Sharpmaker and rust

L

lalilulelo

Joined
May 26, 2008
Messages
104
Hi guys, need your help again regarding knife edges, I began using the sharpmaker recently and love it, but I noticed that the white rods tend to accumulate alot of black stains, which are actually steel particles from the blade we sharpened.

My question is whether it is possible for these black stains to get attached to the blade I am sharpening nd cause rust afterwards?

Like I am sharpening a blade made of 1095 followed by a blade made of INFI, will the microscopic dust of the 1095 get attached to the INFI blade, and cause the INFI to rust because of contamination?

I always wipe my blade after sharpening with a clean tissue paper and apply Fluid-film on them, but given how firmed those black stains stay on the rods (you need scrubbing to get rid of them) and how small they are, I am still a little concerned.

What do you guys think?
 
Clean the rods between sharpenings.

Comet cleanser, a Scotch Brite scouring pad and hot water.
 
There is nothing to be concerned about at all
 
The dust from one steel type won't create any greater risk of rust on another steel, than just everyday use of the knife will do. Just keep the blades clean & dry as one should normally do, and they'll be fine. Windex or isopropyl alcohol work very well for this. Oil them after cleaning, if you feel you need to.

The metal collected on the Sharpmaker's rods can be very effectively cleaned up with some Bar Keepers Friend powder. Mixed as a paste with water, it uses some oxalic acid to literally dissolve the steel dust. Apply a little paste with a Scotch-Brite pad or other scrubber, and scrub the black stuff off. Works like a charm, and will leave the rods looking as new. I usually reserve that method for heavy cleaning of ceramic hones, if they've been neglected for a while. Once cleaned this way, the rods can be cleaned after each session with some Comet (as suggested by Ed) or some liquid dish soap & water can also keep them pretty clean.
 
Thanks guys for your help, I have no issue cleaning the rods, usually with some soap and magic eraser, and it works very well.

I usually sharpen several knives in one go, because most knives only need to have touch ups, which is the reason for my concern, maybe I am thinking too much haha
 
The ceramic sharpmaker stones are very porous making it hard to get all the steel out of them. You're knife is not like this. I would think that a quick wipe with a soft cloth or whatever will get all the metal dust off the blade.

On a different note . . . this is something i've been thinking about today: If you use comet to clean a sink or whatever you'll notice that the scratch pattern is a lot coarser then what the fine sharpmaker stones leave on your blade. Does this mean that you're making the triangle rods less fine when you scrub them with comet?
 
fatherhudson said:
The ceramic sharpmaker stones are very porous making it hard to get all the steel out of them. You're knife is not like this. I would think that a quick wipe with a soft cloth or whatever will get all the metal dust off the blade.

On a different note . . . this is something i've been thinking about today: If you use comet to clean a sink or whatever you'll notice that the scratch pattern is a lot coarser then what the fine sharpmaker stones leave on your blade. Does this mean that you're making the triangle rods less fine when you scrub them with comet?
Click to expand...

Sal mentioned in his video that the rods are harder than most materials, so scratching them is almost impossible, and given hw fast these rods sharpened up my Striders at HRC61-62, I think the only material gets taken off would come from the Comet instead of the rods, I have never used the Comet though, they don't sell it here, but unless it has artificial diamond on it, I would not be concerned about the rods.
 
fatherhudson said:
The ceramic sharpmaker stones are very porous making it hard to get all the steel out of them. You're knife is not like this. I would think that a quick wipe with a soft cloth or whatever will get all the metal dust off the blade.

On a different note . . . this is something i've been thinking about today: If you use comet to clean a sink or whatever you'll notice that the scratch pattern is a lot coarser then what the fine sharpmaker stones leave on your blade. Does this mean that you're making the triangle rods less fine when you scrub them with comet?
Click to expand...

The ceramic in the rods is a LOT harder than the abrasive in the Comet. The Comet abrasive might scratch pots & pans, and maybe a stainless steel sink (which isn't nearly as hard as a knife blade), but it won't affect the ceramic in the rods at all. The only thing I've been able to alter the finish on ceramics with, was diamond. I used a DMT hone to flatten a Spyderco DoubleStuff hone, and it also made the finish a lot smoother. If the ceramics get clogged with swarf (metal dust), they effectively get smoother or less aggressive. But that's only temporary, so long as the swarf gets cleaned out of them.
 
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