Sharpening Help Sought

[adanac]

Two questions have I: one general and one specific.

Specific question: I have been told that Crusader Forge knives have an edge sharpened at 20 degrees. Does this mean that my Spyderco sharpener, which sharpens/corrects at 30 and 40 degress, respectively, would be an inappropriate choice to sharpen those knives?

General question: How do I up my sharpening game in general? I'm assuming the Spyderco is not the end-all in knife sharpening. What might my next step be to be a better a more saavy and effective knife sharpener myself?

Please let me know if I have used any terms incorrectly.

Thank you!

 

[Jason B.]

A factory edge can be anything, its done by hand with power equipment over and over and over again. 20 seems to be the standard because it sounds good but with human hands running the show it would be extremely rare to see a perfect bevel of 20 per side. It is always best to set YOUR profile from the start that way you can correct any factory mistakes and get the edge tuned to your liking. You will most likely need a coarse diamond is you do not have one.

The SM 30 and 40 settings are inclusive, this means 15 and 20 per side.

 

[alsj727]

Your sharpmaker is sharpening at 20 degrees. The 40 degree angle is inclusive. Meaning 20 degrees on one side and 20 degrees on the other side 20+20=40 degrees. Same with the 30 degree setting 15+15= 30 degrees.

The Sharpmaker is one of the best on the market. Practice and be patient you will get there soon . Also practice on old knives not on your valuable knives. Hope this helps.

knifenut is exactly right.

Just checked out knifenuts threads on the first sharpening, how to make a stroph etc. Excellent advice for everyone who Sharpens.

 

[Rich S]

Try setting it at 30 degrees if that's possible. I've never used a sharpening guide. I like a narrower bevel and done a bit higher on the blade. By hand, gives me a razor edge.
Rich S

 

[eccvets]

try a paper wheel system. its only 25-35 bucks for the wheels/kit (minus a grinder, find one on craigslist for cheap I suggest) and it will give you a hell of an edge that will beat any Spyderco sharpener in a fraction of the time. cheap and effective, what more could ya possibly want?

 

[rpttrsn]

Two questions have I: one general and one specific.

"Specific question: I have been told that Crusader Forge knives have an edge sharpened at 20 degrees. Does this mean that my Spyderco sharpener, which sharpens/corrects at 30 and 40 degrees, respectively, would be an inappropriate choice to sharpen those knives?"

First Welcome to The Blade Forum
Spyderco is a fine way to maintain a 30 & 40 degree edge as long as you use it properly. Run a sharpie down the angle of the cutting edges of you knife. Then sharpen with a few strokes on each side. Now see where you are making contact with the edge. This will give you a idea what edge angle is on the knife you are sharpening.

"General question: How do I up my sharpening game in general? I'm assuming the Spyderco is not the end-all in knife sharpening. What might my next step be to be a better a more saavy and effective knife sharpener myself?"

This depends on how much you are willing to spend and what type of method you want to use. DMT or Japanese water stones are a good method to freehand sharpen. If you want a method that many feel is the best for sharpening (using a sharpening system) then I would look into the Edge Pro System.
Belt grinders or as mentioned the paper wheels can produce some exceptional edges.
Don't forget leather strops to finish up on. I like diamond spray of 0.50 and 0.25 micron from Hand America.
With any method you choose it is going to take practice.