Sharpmaker and kitchen knife questions

B

Blue Man

Joined
Sep 19, 2001
Messages
73
Hi all...

Thanks for being so helpful in the past.

I have some questions about my Sharpmaker. I've owned it for a while now, but there are still a lot of things I don't understand.

1) With kitchen knives, should I use the Sharpmaker in conjuction with the sharpening steel? Or do I just not use the steel?

2) For plain edge knives that I just want to touch up, do I have to start at step 1, as the instruction manual implies? Or can I start at a later step, like step 3 or 4? This will save me a lot of time!

3) What sharpening method do I use for the Spyderco Santuko? I would have thought I'd sharpen it like a plain edge knife (the normal method). But they have a picture of it on page 10, which makes me think they're trying to tell me to treat it the same as a hatchet? Please advise.

4) How often should I clean my sharpmaker? The line in the instruction manual "when the abrasive areas of your stones are covered with steel, it is time to clean them" isn't very explicit. Is the best method to just throw the stones in the dishwasher? Or to use a scouring pad? What brand pad do you use? Can a pad without powder (Comet) be effective? Comet definitely tends to make a mess.

Thanks!
 
Originally posted by Blue Man

1) With kitchen knives, should I use the Sharpmaker in conjuction with the sharpening steel? Or do I just not use the steel?
Click to expand...

I like to steel my kitchen knives, especially for touch-ups between sharpening. If it's a little dull (starts to mush ripe tomatos) steeling will usually bring it back to very sharp. If its pretty dull, you'll need to use the stones. Probably just the fine stones will do, unless you have major edge damage.

2) For plain edge knives that I just want to touch up, do I have to start at step 1, as the instruction manual implies? Or can I start at a later step, like step 3 or 4? This will save me a lot of time!

See #1. Basically, the duller it is, the earlier in the process you have to start.

3) What sharpening method do I use for the Spyderco Santuko? I would have thought I'd sharpen it like a plain edge knife (the normal method). But they have a picture of it on page 10, which makes me think they're trying to tell me to treat it the same as a hatchet? Please advise.

I've always sharpened the Santoku like a normal plain edge knife. But I don' t have the little book handy in front of me.

4) How often should I clean my sharpmaker? The line in the instruction manual "when the abrasive areas of your stones are covered with steel, it is time to clean them" isn't very explicit. Is the best method to just throw the stones in the dishwasher? Or to use a scouring pad? What brand pad do you use? Can a pad without powder (Comet) be effective? Comet definitely tends to make a mess.

I scrub with dish soap and a scrubber sponge as needed - when there are obvious metal deposits on the ceramic. It's pretty easy to tell with the fine (white) stones. A little elbow grease gets 95% of the metal off. If it feels like sharpening is slowing down, the stone is getting clogged with metal, and you should clean. I don't have an automatic dishwasher, so I don't know how well that would work.

Keep in mind - I'm just a junior sharpener. I'm sure a true sharpening guru will come along presently and tell you I'm full of hooey.

:D
 
For cleaning i use a scouring pad full of abrasive cleanser like Ajax or Comet, infact it doesnt have to be a scouring pad, because the abrasive cleaner will pull the steel out of the blades just fine.

I take a sponge or pad and cover it with comet and then put the stone down in the middle and then close my hand around it and then push the stone back and forth.
 
I know this is a little spendy, but I bought the diamond rods mainly to do the 3 basic Chicago Cutlery knives my wife uses. Saves a lot of time. 20 strokes on the diamonds and 10 on the mediums and there good to go.:)
guy
 
For plain edge kitchen knives I don't use the edges of the rods when I touch up my edges. For a slicing knife I just use a few strokes with on the flats of the brown medium grit rods (step 2). For a chopping knife I might finish with the flats of the white rods (step 2 then step 4). I use the edges of the brown rods if I have to remove a bit more material or if I'm sharpening a serrated blade. I use the edges of the white rods only on serrated blades.
 
Hi all...

Thanks to everyone who replied. I'd love a more definitive answer to question number three though. Maybe since they are both Spydero products, someone from Spyderco could respond?

Thanks again...
 
Do you use your Santakou for slicing or chopping? A thinner edge would be better for slicing (sharpen normally) thicker for chopping (treat like a hatchet). If you're worried about it, just stick with the original edge profile.

You can eyeball it - see which configuration (hatchet or regular) contacts more of the sharp edge. You can also use the marker trick - color the edge with a marker, then sharpen for a few strokes. The correct angle should wipe the marker off the entire edge (top to bottom). If the angle's too small, it will wipe off the marker towards the top of the edge or above the edge. If it's too big, it will wipe off at just the very edge, and you may not be able to see it.

If you're still concerned, try calling customer service - the number is in the "Shipping Postage" thread, I think.
 
Originally posted by Blue Man
Is the best method to just throw the stones in the dishwasher? Or to use a scouring pad? What brand pad do you use? Can a pad without powder (Comet) be effective? Comet definitely tends to make a mess.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
You're gonna laugh, but a pencil eraser cleans the stones just fine. No need for scouring powder (which is OK, I use it too, but for outdoor the rubber is better).
 
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