Para 2, need's to be rebeveled...

D

D-der

Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
151
This had come very sharp, out of the box (as most Spyders do), but with an uneven bevel.
I've maintained with a Sharpmaker, but after plenty of use, cant get to / maintain a proper
edge any longer.
Is there any strong reason to either send it back to Spyderco (no charge, a couple of weeks)...
or just have it done ($10.00 - $20.00 depending, couple of days), neither the time required or
expense is a big deal.

Your feedback is appreciated
 
D-der said:
This had come very sharp, out of the box (as most Spyders do), but with an uneven bevel.
I've maintained with a Sharpmaker, but after plenty of use, cant get to / maintain a proper
edge any longer.
Is there any strong reason to either send it back to Spyderco (no charge, a couple of weeks)...
or just have it done ($10.00 - $20.00 depending, couple of days), neither the time required or
expense is a big deal.
Click to expand...
Some of the professional knife sharpeners out there are capable of doing some nice work, and can go above and beyond what the factory will do .
It certainly wouldn't hurt to talk to one while showing them the knife. :cool:
Your mileage may vary.
 
I agree with ballenxj that you could probably have it done faster and for less by one of the sharpening guys on here.
 
I considered sending mine back, but I fixed it myself with an Edge Pro Apex. Took about 20 mins in all.
 
Not everyone has an Edge Pro or Wicked Edge to fix something like this so if you dont, then I would agree with others and use someone from this forum instead of sending it back to Spyderco as you might get it returned the same way! :)
 
Thanks, that's pretty much what I thought.
Any recommendations for sharpening service's ?
 
You have a Sharpmaker. I highly recommend you get the diamond coated triangle rods for it. They cost about $50 ; they're worth it ! I had uneven bevels on my manix 2 s110v and it took only about 10 min of work on the diamonds to fix. Of course then it took another1/2 hr to 1 to go through the other rods , but that's another story. :)
 
Para 2, need's to be rebeveled...

This had come very sharp, out of the box (as most Spyders do), but with an uneven bevel. I've maintained with a Sharpmaker, but after plenty of use, cant get to / maintain a proper edge any longer. Is there any strong reason to either send it back to Spyderco (no charge, a couple of weeks)... or just have it done ($10.00 - $20.00 depending, couple of days), neither the time required or expense is a big deal.

Your feedback is appreciated.


Basic Sharpmaker use is to first sharpen the back bevel to 30 degrees (15 per side), and once sharp, then sharpen the primary micro bevel to 40 degrees (20 per side). This gives me great edges for my working EDC Spyderco.

Here is a great sharpening video by the Big Cheese. It is a 4-part sharpening series that I thought was very valuable when I first got my initial Sharpmaker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB0r6GvESGg

Diamond rods are good, but I didn't buy them. Ceramic rods are more than ten times harder than the hardest knife steel and should do a great job. Sometimes you need to rough up new ceramic rods with a little kitchen cleanser, soft scrub, Bartenders Best Friend, etc.

You should not have to send your knife back to Spyderco for sharpening, IMHO.
 
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Thanks, I've seen Sal's videos a number of times.
I've got the extra fine rod's, maybe it's time to pick up a set of the diamonds and complete the set....
next step in the progression towards a EP or WE I guess
 
D-der said:
Thanks, that's pretty much what I thought.
Any recommendations for sharpening service's ?
Click to expand...

Some truck stops will have a guy that sharpens knives for about $5 using cardboard wheels. Leaves a nice polished convex edge. Just be sure it's not some yahoo with a grinder and you should be fine.
 
Bushido185 said:
Some truck stops will have a guy that sharpens knives for about $5 using cardboard wheels. Leaves a nice polished convex edge. Just be sure it's not some yahoo with a grinder and you should be fine.
Click to expand...
Not a fan of this at all, but to each his own.

A relatively inexpensive way to reprofile your blade faster with your Sharpmaker is to purchase some of the triangular stones from Congress Tools that will fit your Sharpmaker or buy some of the flat stones and rubber band them to your current rods and sharpen away.

I tried this a long time ago and it does work well, but I just went ahead and got an Edge Pro which evolved into getting a Wicked Edge. The guys at Wicked Edge will also sharpen your blade for relatively cheap I think.
 
I can see why you might want to send it back to Spyderco just because it would save you the time of doing it yourself. Grinding steel by hand can take a lot of time. But I also don't see why you couldn't rebevel with the diamond coated rods on your Sharpmaker. If it were me, I'd just do it myself on the diamond rods using a sharpie pen to check the bevels are grinding correctly.

