Sharpening GEC/Northwoods 1095?

jackknife said:
if I weren't so darn old and set in my ways, I may go get a mouse pad and some 600 paper. Very impressive!!
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In truth, that's all that's stopping me Carl! :D I should give it a try sometime :)
 
Every GEC knife I buy gets reprofiled on the Sharpmaker on the 15 degree side. I use the diamond (I think they are diamond) to really get aggressive at removing the steel and getting that nice bevel. Then working my way through the medium, fine, ultra fine and then strop. This has worked for me and I'm really happy with the results.
 
Despite knowing how to freehand and owning multiple stones, I keep going back to the Sharpmaker for everything and finishing with a strop block. I've been using one model or other of the Sharpmaker for almost 25 years now. It takes patience--doesn't everything?--but even D2 and some of the harder stainless steels can be reprofiled, sharpened and maintained with the Sharpmaker. Plus you can sharpen just about every other cutting implement you own with the silly things. I love 'em.

Although I have both the Spyderco diamond rods and the ultra fine ceramic rods, I usually just use the medium and fine ceramic rods that came with the kit. I use the flat side of the medium rods on the 30 degree side to thin the edge and, once it feels about right, I go to the 40 degree side and set the micro bevel with the flat side of the fine rods. A few strops on a piece of leather glued to a wooden bloc and loaded with green compound polishes the edge nicely.

There's been several occasions in which I thought about buying one of the more elaborate and expensive sharpening systems but I keep going back to the Sharpmaker and getting good results. It takes more work and time when you have a damaged or really badly dulled edge but, again--doesn't everything?
 
Just an update. I couldn't get the Sharpmaker to work so I obtained a Lansky guided Arkansas hone set plus a coarse diamond hone. I reprofiled the edge of the Northwoods Burnside using the diamond hone on the second lowest guide hole (nominally 20 degrees). Once I got what looked to be an even bevel on both sides of the blade, I worked my way through thr Arkansas stones ending with the black one.

Now I have a sharp knife and I noticed the edge cuts paper cleanly but feels as if it has less drag than the sharp factory edges I've experienced on Spyderco VG10 and S35 knives. I don't know if this is a function of the 1095 steel or the hones. It isn't necessarily better, just a new experience for me as I've never had a 1095 knife before.
 
padwan08 said:
Just an update. I couldn't get the Sharpmaker to work so I obtained a Lansky guided Arkansas hone set plus a coarse diamond hone. I reprofiled the edge of the Northwoods Burnside using the diamond hone on the second lowest guide hole (nominally 20 degrees). Once I got what looked to be an even bevel on both sides of the blade, I worked my way through thr Arkansas stones ending with the black one.

Now I have a sharp knife and I noticed the edge cuts paper cleanly but feels as if it has less drag than the sharp factory edges I've experienced on Spyderco VG10 and S35 knives. I don't know if this is a function of the 1095 steel or the hones. It isn't necessarily better, just a new experience for me as I've never had a 1095 knife before.
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Factory edges on most knives, including traditional and non-traditional brands, will always be a lot 'toothier', as they typically put the edges on them with pretty coarse media (usually belts) at 220-grit or even lower, maybe down to 120 or so. Compare to the finish left by the sequence of Arkansas stones, finishing with the black hard (a polishing stone), which will leave the edge much more refined. If really polishing with it, that's equivalent to something upwards of 1000 grit or higher to very near-mirror, if fully utilized. That in itself will leave the impression you noticed, of much less drag during cutting. Even more so with most 1095, which is very fine-grained and responds beautifully to such refinement (with good heat treat, of course).

The coarse factory edges on many knives will often be buffed afterwards on a cotton wheel or similar (mostly to clean up burrs), which 'shines' up the toothy edge, but still leaving the relatively coarse teeth intact. The difference in true refinement, between these and the knife you sharpened with the Arkansas stones, would be more apparent when looking at each under good magnification, such as 10X or better, with bright light. That's where the larger teeth of the factory edges really show themselves, even looking more like serrations, as compared to the less toothy appearance of the more refined edge.


David
 
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The best tricks to success with the Sharpemaker is patience, persistence, and clean stones. It takes a while to get the angle set on the blade, as David mentions factory edges are toothy and can be inconsistent. Keeping at it will pay off, provided your technique is solid and not "all over the place". It's easy to roll the wrist and wreck your angle and progress. When the stones get loaded with steel, they stop removing it and makes things frustrating. If you can drag your finger across the stone and you have black all over your finger, time to wash the stones.
 
I haven't had any experinece with GEC 1095 but I sharpen with an old silicon carbide stone and then sand paper on a block of wood with a strop for afters. It works well for me, I never struggle to get shaving sharp free hand. Maybe a selection of grits could help you? There's my two cents. Hope it's helpful.
 
tonystl said:
Every GEC knife I buy gets reprofiled on the Sharpmaker on the 15 degree side. I use the diamond (I think they are diamond) to really get aggressive at removing the steel and getting that nice bevel. Then working my way through the medium, fine, ultra fine and then strop. This has worked for me and I'm really happy with the results.
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I agree, invest in a pair of the sharpmaker diamond rods. They really make re-profiling a breeze on the sharpmaker.
 
