Sharpening on Sharpmaker

[Antihero17]

It seems like I can get all my knives sharped with the medium (brown) stone than the fine (white) stone. Why is this? I can get all my knives to shave hair like a razor on the medium stone but cant seem to get them as shaving sharp on the fine.

 

[lazerboy2000]

I'm not an experience sharpener by any means but I think the reason is that the fine grit stone is meant for fine tuning an edge and will take several strokes before much affect. On the otherhand, the medium grit is meant for taking a rougher edge and begin to smooth it out and it will give a sharp edge quicker than the fine grit, but not as sharp.

The whole point with having both grits is that you start with the medium and then proceed to the fine grit to get a hair-splitting supersharp edge. Its not like you just only use one stone.

I would assume that you know what you're doing, since you're a gold member since 2007, and perhaps my answer isn't helping you any but the way you have your post worded it seems that you're only using one stone.

 

[bobofish]

Well just as a troubleshoot, is the sharpmaker new? If the white rods haven't had their surface "cracked" they will do funny things to your blade rather than sharpen it.

 

[Antihero17]

Well just as a troubleshoot, is the sharpmaker new? If the white rods haven't had their surface "cracked" they will do funny things to your blade rather than sharpen it.

Its not new but It hasnt seen a lot of use I suppose. How do you tell when the surface of the white stones has been "cracked"

 

[Zeasor]

Its not new but It hasnt seen a lot of use I suppose. How do you tell when the surface of the white stones has been "cracked"

One technique I have seen for preparing the surfaces is to rub the stones together. Make sure you contact all the surface. My white stones are not perfectly straight so rubbing them together for full contact takes some maneuvering.

 

[matt321]

I've used the Sharpmaker for a few years now. It works great most of the time, but I still get mystery results too. Here are a few ideas you could pursue:

1. Your fine stones may sit up steeper in the slots than the medium stones (just a tad). Thus you are only catching the bevel shoulders with the fines.

2. You may be using too much force on the fines resulting in a distortion of the edge or creation of a very fine burr.

3. The fine stones are dirty, or maybe they have imperfect faces or edges that scuff things up.

4. Your blade steel or bevel geometry is somehow not compatible with the fine stones.

5. Maybe the fines are breaking off a thin burr leaving a dull edge.

6. The results from the fines may be sharper; you just think otherwise because your testing method is flawed or biased.

7. Your not holding your mouth right or the moon phase is all wrong?

 

[Lurker]

The fine stones cut extremely slowly, so it will seem to take forever to sharpen anything on them. They are best used to refine and polish an edge that is already sharp, such as one sharpened on the brown stones.

 

[rpttrsn]

Yea! Like Lurker said. I think that is how Spyderco explains it.

 

[440hard]

One way cracking is like Zeasor said, rubbing them together. I
like putting one stone horizontal in a top tray of the sharpmaker.
That holds one stone well, rub them together then rotate
sides and repeat.

For folders, once I have the knife sharp on the brown stones, I
like to flip the sharpmaker base over and put the white stones
side-by-side and use them like a mini-benchstone. I swipe 5 times
each side until I have about 75 to 100+ strokes on each side.
It's easy to hold the sharpmaker upside-down safely like this. I go slow,
and never let the blade tip leave the stones. I always get a sharper
edge than the brown stones alone, using the fine stones this way.

Good practice, good results.

-Ron