SharpMaker and Your Kitchen Knives + Other Questions...

umc

umc

Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Messages
20
Hey all my Sharpmaker today and I love this thing so far, I've actually never had a sharp knife in my life but now I do and will continue to keep them this way. I watched the video and went through the book and sharpened a few different types of blades. This was very exciting to say the least, anyway I go to my kitchen knives and had questions.

In the video the Spyderco guy (forgot his name) said that he only worries about getting his kitchen knives utility sharp. I guess that makes since but I went ahead and went though all 4 steps with my kitchen knives.

What do the rest of you do?

I've also read on here that the white stones should be cleaned after about 2 knives worth of sharpening, is that the general rule that everyone uses? Also, are you basing that off of the corner or the flat of the stone?

I think I heard that the gray stones will wear, how often should they be replaced?

I think that's all of the questions I have for now. This is a great little too.
 
I usually wash the stones ( both sets) after the white ones look too dirty for my taste. If they're really dirty you will feel that the blade isn't "grabbing" (hope that makes sense) as much on the stones and should be washed, but I've never had it get to that point. I get more than two knives done between, maybe 10 or so. It depends if you're really removing a lot of steel or just touching up your edges. If I recall the gray/brown stones should last around 5yrs with average use.
 
I believe the "Spyderco Guy" you are referring to is Sal Glesser, the founder of Spyderco.

I wash my stones when they start to feel smooth against the knife. After you do a bunch or knives, you should be able to tell when it's time to clean them.

The gray stones should last for years depending on how many knives you do. The white stones should last sometime around forever.
 
Welcome to BF! You've definately found of the best knife resources online.

umc said:
In the video the Spyderco guy (forgot his name) said that he only worries about getting his kitchen knives utility sharp. I guess that makes since but I went ahead and went though all 4 steps with my kitchen knives.

What do the rest of you do?
Click to expand...

I love my Spyderco, but I also use an EdgePro Apex for sharpening. Once a knife has a good bevel and is sharp, I'll often do maintance onthe Sharpmaker. Not that it doesn't work well; it's just that the Apex is faster on very dull knives.

That said, I don't normally "do" utility sharp!;) I prefer scary sharp!:cool: For a knife that's in decent shape, start on the corners of the grey one, then move to the flats. Then repeat this process on the whites. That will give you a very good edge, but if you want to take it even further, Spyderco makes a set of Ultra Fine rods.

umc said:
I've also read on here that the white stones should be cleaned after about 2 knives worth of sharpening, is that the general rule that everyone uses? Also, are you basing that off of the corner or the flat of the stone?
Click to expand...

I used to ignore cleaning them but it really hurts the performance. The fine/white one will "load up," meaning it fills up with metal from the knife after a repeated sharpenings. While there's been a lot of discussion on how to clean and how often, I do it like this: after doing a few knives, I clean the rods with a big green eraser, like the kind you used in art class in grade school. This will remove the majority of the debris and restore quick sharpening fuction with very little effort. Every so often I imagine you should use the Ajax or Barkeepers Friend on them, but I've had good luck with the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Note though that some guys have said it doesn't work that well for them, so YMMV.

The Sypderco Sharpmaker is a really kick-ass tool! While I do like to sharpen freehand and use my Apex, I keep my Sharpmaker in the knife roll I take to work every day. I use it for touch ups of my blades while cooking and to sharpen up the better restaurant "disposable" knives.:D
 
I would clean the rods latest after two sets of sharpening on each corner and flat. Meaning latest after 6 sets, better after 3 but it depends how much you use each step. Often, for a quick touch up of a well kept knife, a few strokes on the flats of the white are sufficient. To me the Sharpmaker is especially useful in the kitchen, I use it instead of a steel. The whites are so fine that they remove very little material so you don't have to worry about reduction of blade lifetime and they have the advantage over a steel of both aligning and refining the edge. Some of my kitchen knife edges I like to maintain with a more toothy edge and don't use the whites at all. There are many ways, best you play around and see for yourself what works best for you. Important is to test your edges instead of going mechanically through your 20 strokes. Also important is not to use too much pressure. 3 lbs as suggested is a fair amount (use a kitchen scale, hold it vertical and press a knife against it: it is more than you might think), but rather use to little than too much pressure, especially on the corners.

The Spyderco guy is founder and owner of Spyderco, Sal Glesser, and he posts on occasion on the Spyderco forum.
 
I clean them every one to five uses. I use a rust eraser or a magic eraser and it's very fast to do with either. Aside from a few serrated-edge knives, most of my kitchen knives are sharpened on waterstones and paper strops and I get them as sharp as my poor skills allow.
 
Thanks for the info guys.

One other question, can you use the flat that has the V cut into it as you would the other flat sides?
 
I'm another guy who goes by the feel to determine when to clean the stones. When it feels like the blade is just sliding over the stones I know it's time to clean them (you can see the spent steel buildup too).

I use the notched side the same as the other sides and haven't noticed any difference.
 
when watching the dvd I couldn't help but notice that Sal Glesser (looked like) he was sporting a millie :)
 
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