Question about the Sharpmaker

KLJTech

KLJTech

Joined
Aug 26, 2005
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I recently bought a Sharpmaker and I’ve watched the DVD and I’m starting to get the feel for it. I have two EDC’s that I switch between, the Spyderco Manix and the BM Skirmish 630BK. Everything I’ve read says that the best way to sharpen a knife is to not let in get dull in the first place. So, on to my question, is it best to just touch up these two knives on the Sharpmaker using the white stones? Should I use the corner and then the flat surface of the stone as instructed or just one or the other? Also, keeping in mind that I’m not going to be letting either knife become dull before touching them up should I use the 30 or 40 degree angle? I’m not sure at what angle these two blades are sharpened from the factory.

I really appreciate any information you guys can give me.

Kevin
 
KLJTech said:
I recently bought a Sharpmaker and I’ve watched the DVD and I’m starting to get the feel for it.
Click to expand...
Congrats! :cool:
So, on to my question, is it best to just touch up these two knives on the Sharpmaker using the white stones? Should I use the corner and then the flat surface of the stone as instructed or just one or the other? Also, keeping in mind that I’m not going to be letting either knife become dull before touching them up should I use the 30 or 40 degree angle? I’m not sure at what angle these two blades are sharpened from the factory.

I really appreciate any information you guys can give me.

Kevin
Click to expand...
It really depends on how dull your knives are. Sometimes you can touch-up using just the flats of the whites. Sometimes you have to use the corners of the whites and then the flats. How do you tell? If you start with the flats and the edge doesn't feel sharp, switch to the corners and then go back. Or, you may just decide to go for a few swipes on the brown sticks and then work your way back. The more abrasive your surface, the quicker you'll sharpen.

I test sharpness by slicing newspaper. I also use a simple padded strop of glossy paper rolled around a belt, on a table as a finishing and touch-up tool.

All Spydercos are factory sharpened with double-bevels at 30 degrees with 40 degree edges, inclusive (or 15/20 degrees per side). You shouldn't have to worry about edge angles when starting with the Spyderco.

The Benchmade is a different story - they may use different angles. One trick is to run a black permanent marker along the edge of the blade and then sharpen to see if you are wearing away the steel on the edge. Don't worry, the black marker wears away very quick when sharpening.

If you find that at 40 degrees you aren't sharpening the edge, use the 30s with the brown edges to wear away the shoulders; and then the 40 degree edges to but in the double-bevel. When in doubt, I use the 30s on corners until the edge "feels" sharp, then put the stones into the 40s.

For me, the sharpmaker was the gateway drug. Recently, I correctly sharpened a convex edge using sandpaper and a mousepad, and got a shaving sharp edge. I may someday graduate to the Edge Pro Apex, but for now the Sharpmaker works fine for me! :cool:
 
The marker technique is something I do the first time I sharpen a knife so I can see where I'm at, angle wise.

If I'm way up on the apex of the blade to edge area, I know I got a movie's worth of reprofiling and sharpening ahead.
 
More than likely the Spyderco is at a bit less than 40 degrees, as they ship them that way so you can use the Sharpmaker to keep it sharp (you'll notice Sal mentions this in the DVD).

With the BM, I would first back bevel it at 30 degrees. Be aware that this make take some time.

Once they're sharp, I touch mine up on the flats of the white stone about once a week. I only use the grey stones if I get a small chip in the blade or if I'm back beveling a knife that hasn't been sharpened yet.

Just have some patience and keep the blade straight, that edge will pop out soon enough.
 
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I would guess your Manix is less than 15 degrees per side, maybe even 11-12 per side. My Native was around 12 per side, and my Endura, which is a lot thicker grind than your Manix, was around 15 per side. You can get it plenty sharp on the 15 degree setting, or you can experiment propping things under your sharpmaker to match the factory bevel. I would recommend you do a search in the sharpening forum for more info on thinning the blade, microbevels, ect. to get a good perspective on sparpening. I am a newbe but have learned a lot in the last couple of months, and it's amazing what you can do with a little info and some practice.
 
You've got some good information from the others who've chimed in so far... I'd try to touch them up 5 passes on each side, once a week, if you have carried the knife, then a quick once over with a Tuff Cloth.

I got a bit different in mine... normally 2 passes with the White Corners, then 3-5 passes with the white Flats on most of my knives for touch ups. I've found this works well for me, but it really comes down to how you use the knife and for what purposes. If its a daily use knife that gets regular use, I'd consider the corner pass then the flat pass, otherwise, probably just the flat pass.
 
For your BM 630 use only the corners of the stones so that you won't mess up the recurve edge.
 
Sharpening is very different from honing and touching up the blade. If you sharpen your knife and touching it up using the same system you will be removing excess metal that may not be necessary.

For daily touch try a steel, were the metal of the steel is just harder them the knife. The steel acts by realigning the blades edge, pushing it back into alignment, making it sharp again.
 
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