Hey everyone! What is the first thing that came to your mind when you saw this? Sharpmaker is not a Reprofiling tool? That about sums it up. I have a benchmade Mountain Skinner in S30v and it was time to sharpen it up. Put it on the spyderco sharpmaker and once again benchmade has 2 completely different angles on the grind. I wanted a 30 degree inclusive (15 per side) for skinning and such. Half of the right side was at 15 while the rest was around 17 and on the left it was around 17-22 the entire length. Tip for all the noobies, don't waste your time with the grey medium stones because it won't even touch it. I picked up the diamonds soon after I realized that. So here I am about 8 hours into Reprofiling and still can't quite get the first 2 inches on the left to 15 degrees. It is good right up to the last tiny bit but then I just can't seem to finish it. Help? That bevel is just growing straight up the side and looks pretty awful, which brings me to a final question. How can I make the entire bevel look even? Certain spots went higher due to the amount of metal I had to remove. (I have been using sharpie on the edge through the whole process.)
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
S30v Sharpmaker Reprofiling Help?
- Thread starter Jared C.
- Start date
David Martin
Moderator
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2008
- Messages
- 19,520
Wow, it should not have taken that long to reprofile / change the edge angle, even with a device. Unless the diamond stone is not coarse enough or worn. I commend you for sticking with it. It sounds like your removing more metal and the stone is struggling to do it. Have you cleaned the stone? I reprofiled my 110 of S30V steel on a coarse SiC Norton stone. It took about one hour. I removed a lot of metal. The edge looked to be 17-18* but straight. I took it down to 15* and cleaned the stone during the process. Consider getting a new X coarse diamond stone. DM
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 13,437
If the blade is very thick and S30V, it doesn't really surprise me if it's taken that long to thin it down a good bit. The small working surface area of the SM's rods really slows things down, even IF you had used the SM's diamond rod option instead of the medium ceramic rods. I had a similar experience with a ZT-0350 in S30V a few years ago, with a Lansky guided sharpener (hones are 4" X 1/2"). Even finishing with their Medium diamond hone, which is likely coarser than the SM's diamond rods, that project took about ~6 hours to bring to an acceptable finish.
If you'd still like to use a guided setup for reprofiling that blade, you might think about using a bench-sized stone in X-Coarse, or at least Coarse grit (~320 or coarser), with an angle guide like DMT's Aligner clamp. A setup like this will also allow a somewhat firmer use of pressure for heavier grinding, as well as a lot more working abrasive surface area. The SM just doesn't work well with any pressure used, demanding a very light touch. Light touch + small hones = it takes FOREVER. Even if not using a guide, a bench-sized Coarse/XC stone (8" or bigger) in diamond or SiC will make a big difference in big grinding jobs like these, cutting the working time down to maybe 10-25% of the time needed to do it on a small guided sharpener like the SM, even IF the SM's diamond rods were used. And I don't even want to think about trying it with the ceramics, as you've discovered; it would take days of grinding and very frequent cleaning of the rods (ceramics clog up FAST with such grinding), if it could work at all.
David
If you'd still like to use a guided setup for reprofiling that blade, you might think about using a bench-sized stone in X-Coarse, or at least Coarse grit (~320 or coarser), with an angle guide like DMT's Aligner clamp. A setup like this will also allow a somewhat firmer use of pressure for heavier grinding, as well as a lot more working abrasive surface area. The SM just doesn't work well with any pressure used, demanding a very light touch. Light touch + small hones = it takes FOREVER. Even if not using a guide, a bench-sized Coarse/XC stone (8" or bigger) in diamond or SiC will make a big difference in big grinding jobs like these, cutting the working time down to maybe 10-25% of the time needed to do it on a small guided sharpener like the SM, even IF the SM's diamond rods were used. And I don't even want to think about trying it with the ceramics, as you've discovered; it would take days of grinding and very frequent cleaning of the rods (ceramics clog up FAST with such grinding), if it could work at all.
David
Last edited:
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2004
- Messages
- 2,270
OwE pretty much nailed it. If you were insistent on using the Sharpmaker... you could get a larger stone and prop it up against the SM rod... that would help a bit. You can also 'scrub' the knife against the stone... working the knife in sections in both directions instead of the 'swipes' that the SM instructions demonstrate. But as you have found, not only is it slow, but hard to maintain an even bevel on such a small stone surface.
But you answered your own question... SM's really not the right tool for this job, even with the use of the diamond rods.
But you answered your own question... SM's really not the right tool for this job, even with the use of the diamond rods.
braillediver
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2007
- Messages
- 3,058
I've sat a file on the Sharpmaker rods and double sided taped 3M Wet \ Dry sandpaper to the rods when I wanted to reprofile an edge.
I'm having trouble picturing this. If you can post a photo we can probably give you specific advice.
Brian.
