Sharpening Question

boobar

boobar

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Nov 25, 2002
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I have a Benchmade 943 and right out of the box it is sharp but it is not hair popping sharp. Does anyone know what angle Benchmade puts on their blades from the factory and what angle the knife should be sharpened at to get it to that hair popping finish. I am planning on picking up a Lansky sharpener to do this with, any thoughts on that system, good or bad, would also be appreciated.

Let me know

LONG LIVE THE FORUM.
 
I dont know the angle sorry . The lansky in my opinion is kinda cheap. Also the blade slips from the clamp the rods are dented from the screws.I seem to notice the stones are not holding up very well .I always seem to take more off of one side then the other with the lansky. I think I will be saving up and get the edgepro . I can get a knife hair poping sharp , but still want something better .
 
All I'll say is that I have a Lansky that is now gathering dust, while I use my Edge-Pro all of the time. I highly recomend the Edge-Pro, but if you're on a budget a Spyderco Sharpmaker is also very effective, it just takes a lot longer. I'm sure the diamond rods would speed up the process a lot, but if you're going to spend that much money I would just bite the bullet and get an Edge-Pro. I don't know what angle Benchmade uses at the factory; I would guess it's a bit thick for truly outstanding performance. You'll probably want to just reprofile it to match the angle of whatever system you decide to buy. Good luck; feel free to e-mail me if you've got other questions or want me to clarify something. I'm a little drowsy at the moment so I may be typing gibberish without realizing it. Let us know how it goes.
 
Thanks for the info, anybody else have an opinion on the subject?
 
I have a Benchmade 806D2 AXIS AFCK and 550 Griptilian. I reprofiled them both using a Spyderco 204 Sharpmaker. I did the 806D2 at 30* and the 550 with a 30* back bevel and a 40* edge. Color the edge with a magic marker so you know when you have removed enough material so you don't remove too much. I recommend the Sharpmaker highly for it's convenience and near-idiot-proof useability.

You can also put a convex edge on a knife using a mouse pad and sand paper. See Buzzbait's Convex Edge Page. If you follow Buzz's instructions, it is almost as easy as using the Sharpmaker. Hand American Made sells wet/dry silicon carbide paper that works great for this purpose. I just got done putting a convex edge on a Gerber Yari and it really improved its performance--especially on wood.
 
The great thing about the Edge Pro is the ability to quickly find out the bevel angle of any blade and then sharpen exactly at that angle......and then to be able to come back weeks later and set the Edge Pro to that exact angle again.

Saves so much time and keeps the edge looking corect as well as being sharp.
 
EdgePro is a great system, but ya know, I'd say 90% of my sharpening is done freehand, I wonder why that is?
 
You can use the magic marker trick to find the angle, jig a hone at an angle (as in a vice, or by putting something under one end), start with a small angle, draw the knife across horizontally, check the edge, adjust the angle and repeat until the marker removed coincides with the edge bevel, measure with a protractor, if your jig is stable enough you can even use it to sharpen the knife.
 
Originally posted by boobar
Thanks for the info, anybody else have an opinion on the subject?
Click to expand...

Learn how to freehand sharpen. Like others have sugested, try the mouse pad trick. If you need help check the FAQ on BF for sharpening.


You be happier.


:D
 
Originally posted by T. Erdelyi
EdgePro is a great system, but ya know, I'd say 90% of my sharpening is done freehand, I wonder why that is?
Click to expand...

For me, once I got it down, I could touch up an edge leaning against a doorframe, watching TV, with a phone tucked between my ear and shoulder, one hand holding a pocket stone and the other stroking the edge against the stone, the entire time jabbering away with my ex-wife.

As for using a benchstone, I find that I can keep a consistent angle longer, and make adjustments instantly to suit the edge by feeling the drag and stroke of the blade. Granted, reprofiling a blade takes a lot more attention and concentration, but then, 90% of my sharpening is simply to touch up.
 
Originally posted by T. Erdelyi
EdgePro is a great system, but ya know, I'd say 90% of my sharpening is done freehand, I wonder why that is?
Click to expand...

Why? Because freehand is the down-home, honest, get-your-hands-dirty way to do it right. :D

I am gonna go check out this Edgepro but regardless of what I find, I still think that good ol' "by hand" is the best way to sharpen a knife. One reason is that you can do it anywhere, if you are in practice. You may not always have the ability to set up some sharpening "rig." Likewise, if you are dependent on a guide that pre-sets your sharpening angle, if you ever don't have the guide, you are screwed. Hand-sharpening is the key to versatility.

I recently got a DMT Dia-sharp at a gun show. It's a tiny one, but it was all I found. I got the coarse version, because I needed something to take off metal more quickly. Well, now I am firmly fond of this thing and will be soon getting a larger size (something like 2x8 in.) for better utility with all my knives, instead of just the smaller ones.

The Dia-sharp is just a flat rectangular "stone" with a diamond coating. You must be able to sharpen freehand to use it. After the edge is profiled how you want it, you switch to your ceramic stones like my Spyderco Whet Stone or Profile.

I also do swear by the "magic marker technique" for acquiring the correct angle on which to sharpen. It really works. I used to worry that it would clog the stones, but it doesn't seem to cause any problem.

Keep at it and keep learning.

---Jeffrey
 
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