Sharpening Tips Needed!!!

B

blade2015

Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Messages
6
Hi Everyone,
I was hoping I could get some experienced advice from everyone. I am horrible at sharpening knives. I have recently purchased a sharpmaker which I am still getting used to, and is helping some, but still not getting seriously sharp edges. I can shave hair if the edge was already somewhat sharp, but if it was too dull to cut paper I am pretty much staying that way. Now here is the real kicker. Recently I have upped my knife game and bought a 940-1 with s90v (hardest steel before this was VG-1 for my kitchen knives). I did my research pre-purchased and was well aware of how notoriously hard it is to sharpen. I just couldn’t resist. My thoughts were worse case I would use lifesharp services. I did also purchase the sharpmaker diamond rods as well as the UF and a Strop. My questions are:

1. Can the sharpmaker with the diamond rods handle a steel as hard as s90v?
2. Which angle do I use ( 40, 30, 30 back bevel and 40 edge etc.?)
3. Do I just use the Diamond rods and strop or should I go through all four rods finishing with a strop?
4. What tips can you give me to help get that razor edge I so badly want?
At this point I am scared to try sharpening the s90v for fear of doing more harm than good. I keep practicing on my cheap knives, but they are all 440c so it’s going to be a heck of a learning curve when I try and tackle the beast.

Thanks in advance for all your advice.
 
blade2015 said:
1. Can the sharpmaker with the diamond rods handle a steel as hard as s90v?

4. What tips can you give me to help get that razor edge I so badly want?
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1. Yes, as long as you spend enough time with it. I much prefer bench stones, but they come with a bit more of a learning curve.

4. Practice :)
 
Mark edge with sharpie to guide you and sharpen one side till you achieve a burr, then repeat on other side. Practice with an old knife. Keep tip from sliding off the sharpening rod or you will be asking how to repair tip next:D
 
blade2015 said:
1. Can the sharpmaker with the diamond rods handle a steel as hard as s90v?
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Yes, the SM can cut pretty much any steel with the standard rods. The diamonds will cut any steel and cut it way faster than the gray or white rods.

2. Which angle do I use ( 40, 30, 30 back bevel and 40 edge etc.?)
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Someone else already mentioned using sharpie to check your angles. Paint sharpie marker onto the edge bevels of the blade, then do a couple of strokes at the 30 degree setting and look to see where the sharpie is being removed. If it goes all the way to the cutting edge, that angle will work. If not, you'll probably need to reprofile with another system. Or use the 40 degree setting, which a lot of us use. But check with sharpie at the 40 degree setting too. Sometimes you'll get a factory edge that's greater than 40 degrees inclusive and then you'll definitely need to reprofile to a lower angle.

3. Do I just use the Diamond rods and strop or should I go through all four rods finishing with a strop?
Click to expand...

I personally would use the diamond to set the angle, then go to the gray and see how I like the edge. I find the gray works well for a lot of my everyday tasks. The white will get the edge more fine, but it might not perform like you want it to. Or maybe it will. You'll have to try both to see.

4. What tips can you give me to help get that razor edge I so badly want?
Click to expand...

The big thing is to completely apex the edge, which means grinding all the way until the edge bevels meet in the center. Using the sharpie technique from #2 above will help you to see your progress. The real measure though is the burr. You want to form a full length burr on one side of the blade and then the other, then remove it. The burr is the affirmative indicator that you ground ONE side all the way to the edge.

Removing the burr is important too. There's more to be explained than I can do in one post. Do a little research and try it out with some knives you don't care all that much about. Sharpening is the same no matter what the blade steel. The only difference is how long it takes you to get there and the exact pressure required to remove the burr on each type of steel. Basically.

Good luck to you.

Brian.
 
bgentry gave you good advice.

- Use the Sharpie trick to make sure you're properly apexing the edge.
- Get a clean edge before jumping grits (i.e., don't carry a large burr).

These two things are how you get a good edge. Without properly apexing the edge, obviously you aren't going to get the knife sharper. But once you do, you have to be careful not to develop too large a burr. Managing these two things is the heart of sharpening.
 
Great, Thank you for taking the time to spell it out for me. I have been working on getting the burr and it has made a huge difference.
 
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