Thanks for replies everyone! To make a few things more clear, my diamond stones were brand new specifically for this and I'm not interested in buying any other equipment, also. I have been doing my swipes in both directions. One reason that I believe is making it take so long is the fact that my knife has a recurve in it and I have been using the edge of the stone so it makes full contact. I wasn't exaggerating about the time it has taken me. I probably have 10 hours in it now and have tried using the stones both dry and wet and clean them very often. I prefer with a little water on them to make it slide more smoothly. As of right now I believe the entire edge is done except for the first 2 inches or so on both sides. Should I just keep going at it and raising that bevel up until it is complete? I also did a reprofile on my kershaw link to 30 inclusive on just medium stones and it took about this long. That was 420 HC so this S30v must be insanely harder of steel. I'll give you a pic so far. It is really difficult to see, but the first inch or so just isn't sharp, while the rest of the blade is extremely sharp to where it flys through newspaper and shaves easily after being on the ultra fines.
[/URL][/IMG]
[/URL][/IMG]
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2004
- Messages
- 2,270
It's not much of a recurve, so you can use the flat side of the stones... at least you'll have a bit more stone working on it.
Do you have any sandpaper ? Sandpaper will let you use a little pressure and it won't wear on the diamonds .
Also your corners are going to be faster because the contact is smaller so greater pressure in one spot .
Reprofiling takes time. Just keep with it
Also your corners are going to be faster because the contact is smaller so greater pressure in one spot .
Reprofiling takes time. Just keep with it
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2004
- Messages
- 2,270
Personally, I'll take 'more abrasive area removing metal' over "greater pressure in one spot".
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2014
- Messages
- 1,287
Hi,
spyderco sal says
sharpmaker diamonds are 400 mesh or 37 micron or P360
and the effective grits / effective grits are
sharpmaker medium rods 12.5 +/- 1.0 micron or P1500 grit or J1200
sharpmaker fine rods 6.5 +/- 1.0 micron or P2500-P3000 or J2000-J2500
sharpmaker ultra fine rods 3 micron or P6000+
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2014
- Messages
- 1,287
Hi,
How many passes per second or how many seconds per pass?
10 hours * 60 min * 60 seconds = 36000 seconds
If you're dong 1 pass every 3 seconds, thats 10800 passes in ten hours
If you're doing 3 scrubbing passes every 1 second thats 10800 passes in one hour.
Also are you keeping the force under 1lb right ?
if you put sharpmaker on scale, zero scale, and you put knife to stone,
scale should reads 1lb or 1/2lb (esp for tip) or less ... to avoid dislodging the diamonds
In this gif a single slow stroke , keeping knife 90 degrees to the stone to avoid changing outline, you'd do the same with scrubbing passes (90 degrees)
Last edited:
ejames13
Basic Member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2015
- Messages
- 801
1lb?? I've put way more pressure than that on my diamond rods and not had any problem with stones becoming dislodged. They still grind like a champ.
10 hours sounds crazy. I've reprofiled ZDP-189, M390, and s30v on the SM with diamonds and never had it take longer than 2 hours.
10 hours sounds crazy. I've reprofiled ZDP-189, M390, and s30v on the SM with diamonds and never had it take longer than 2 hours.
There is no way you can see the original grind marks, it has to be from the diamonds, because a I know for a fact that I have hit everything except the very edge, and it has definitely removed steel. I have been using around 3/4 to a pound of pressure, and I probably get 1 1/2 strokes a second. Yes I know it is a crazy crazy amount of strokes but that is not what matters. I think it is just about there. I am going to try to finish up the very edge with a bit more of the diamonds and then with the medium stones. I have the rest of the edge wickedly sharp except for this one spot. I haven't noticed any diamond coming off my stones either. I will give the flat side a try rather than using just the corners. I'd also rather use more abrasive than more pressure.
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2014
- Messages
- 1,287
Hi,
How did you check for dislodgment?
if you get some on your hand and shine a flashlight they'll reflect like stars.How many passes on each diamond rod total? Over how many years? Used dry or with oil? Water? with rust inhibitor?
The advice on getting them to last for 20+ years and tens of thousands of passes is use lubrication and 1/2 lb of force . The wider the bevels the lower the pressure.
A little damage is hard to see without magnification , but a lot isn't, see this dmt has 10%-15% damage Also note the contrast, bare metal is shiny (diamonds missing). Unless you're trying to apex with this 100 grit stone, even more than a little damage is not a big deal.
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2014
- Messages
- 1,287
ejames13
Basic Member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2015
- Messages
- 801
Hi,
How did you check for dislodgment?
How many passes on each diamond rod total? Over how many years? Used dry or with oil? Water? with rust inhibitor?
The advice on getting them to last for 20+ years and tens of thousands of passes is use lubrication and 1/2 lb of force . The wider the bevels the lower the pressure.
A little damage is hard to see without magnification , but a lot isn't, see this dmt has 10%-15% damage Also note the contrast, bare metal is shiny (diamonds missing). Unless you're trying to apex with this 100 grit stone, even more than a little damage is not a big deal.
I guess I just assumed they weren't damaged due to the fact that they still cut very well. Maybe they are though!
I've used them dry for about 2 years and have reprofiled maybe 10 knives. The hardest pressure I used was when trying to sharpen a small hatchet (bad idea) when I first got them.
It would be interesting to get some brand new ones and do a comparison.