I get a medium Arkansas stone, some spit or a drop of water, and a lot of beer. Sit out back and wait for the bread to bake, tend the smoker, and listen to the Katy-dids. It's a zen thing. Turn off the phones, talk to the wife, and sharpen the knife. I sound pretty old for 45, but it's a state of mind. And my state is "youth". I'm thinking of bowhunting deer, keeping my stuff together and sharp, and spending time with the wife. Poke fun with the wife (maybe push her in the hot tub or pool), laugh, swat mosquitos, and wait for the brisket to get done on the smoker. It's life. I have a sharpmaker, works very well. Doesn't scratch the itch though. Sure, I could sharpen a knife in 1 minute on the paper wheels that I have, but....forget it. If you don't know by now......
 
RevDevil said:
The best tricks to success with the Sharpemaker is patience, persistence, and clean stones. It takes a while to get the angle set on the blade, as David mentions factory edges are toothy and can be inconsistent. Keeping at it will pay off, provided your technique is solid and not "all over the place". It's easy to roll the wrist and wreck your angle and progress. When the stones get loaded with steel, they stop removing it and makes things frustrating. If you can drag your finger across the stone and you have black all over your finger, time to wash the stones.
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The Sharpmaker has worked well for me on a lot of my knives but on this GEC, it wouldn't contact the right bevel of the blade. No issues with the left. It seems the right bevel was cut significantly shallower than what the 15dps side could handle.

Reprofiling with the medium was tedious and no one had the diamond rods in stock. The Lansky was available as was their diamond hones so I decided to give it a shot. The whole kit was less money then the diamond Sharpmaker stones.

Managed to get an even edge which now cuts the way a knife ought to. That said, I'll probably get the KME kit for Christmas. :)
 
That is the thing about a Sharpmaker. You often have to change the edge bevel of a blade before it works. Once you get them matched up, though, keeping an edge is quick and easy.
 
matt009au said:
I agree, invest in a pair of the sharpmaker diamond rods. They really make re-profiling a breeze on the sharpmaker.
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Can not stress this enough. Trying to sharpen a GEC out of the tube with just the brown stones is mind numbing. The diamond stones, all sides and all corners, on the back bevel side until the edge appears. Then switch over to the 40deg edge side and do a few passes on the diamond then the browns and the whites.
 
My Dad always says "every man needs a good vice". When it comes to reprofiling: nothing is truer. I have used dollar-store Aluminum Oxide stones and Norton Indian stones (my favorite) but unless you have a vice it's going to take you a while. Put your stone in the vice (use padding) and go to town. I really put the pressure into it at first and before you know it I have a very nice 120 grit edge that just takes a few minutes of free hand on my ceramic stones to polish up.

It's cold going in the winter (water stones and bare hands in the 20 degree garage) but well worth it once I get that edge. Queen D2 will give you excellent practice (and excellent knives once you get it down). Always use the marker trick: otherwise you'll have to start over and over.
 
I generally sharpen free hand on my stones, I use a bark river strop ( from Derrick) for maintenance and it does great generally a couple of passes on green will bring it back to hair shaving. Steven
 
I splurged and purchased a set of diamond sticks for my Sharpmaker, and it is the best sharpening investment I have ever made. I start with the diamond sticks at 30 degrees and keep going until I have a sharp edge, and then go down to the black sticks, and finally white ceramic. It takes a while to get the initial 30 degree bevel with the diamond sticks, but every knife I have put to these has come out sharp.

If I am going to use the blade for whittling, I leave it at 30 degrees. If I am going to use it more for general purposes, I will sharpen the edge again with the 40 degree side of the Sharpmaker, but start with the black sticks (coarse) and then finish with ceramic. It only takes about 10 strokes on each side of the knife to get this secondary bevel.

From that point forward I simply strop my knives after I use them to keep the edge razor sharp. If I am using a knife heavily (like when whittling) I will often stop and strop for a few minutes to keep the edge from flattening too much. If I am using a knife lightly, I strop at the end of the day, or sometimes after a few days.
 
dma1965 said:
I splurged and purchased a set of diamond sticks for my Sharpmaker, and it is the best sharpening investment I have ever made. I start with the diamond sticks at 30 degrees and keep going until I have a sharp edge, and then go down to the black sticks, and finally white ceramic. It takes a while to get the initial 30 degree bevel with the diamond sticks, but every knife I have put to these has come out sharp.

If I am going to use the blade for whittling, I leave it at 30 degrees. If I am going to use it more for general purposes, I will sharpen the edge again with the 40 degree side of the Sharpmaker, but start with the black sticks (coarse) and then finish with ceramic. It only takes about 10 strokes on each side of the knife to get this secondary bevel.

From that point forward I simply strop my knives after I use them to keep the edge razor sharp. If I am using a knife heavily (like when whittling) I will often stop and strop for a few minutes to keep the edge from flattening too much. If I am using a knife lightly, I strop at the end of the day, or sometimes after a few days.
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What is the factory angle for a Northwoods?

HiCap
 
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