Sharpmaker 204 help needed

bagman

bagman

Joined
Oct 5, 1998
Messages
654
I jsut received my 204 last thursday and, as one does, decided to sharpen some knives.

I sharpened my BM 705BT and the plain edge section of an AFCK. In both cases I went through stages 1 to 4 of the instruction book with the two sets of stones. I raised a burr each time on each edge and then finally alternated between stones each swipe getting progressivly lighter each time on the final white flat edge and stropped off the burr on cardboard.

With neither blade could I get the edge shaving sharp.

Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong please?

------------------
Harvey Wareham

Live Long & Prosper, so you can buy more knives


 
I dont know that you are doing anything wrong. It has been my experience, some of my Benchmades have been easy to put a shaving edge on, while other Benchmades would never shave no matter how long I worked at it. I am no expert, but it appears Benchmade edges are not always consistent as far as edge thickness goes. Its possible the edges on your are to thick? If so, then it will just take time to sharpen it down to the correct angle. My Spyderco knives have always been easy to bring to a hair popping edge. It seems thier edges are just very consistant. Fortunately for you, there are plenty of people on this forum that could be called sharpening experts and are glad to offer advice. When one of them sees this im sure they will gladly help ya out.
 
Not to insult your intelligence: I generally start of with the brown rods with the triangle tip pointing in if the knife is mediocre, move to the flats next, and then the same order with the white. I don't have a strop, I usually use my hand to break burr (some ol' woodworkerd taught me this...be careful...lol). Are you sure you are using the right angle? Use the broader/wider angle. NOT the sharper one - from the top you can't see the markings, you need to remove the brass/bronze safety rods (which I KNOW you are using)....small raised writing but it is legible. The pressure is harder at first and the final passes I barely press at all.

BM had pretty hard ATS-34, perhaps you need more brown rod work? Was the factory edge hair pooping, or mediocre?

Ray 'md2020'

 
If you want to go into sharpening the RIGHT way, get yourself a copy of "The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening", by John Juranich. You can find Razor Edge Systems on the web. This book is EXCELLENT, and a VERY nice companion to the Spyderco SharpMaker 204 video... I REALLY recommend it!
 
maddog - no offence taken, yes I did exactley as you laid out. on my 705 I had already thined out the edge to 15 degrees with my Gatco clamp set and then sharpened at 19 as recomended by Joe Talmadge a couple of weeks ago and it was pretty sharp but not hair popping. I then resharpened on the 204.

I am going to try my Calypso Jrn tonight to see how that goes.
 
Well, the Calypso jr will be sharp like a shaving razor. The steel (AUS-8) is very easy to resharpen on the Sharpmaker, it only needs good "burr management".
Remember to draw the edge BACKWARDS on your fingernail to detect the burr, and then alternate on the white stones with very light pressure to take it completely off.

You will be amazed.
 
Since bagman raised a burr on each side, we know he's going far enough, no need to question the angle used. I can get my Benchmade's shaving sharp with a 15-, 20-, or 15/20 edge, no problem. Everything you did sounds right to me. Once you get the burr, you are assured the topmost part of the edge is very thin and should cut like crazy. The only thing I can think of is that when you started alternating, you got a little sloppy, is that possible? Make sure you hold the spine straight up, take your time, and you're not done with the fine stones until all the scratches from the coarse stones are gone.

Joe
jat@cup.hp.com
 
I'm having the same problem with my 204. I can get a spydie shaving sharp, and a bunsh of other blades, but I just received a Tom Johaning fixed - LOVE the knife, but the edge was nonexistent. I've spent a couple of hours on the 204, and can't get it past 'toy knife' sharp. Do I need to go back to the 30-degree stuff and work until my arm hurts, before moving to the 40 and the white stones?
 
Joe - I sharpened my Calypso Jrn last night and while it would shave with quite a bit of pressure it was no were near the factory edge.

It could be that I am getting a bit sloppy on the alternating strokes at the end, I will try to be more carefull next time.

 
Well, the Calypso jr. should be sharper than you describe. You are doing something wrong, but what?

Maybe you use quick strokes like a bucher using a steel in a hurry. Try slow, deliberate movement of the blade, absolutely perpendicular to the base, and, as Joe said on an earlier thread, be careful not to let the tip slide off the stone or you will lose the sharp point of the blade.
 
On EVERY Benchmade I have tried to sharpen I had to break out the old Lansky, to thin the edge out. Hours on the sharpmaker had NO effect. Once I thinned the edge out with some dry Lansky stones (still took an hour) they took an edge no problem. I noticed that if I sat down while I sharpended I would wobble the blade enough that I could get a burr, while still cutting up on the shoulder of the blade. I now sharpen standing at the breakfast bar, or kneeling at the coffee table.

pat
 
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