Sharpmaker 204 question

[GaryM]

I have a few questions but first will give some background. I am very new to knife sharpening. After reading several threads and faqs on the subject I decided on this unit. I watched the video/read instructions and started sharpening. So here are the questions.

1. Is anyone getting scarry sharp results? If so is this condition somewhat dependant on steel type?

2. Do your rods seem to fil with steel rather quickly? I lose the grinding feeling from the grey rods within 10 strokes.

3. Are you using the alternate method or sticking to one side until a burr developes? I'm leaning towards the burr method because I find it much easire to keep the blade paralel on the right stick using my left hand. I havn't been able to get the 2nd burr regardless of the # of strokes I use. Am I doing something wrong?

4. My current project is a friends 3" drop point lock back Gerber. It was extremely dull to begin with. Any idea what kind of steel this blade is made of? Its' only stamp is Gerber 600 on one side and Portland,OR USA on the other.
Thanks in advance for any help. Gary

 

[jeegeet]

1. Yes. No.

2. Yes. Use a powdered abrasive cleanser and a scouring pad as suggested in the manual. It will take care of it.

3. It is not very easy to get a burr with the Sharpmaker to begin with. I alternate strokes between sides (so, obviously I have no burr). It is a matter of "feel" and experience. Eventually you'll get it right. Note, that if your knife was dull it is going to take some time.

4. No clue what steel was used here.


Oh yes, and after sharpening i polish the bevels on a razor strop. This makes it really sharp!

Take care,
Kris

 

[Roadrunner]

Sounds like your problem is poor relief on the blade. Relief is the thickness of the blade directly behind the cutting edge. It is very important to have adequate relief when sharpening with the Sharpmaker. If the relief is too thick, you're never grinding in the cutting edge. With the Sharpmaker's extremely fine grit rods, it'll take you days to get good relief with it. I would suggest buying a dual-sided coarse/fine bench stone from your local hardware store. It won't cost you much, and it'll allow you to finally get that wicked edge the Sharpmaker is known for. Just use the coarse side of the stone to grind in a good relief. Use a very shallow angle, about 10-15 degrees. Grind until you get a burr on each side. It shouldn't take too long as the steel Gerber uses isn't too hard. Then go to the Sharpmaker and work in a burr on each side. It shouldn't take nearly as long once you have sufficient relief. If you want more info on this method of sharpening, try to find The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening at your library or buy it from www.razoredgesystems.com . Good luck, and feel free to e-mail me if the link doesn't work or I wasn't clear enough on what I was talking about.

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Just because I talk to myself does not make me crazy. Now, when I listen to myself, that makes me crazy.

 

[GaryM]

Thanks for the insights. I will defenitely be picking up a copy of Razor Edge Book of Sharpening. I guess when it comes to putting an edge on a very dull knife patience is a virtue.

 

[GaryM]

Thanks for the insights. I will defenitely be picking up a copy of Razor Edge Book of Sharpening. I guess when it comes to putting an edge on a very dull knife patience is a virtue.