Sharpening S30V Help

C

CraigTbone

Joined
Mar 4, 2019
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121
I have read so many threads about sharpening that I am overwhelmed.

I have several Benchmade Ritter Griptillians. Over the many years of knife use I have tried to learn free hand sharpening but that skill has eluded me. Some years ago I purchased a Spyderco Sharpmaker. For my other knives it provides an acceptable edge.

The medium stone does not provide any sharpening to the S30V blades though. No surprise really. The diamond rods are somewhat effective but seem rather coarse. Spyderco does not have fine diamond triangular rods.

Should I just accept the rougher edge from the diamond rods? I do not use a knife a lot. Casual edc.

Do I need to get a better sharpener? There are so many sharpening sharpening systems these days that look really great. What should I look for?

This issue has probably been addressed here but my searching did not find it.
 
Might consider a different diamond hone. I've liked either of DMT's Coarse (325) or Fine (600) hones for nearly exclusive use on S30V - that steel gets very, very simple to maintain with just one of those. The 600 is easier to get a feel for at first, and will produce a great working edge for S30V. But as your touch for them improves, the Coarse (325) and even DMT's Extra-coarse (220) diamond hones can produce excellent, viciously-slicing edges.

Even though many mainstream diamond hone brands like DMT, Eze-Lap, Fallkniven, etc. are generally similar in terms of their grit ratings, there are noticeable differences in how keen & clean the edge will be from using each of them. This is why I've preferred DMT's hones over others - they leave a much more uniform, clean & relatively burr-free edge that needs little else, in terms of cleaning up burrs & such.

Spyderco's Sharpmaker ceramics can be useful for very, very light deburring of S30V, after using the diamond to set the new edge. The key is to use the ceramics very minimally - just enough to lightly brush away the burr remnants left by the diamond. No more than that, to preserve the bite left by the diamond.
 
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Something must be going on with your technique, or rods, or both. I have sharpened everything from high-carbon steels to S30V to Elmax, M390, 20CV, and Magnacut with a Sharpmaker and never encountered a situation where the rods (diamond, medium, fine, and ultra-fine) just flat out weren't removing material. My first hair whittling edge was created on a Sharpmaker, and the knife was a Spyderco in CPM S30V. Bob Terzuola Slipit, I still miss that knife.

I would begin with cleaning your stones. I like to scrub them with a scouring pad or toothbrush and a powdered cleaner like Barkeeper's Friend or Ajax. This will remove any loading/swarf that could be clogging the stones and making them less effective.

My next suggestion would be to color the edge bevel with a Sharpie and make several passes over the corner of one of your brown/gray medium rods. The Sharpie will be removed and you will see bare steel where you are making contact. I highly suspect that some combination of the factory grind and the way you're holding the knife leads to the edge not being in contact with the rods. Maybe the factory angle is significantly steeper or shallower than the 20 degrees per side of the Sharpmaker. The diamond rods remove material in a hurry so after a quick session with them you have likely reset the bevel to whatever angle you're obtaining from using the Sharpmaker. You should be able to further refine the edge from there with the progression of stones included with the system.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Even though many mainstream diamond hone brands like DMT, Eze-Lap, Fallkniven, etc. are generally similar in terms of their grit ratings, there are noticeable differences in how keen & clean the edge will be from using each of them. This is why I've preferred DMT's hones over others - they leave a much more uniform, clean & relatively burr-free edge that needs little else in terms of cleaning up burrs & such.
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This surprised me. I've had no complaints with the Eze-Lap plates that I have.

C CraigTbone

You could look into a guided system. There are plenty of good ones out there. My advise though is to just practice free hand sharpening with a cheap knife or two. It isn't as hard to learn as it seems and you will be glad once you start getting good results.

If you want to stick to the Sharpmaker, you may want to add a strop and maybe compound to refine your edge as well. This should help with the coarseness of your finished edge.
 
CraigTbone said:
I have read so many threads about sharpening that I am overwhelmed.

I have several Benchmade Ritter Griptillians. Over the many years of knife use I have tried to learn free hand sharpening but that skill has eluded me. Some years ago I purchased a Spyderco Sharpmaker. For my other knives it provides an acceptable edge.

The medium stone does not provide any sharpening to the S30V blades though. No surprise really. The diamond rods are somewhat effective but seem rather coarse. Spyderco does not have fine diamond triangular rods.

Should I just accept the rougher edge from the diamond rods? I do not use a knife a lot. Casual edc.

Do I need to get a better sharpener? There are so many sharpening sharpening systems these days that look really great. What should I look for?

This issue has probably been addressed here but my searching did not find it.
Click to expand...
Its easy to get overwhelmed with too much information and advice. I think understanding the basics is most important and thats what helped me get consistent results and better understand the process.

With what you have you should get good results, no need to get anything else. I'd sharpen on the coarse diamond at the 15 degree until you achieve the best results you can using light pressure and consistency. I'd then progress to the fine ceramic using the 20 degree slots and using light pressure set a small micro bevel.
 
I believe that the Sharpmaker is set for 15 or 20 degrees per side, although I have no Spydercos that are ground at those angles from the factory.

