Sharpmaker for different knives/steels and cleaning of the rods

[ak585479]

Hi all,

Just wondering if

1) I should treat my first "super steel" knife (M390 BM 810-1401 Contego) any different from anything else on my sharpmaker. I have diamond, coarse, fine, and ultra fine. What I do with (almost) every other knife is reprofile with a diamond or course depending on their angle, then sharpen with each until I have a shaving, push cutting edge at 30° inclusive. Then I do the same thing at 40° inclusive. So I think I'm making a 30° edge with a 40° "back bevel", though my terminoligy may be wrong. The BM in M390 is the sharpest knife I've ever held with the factory edge, I know I'll eventually have to sharpen it but it would break my heart to do the above and lose that amazing edge that in M390 may last a good long while. I'm pretty good with the SM and can at least get shaving edges without issue, usually sharper than that. However not as sharp as this BM Contego. It's insanely sharp to a point that I don't think I can duplicate. With that said, I also don't want to let it get dull as I've heard with "super steels" they're next to impossible to sharpen once they're dull. I find this hard to believe and think it probably just takes some extra elbow grease but I'm afraid to sharpen it now and never be able to recreate the edge it has, and may keep, for a very long time.

2) I clean the course, fine, and uf, rods with hand soap and water after going at them with an eraser. Can I do this with the diamond rods too or will this damage them? What is the best way to keep my diamond rods clean?

Thanks again BF, you guys are the best!

 

[Bighaze51]

I understand how you feel. . I think what you meant is you have a 30 degree back bevel and then a 49 degree microbevel? That's an excellent way to make your knife scary sharp. And to clean the rods, I like to use barkeepers friend or comet on a scouring pad. That will make them look brand new, diamond rods included. There is no reason you shouldn't be able to keep that knife "stupid" sharp with that setup.

 

[ak585479]

I understand how you feel. . I think what you meant is you have a 30 degree back bevel and then a 49 degree microbevel? That's an excellent way to make your knife scary sharp. And to clean the rods, I like to use barkeepers friend or comet on a scouring pad. That will make them look brand new, diamond rods included. There is no reason you shouldn't be able to keep that knife "stupid" sharp with that setup.

Thank you very much!

 

[eKretz]

Yes Barkeeper's friend is the absolute best to clean ceramic and diamond sharpeners IMO. Here's my process: wet the item to be cleaned and a scotch-brite style cleaning pad. Sprinkle a bit of BKF on the item to be cleaned (don't need much, just maybe a 1/4" - 1/2" round pile for a sharpmaker rod for instance) and using the wetted pad, make the BKF into a wet paste by using a blotting motion. Once it's pasty, smear it around, covering the entire surface to be cleaned evenly with the paste. Set aside and drink a beverage of your choice, keeping an eye on the item and rewetting with the pad if necessary to prevent it drying out. After a few minutes, give the item a good final scrub with the pad and rinse. This allows the BKF's active ingredient (oxalic acid) to do its job and eat up a bit of any steel particles, which helps to loosen and remove them when you do the final scrub. Using this method gets all my ceramic and diamond abrasives looking like brand new again.