Hi Freq,
The secret of using the fine (white) rod on the sharpmaker is to use LIGHT pressure. Also, are you sure you're creating a burr on the medium rods? Until you do, you will not see the benefits of the white rods.
There's been a lot of threads about how to use the sharpmaker. And I've gone through the same sort of frustration as you. Here's what I changed to get the better results.
- Unless the edge is truly messed up, skip the corners.
- Don't let the tip slide off the rods. Stop while the tip is still on the rod so that it won't get rounded.
- Invest in the diamond rods of you're doing any rebevelling work.
1. First, create the correct angle bevel. If you don't have diamond rods, tape a strip of sandpaper around the rods and use the flat sides to quickly remove metal. I use 320 or 400 grit sandpaper. Use equal number of strokes per side to ensure an even bevel on both sides. Go fairly slow and use mild pressure. Since you're using a rough medium, the scratch patterns are easy to see and will tell you that the two sides are meeting at a point.
2. When you're sure you have the correct bevel and that they have come together, switch to the medium rods. (Clean off the rods if they're the ones you used with the sand paper, just in case some of the grit's come off and is stuck to the rods) Using the flat sides, give one side enough strokes to form a burr. Try 15 or 20 until you switch to the other side to keep things even but keep this pattern until you feel a burr. Once you've formed a burr, reduce the number of strokes to 3 per side for a few iterations. This will force the burr back and forth a few times to thin it out and weaken it.
3. Switch to the fine stones. Now, GENTLY do 3 strokes per side, feeling for the burr every set. If the burr has not flipped to the other side, do a few more gentle strokes until it's flipped over. As the burr size reduces, go to 2 strokes per side. By this time, you are barely applying the weight of the knife against the rods. When I finally go to 1 stroke per side, I'm actually lifting up a bit to apply less than the full weight of the knife against the rods.
- If you are unable to get rid of that last bit of a burr, switch to the medium flats and VERY carefully drag the edge once per side to tear the burr off. Then go back to the fine for a few alternating swipes.
4. If you wish to go to the ultra fine rods, repeat the fine rod steps but with even less pressure and fewer strokes per side. Start with 2 strokes per side. Then proceed to alternating strokes. With the UF rods, you should already have gotten rid of any burrs before you start. If you use too much pressure at this point, you may actually end up creating a new burr so go slow and easy.
5. Now that you have a good 30 degree edge, you can move to a 40 degree micro bevel when the knife goes dull. Since you already have a good primary edge, the micro bevel can be formed with much less time on all the grit steps. A few light strokes on the medium rods will create a micro bevel and follow through the other rods to reestablish a razor edge.
- Once you've formed a sharp edge, a few light strokes on the fine and UF rods once every couple days will allow you to maintain that sharp edge instead of having to go back to the medium rods at all. This is where the Sharpmaker really works well. Since you don't let the edge go dull in the first place, it becomes really easy to maintain a good edge.
It's all about controlling your angles and resisting the temptation to bear down and use a lot of force.
If anyone sees anything in my process to improve, feel free to comment.