My Griptilians came from the factory at 21 to 23 degrees per side. If your Griptilian is similar, it may take a while to get the bevel down to 20 degrees with a Sharpmaker. Use the marker method that Ilikesharpstuff recommended to see how much progress you are making.
 
chalby said:
This surprised me. I've had no complaints with the Eze-Lap plates that I have.

C CraigTbone

You could look into a guided system. There are plenty of good ones out there. My advise though is to just practice free hand sharpening with a cheap knife or two. It isn't as hard to learn as it seems and you will be glad once you start getting good results.

If you want to stick to the Sharpmaker, you may want to add a strop and maybe compound to refine your edge as well. This should help with the coarseness of your finished edge.
Click to expand...
I haven't complained about my Eze-Lap either. It's just that I've noticed subtle differences between them in how they work - most of that relating to burrs left and final keenness of the edge. Eze-Lap is pretty good, and I could make good use of it if I otherwise didn't have access to the DMTs. But I've become spoiled with the DMTs, in that they make refinement nearly effortless. Even after I've used my Eze-Lap to set a new edge, I apply the final passes with a DMT for the sake of cleaning up the edge. This is just because they're that much easier to produce a more refined result and need essentially no deburring work after the fact, even in coarser grit. The other brands I've tried always need a little more time & fussing with the edge to clean it up to the same degree.
 
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Thanks for all the input. I tried the Sharpmaker again on the S30V Benchmade. The diamond rods worked better than I remembered. Using the Sharpie marking technique the blade was sharpened to 40° included angle from Benchmade. I am fine with that so I sharpened with the diamond rods and deburred with the medium (brown) rods. The edge is smoother and sharper than I expected. Some of you folks might want it sharper but it is ok for my needs.

Are there any good books or resources for learning all the details of sharpening?
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I haven't complained about my Eze-Lap either. It's just that I've noticed subtle differences between them in how they work - most of that relating to burrs left and final keenness of the edge. Eze-Lap is pretty good, and I could make good use of it if I otherwise didn't have access to the DMTs. But I've become spoiled with the DMTs, in that they make refinement nearly effortless. Even after I've used my Eze-Lap to set a new edge, I apply the final passes with a DMT for the sake of cleaning up the edge. This is just because they're that much easier to produce a more refined result and need essentially no deburring work after the fact, even in coarser grit. The other brands I've tried always need a little more time & fussing with the edge to clean it up to the same degree.
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Interesting. I can't say I've ever noticed anything like that, but I will take notice next time and see if I can see what you are describing.
 
CraigTbone said:
Thanks for all the input. I tried the Sharpmaker again on the S30V Benchmade. The diamond rods worked better than I remembered. Using the Sharpie marking technique the blade was sharpened to 40° included angle from Benchmade. I am fine with that so I sharpened with the diamond rods and deburred with the medium (brown) rods. The edge is smoother and sharper than I expected. Some of you folks might want it sharper but it is ok for my needs.

Are there any good books or resources for learning all the details of sharpening?
Click to expand...
I have found that the diamond rods are very effective and quick, however they are very course. I found that if I used them to re-profile only and didn't go all the way to the Apex of the edge, then created the burr using the brown rods, the final edge was much more refined. If you really want great edges using the sharpmaker, use the diamond rods to completely reprofile using the 30 degree slots, then create a micro bevel using the brown and white rods using the 40 degree slot. It will be a big improvement in cutting power and will be easier and quicker for all future touch ups. S30V will easily take a 30 degree primary bevel and hold up well.

BTW, what stones were you using when trying to learn freehand sharpening?
 
Have you cleaned your SharpMaker stones?

I've never had any issues with S30 on a SM
 
The thing with the Sharpmaker is that it is a Spyderco product and probably designed for the primary grinds that they put on their blades, normaly between 15 - 17 degrees per side, (30 - 34 degrees inclusive).
When using the 20 Degree Slots ( 40 Degree inclusive ) it puts a perfect microbevel on the primary edge without much effort ( ceramic rods aren't the quickest cutters ).
If you are using the Sharmaker, like the OP on a Benchmade or another brand, where the primary bevel is around 20 degrees or greater, then the slow cutting ceramic rods are not hitting the Apex of the edge. What is happening is the primary bevel is being reprofiled, not sharpened and often takes an incredibly long time before you are reaching the apex. S30V being an excellent steel with high abrasion resistance makes the job even tougher ( longer ). If you want that Ritter Grip ( excellent knife BTW ) to turn into a pocket scalpel, then Diamond rods on the 30's and microbevel with the ceramics on the 40's.
 
The sharpmaker ceramic rods work just fine for my knives in that steel. They get screaming sharp, actually. I think your technique may be off.
 
I'm guessing that you haven't apexed the edge. It would take ages to significantly lower the edge angle using the brown rods. Use the diamond rods to raise a burr before you move on to the brown rods.
 
This great input.

Stockman, when I was a teenager I purchased an Arkansas stone, white. That is likely hard so that might be one reason I had difficulty sharpening with it. I have a few carborundum stones that came from my father & grandfather.

I ordered "The Razors Edge" so I am looking forward to reading that.

When I get a little time I think I will change the primary bevel to 30° with the diamond rods and deburr with the ceramic at 40°.
 
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