Also I find it best to use the same sharpening system over and over again on the same knife. For instance if somebody sharpened a knife on a belt sander the edge would be different that it would have been on the Sharpmaker (the belt sander might be more convex or less precise/different edge angles). So once you change to a new system, you are in effect reprofiling to a certain extent which is time consuming. Staying with the Sharpmaker (or whatever system) will make your life easier IMO. I am saying that as a general statement though. I do find the Edge Pro Apex faster for reprofiling, so sometimes I might start with Edge Pro then go to the Sharpmaker.
 
uofaengr said:
Not a fan of this at all, but to each his own.

A relatively inexpensive way to reprofile your blade faster with your Sharpmaker is to purchase some of the triangular stones from Congress Tools that will fit your Sharpmaker or buy some of the flat stones and rubber band them to your current rods and sharpen away.

I tried this a long time ago and it does work well, but I just went ahead and got an Edge Pro which evolved into getting a Wicked Edge. The guys at Wicked Edge will also sharpen your blade for relatively cheap I think.
Click to expand...

Over the years I've got pretty good on cardboard wheels, but it does take time. Easy to ruin a blades finish if you aren't careful. The polished convex edge cuts everything I need like a laser.
 
D-der said:
Thanks, I've seen Sal's videos a number of times.
I've got the extra fine rod's, maybe it's time to pick up a set of the diamonds and complete the set....
next step in the progression towards a EP or WE I guess
Click to expand...

I wouldn't spend $40+ on the diamonds or CBN set, I would look at Mold Masters and get either the triangle stones to match the Sharpmaker or get a set of 1x1/2x6 flats in about a 240 grit and just like someone else said, rubberband them (top and bottom) to the triangle set. You should be go to go and they are about half the cost or so. You could even get a couple of different grits for what the diamond ones go for to play with! ;)
 
I bought a DMT Aligner set for under $50 and so far I've reprofiled at least a half dozen of my knives with it. Setting 30 degree bevels on a sharpmaker with brown stones will take you 2 lifetimes.

I've seen recommendations to buy some good sandpaper and wrap around the sharpmaker rods for reprofiling. I don't know how long this will take or how long the sandpaper lasts, but it would be the cheapest system.

Whatever you do, do NOT give your knife to someone else to sharpen without knowing exactly how they will sharpen it. They might do worse than the factory angels and bevels, and might come close to ruining the knife. You can search these forums and find horror stories of this.
 
Bushido185 said:
Over the years I've got pretty good on cardboard wheels, but it does take time. Easy to ruin a blades finish if you aren't careful. The polished convex edge cuts everything I need like a laser.
Click to expand...
Not disagreeing with the wheels, just the whole guy at the truck stop who will do it for $5 thing...
 
Thanks for all the feedback, after digesting all of the above...it only makes sense to
straighten it out myself, I'm sure I have the ability, just didn't want to make the time.
I still had an open gift certificate at Midway and ordered the diamond rods.
The bevel's not horrible, just faint on the right side from the belly to the tip,
I'm sure, with a little time it will be stacking hair again.
 
D-der said:
I'm sure I have the ability, just didn't want to make the time.
Click to expand...

I have a sharpmaker with standard rods, as well as the DMT Aligner set with its diamond stones. The diamond stones will reprofile it fairly quickly, maybe 15 minutes. You'll need a black marker such as a Sharpie pen, and a good magnifier to look at the edge. I also recommend a strop with some compound on it. You don't need a fancy one, you can make one yourself pretty easily. Using the DMT is almost foolproof, reprofiling with the sharpmaker may be as well.
 
uofaengr said:
Not disagreeing with the wheels, just the whole guy at the truck stop who will do it for $5 thing...
Click to expand...

Oh ok, I'm a truck driver and have found several guys that set up shop in certain truck stops and all they do is sharpen knives for other drivers. Someone that wasn't good at sharpening wouldn't last too long before being dragged around the parking lot behind a truck lol. But yes, there are some sketchy people out there too. Usually your larger truck stops are good to go, especially if they have a dedicated knife shop. The Petro in Effingham, IL use to have a knife shop with an older gentleman doing the sharpening, he was damn good at it too. I had him sharpen an old Ontario machete about 10 years ago and it's still razor sharp.
 
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