Sharp Question

Lycosa

Lycosa

Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
43,271
Hi Gang! I like the Emerson edge. I feel these knives cut the best the way they come from Emerson. Altho, I had an HD7 that was Kreined and this was my sharpest Emerson. But, it was a zero grind and Tom finished the edge just like EKI does.
Do you guys feel the Sharpmaker, or an other sharpening system, can make the edge cut as well as the Emerson edge?
 
That's a good question, i also like the edge from the factory though I haven't resharpened mine but I assume it will, I've used the sharpmaker countless times and it does a superb job; I would think I'd use the left stone to sharpen the chisel edge and get rid of the bur with the right one.
I'm sure someone else has used the sharpmaker with success; now I'm curious to find out.
If you try it let us know how it turned out...
 
I would be interested in hearing as well...i always touch up by hand and frankly it never seems as good after.
 
I keep with the emerson grind on my 13. It runs about 16 degrees from the factory. I just use the 15 setting on my sharpmaker on the proper side of the edge. Finish with one very easy stroke on the other side to knock the burr. Then strop and I have a better than factory edge from any company.

Rolf, is your issue getting it sharp with the chizel edge they use? The sharpmaker does wonders.
 
Last edited:
BellaBlades said:
I keep with the emerson grind on my 13. It runs about 16 degrees from the factory. I just use the 15 setting on my sharpmaker on the proper side of the edge. Finish with one very easy stroke on the other side to knock the burr. Then strop and I have a better than factory edge from any company.

Rolf, is your issue getting it sharp with the chizel edge they use? The sharpmaker does wonders.
Click to expand...
I think this touches on one of the most important parts of sharpening the chisel grind. I have a CS XL Tanto Voyager combo and could never get it razor sharp until I finished with that final stroke for burr removal. When sharpening wood chisels I always stroke the back across fine sand paper to accomplish the same.
 
Thanks guys.
For touch-up, I use a water stone, 800 grit, and then knock that burr off and strop.
If I had to sharpen more often, I'd get a small bench grinder.
 
I use a Ken Onion worksharp (which is a small belt/bench grinder) on all my knives.

I get razor sharp edges that you can see your reflection in.

~John
 
Thanks, John. I'll look into one.
btw, I pull the blade backwards when I use the water stone. A Japanese gentleman showed me this technique.
 
I think I will upgrade to a new stone soon. I prefer to free hand.
What grit would be comparable to the ceramics of the sharpmaker. Im guessing 800/1200.
 
Lycosa said:
Thanks, John. I'll look into one.
btw, I pull the blade backwards when I use the water stone. A Japanese gentleman showed me this technique.
Click to expand...

For some reason I do the same with a stone. The opposite the the sharpmaker. I drag heel to tip.
 
Yep! that's the way! imo.
I found 1000 grit gives a too polished edge but that's just me.
 
I use the SM occasionally. I've found that all of my Emersons have slightly different angles, which is consistent with what Ernest said we could expect since they do shoot for particular angle when doing the factory sharpening on a new knife. I use a Sharpie and mark the edge, then figure out what the right angle should be by the missing marker.

Mostly, though, I use balsa strops and diamond compound or spray. I don't so anything that really destroys an edge, so frequent touch-ups on loaded strops work fine for me. I really like diamond-loaded balsa strops. I get good results on my Emersons, Doziers, and Barkies with them.
 
I buy my balsa strops from HandAmerican. They have some really nice strops with magnetic backs that attach to the heavy steel base they also sell. The diamond spray I used this time came from them, but it's a Ken Schwartz product. I'm using the 1.5 micron spray on the strop this time. I've used 3 micron spray and 5 micron paste in the past, but the 1.5 micron spray just gives me really outstanding results on both the balsa and my suede leather two-sided strop from SharpeningSupplies.com.
 
I'm real interested in this topic as well. I just called the factory and was told by the lady that the cutting edge on all their knives runs between 25-30 deg. BellaBlades's must have slipped through the cracks if his is at 16 deg. So with the SM, you'll either need to hold the knife at a slant with the base flat, or hold at the usual 90 deg with the SM tilted, since it does at most a 20 deg with the flat base. Member drfosg8 has a thread here where he rigged his SM to get the correct angle. I plan to build a jig to hold the rods at the correct angle in my wood vise and use my AngleCube to adjust it. I'm more consistent holding the blade straight up and down.
 
Last edited:
dalefuller said:
I buy my balsa strops from HandAmerican. They have some really nice strops with magnetic backs that attach to the heavy steel base they also sell. The diamond spray I used this time came from them, but it's a Ken Schwartz product. I'm using the 1.5 micron spray on the strop this time. I've used 3 micron spray and 5 micron paste in the past, but the 1.5 micron spray just gives me really outstanding results on both the balsa and my suede leather two-sided strop from SharpeningSupplies.com.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info man, I really appreciate it. About two months ago I bought a knife from a great guy here and he sent me a syringe with 1 micron lapping paste, THK diamond tools; I guess I can use that right? Or would you start with something else? Anyway, thanks for the info, I have to do some research on this since I've never done it before.
I also have a KME sharpener, which I really like, but the idea of keeping an edge with a strop is an easier solution for maintenance.
 
^^ Use the web site for Chef Knives to Go. That's where HandAmerican lists their products as well as Ken Schwartz's sprays. Stropping is also a nice skill to develop. It frees you from being tied to a system. Yes, you can use the 1 micron diamond paste. I've used 1 micron paste from DMT myself. I just like the spray a little better.

1 micron might not give you results as fast as a different size would. With micron sizes, the bigger the number the rougher the compound is. With "grit" sizes on standard stones or sandpaper, it's just the opposite. The bigger the grit number the finer the surface of the stone or sandpaper is.

The diamond paste will be like toothpaste. It'll need to be spread fairly evenly but not too thick. It doesn't take a lot to be effective. I use a rubber kitchen glove to spread it after I put a few little mounds in various places n the strop. A new strop that's clean will soak up a little more of the compound than a strop that's been used & cleaned. You might need to put a second light coat on the new wood strop. Light and thin is still the way to go, though. I don't like my strops to be caked with compound.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top