Reprofiling a Strider SNG - Anyone local?

Jetlau3111

Jetlau3111

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
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Hey guys,

Anyone here in Los Angeles that would be willing to reprofile a Strider SNG for me?

I have a Sharpmaker with Diamond, medium, and fine stones, but am pretty sure that this would take a long time even with the diamonds...
Additionally, I've never had great luck getting the knife tips very sharp on my own using just the SM.

Anyone here locally that can/would do it? Love to hear any recommendations.

I've had a few knives sharpened at Ross Cutlery downtown and they are pretty decent also... so that maybe my backup option.
 
I have a good friend that lives in a little town outside of LA. He is the best sharpener I know and he taught me everything I know.
 
This is just my suggestion, but I feel you would broaden your horizons if you learned to re-profile the edge yourself. Yes it may take a while, but there is something rewarding about it.
It's also not that hard. Just time consuming. A simple inexpensive lansky system with a good finishing stone will do wonders. Once you have the experience, no more sending the knives off and paying someone for what you can do yourself. And probably do a better job. I know this is not what you asked , but, like I said, just a suggestion.
 
Take your time, do it yourself, and you will be that much more proud of it afterward.
The Spyd diamond rods are pretty abrasive and shouldn't make the reprofiling too difficult.
 
So should I start with the 40 degree rods and do passes on the diamond flats alternating until I get the results I want?

Roughly how long would this take for a knife ground to 45 degrees inclusive (S30V)?
 
Thinner is better so I would aim for 30 inclusive. How long it takes is how long it takes, you grind until finished.

Use the flats of the diamond rods or a large benchstone would be even better.
 
The reason why you have trouble getting the tip sharp is that you are not accounting for the curvature of the blade. If you simply draw straight, the tip won't be hit by the sharpmaker rods. For example say you are sharpening a knife with a clip point blade on a benchstone. If you simply pushed forward, the tip won't get sharp because of the upward sweep that sits above the stone. To account for that sweep, you need to lift the knife handle as you do your forward push stroke to hit the front end/tip where the knife starts to curve. This is the same concept with the sharpmaker except going vertically not horizontally. As you draw the knife through you need to angle your handle tilting the blade making sure you hit the tip.

All this is conceptual and very basic. There is a plethora of information on youtube and on the forums that can greatly help your sharpening endeavor. You just actually need to put in some effort.
 
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I've been using the SM for a while so not entirely a noob... when I say I have a harder time getting the tip sharp, its sometimes for specific knives. I had no issues with my PM2 or Delica, but have had a hard time with my Lionspy and ZT 0550. I think part of the issue is the 0550 started out very dull already at the tip. I find getting a sharp edge back on once the knife is dull is much easier along the back of the blade than at the tip...
 
With knives like the lion spy and 0550. They have alot more belly and you really need to practice rotating the tip of the knife down far enough as you make your strokes. If you use sharpie you will be able to keep an eye on where you are finishing.
I use the sharpie trick on a every knife at the tip, just to make sure I am getting it perfect without rounding it .
Good luck, and yes. With a strider, of which I have owned a few. Sharpen it at 30 degrees . 15 per side and just finish with a 40 degree micro bevel. It will improve the cutting power and be plenty tough. I put my edge through anything you could think of and it was just fine.
 
Don't use too much pressure, especially on those diamond rods. I don't use my SM rods anymore but I remember the diamond rods being very aggressive and didn't require much pressure at all.
Once you get the sharp maker figured out, you should switch to freehand and see how you do.
The sharp maker did wonders for teaching me about angles.
And the sharpie trick works great like others have said.
 
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