the base.
Have someone else watch you, and see if you do one side of the blade different from the other, sometimes it's natural to hold a slightly different angle, or use more pressure on one side.
Go slow. The Sharpmaker is slow enough for reprofiling edges. But taking it slow, paying attention, and keeping the angles consistent will save alot of time in the long run. Align the edge by steeling it, or stropping it on the corners of the grey stones before sharpening. Works for me.
 
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