Sharpmaker Question

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lawnica1

Joined
Nov 26, 2012
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I started dabbling with my new sharp maker. I definitely didn't take my time but can already see a huge improvement the knife I started with was dull as a butter knife and I was a le to get it really sharp, but it's not sharp enough to cut hair. I was just wondering if the sharp maker can get it that sharp and I any body has advice on using a sharp maker.
I know I gotta take my time but not sure if there are tips on how to hold the blade.
It seemed more effective when I held the blade at an angle that matched the really acute factory edge. Should I stick with holding it straight for the spyderco recommended 40? That seemed less effective but maybe I didn't give it enough time.

Also when is the 30 degree back cut necessary? Or should I always do that then the 40?

Thanks in advance!
 
I use the sharpmaker. I always use the most acute angle and I can get my knives shaving sharp. The biggest thing to remember is to make sure your blade is 90 degrees straight up and down as you slide the blades down the rods. Did you watch the video that comes with the sharpmaker?
 
Crap sorry for posting this here I meant to do it in maintenance. Can I move it myself? Haha
 
No didnt have time to watch video yet but I thoroughly read the instructions and watched a YouTube video before I got it. When you say you use the most acute angle, do you mean you sharpen with only the 30 degree setting instead of the 40?
 
Watch the dvd that came with your sharpmaker, then watch it again. It is not only possible to get hair shaving sharp edges off the sharpmaker, it's possible to get hair WHITTLING edges. It just takes practice and a steady hand.

As to which angle setting to use, there is no difinitive answer as it will vary from knife to knife. The easiest way to check is to use the sharpie trick. Mark the entire edge with a sharpie, then make a few passes on your sharpmaker at the 30° setting. If you are removing the sharpie from the very edge then you're good to go on that setting. If not, do the same thing on the 40° setting. If you still aren't hitting the very apex of the edge you will need to reprofile the edge to anything under 40 ° before the sharpmaker will be effective.
 
You should take a look at this youtube vid from jdavis882. I use the same technique and it, for me at least, both speeds up the process plus is easier to keep a consistant angle.

[video=youtube;-MHe_8wTHmg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MHe_8wTHmg[/video]
 
That's the video I watched lol I should try that. Thanks for the sharpie advice mk! I didn't know about that.

I'm still confused if I should trust the factory gerber edge geometry and hold the blade angled or reprofile. I just don't understand blade geometry well enough. This knife is pretty thin. Ill post a pic once I get home. I just keep thinking 40 degrees is really obtuse for such a thin blade but I don't know anything about sharpening knives so I could be wrong
 
lawnica1 said:
That's the video I watched lol I should try that. Thanks for the sharpie advice mk! I didn't know about that.

I'm still confused if I should trust the factory gerber edge geometry and hold the blade angled or reprofile. I just don't understand blade geometry well enough. This knife is pretty thin. Ill post a pic once I get home. I just keep thinking 40 degrees is really obtuse for such a thin blade but I don't know anything about sharpening knives so I could be wrong
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The blade thickness really shouldn't have too much to do with the edge angle (unless of course it's a really thick blade, then the edge will likely be thick as well). However, I'm going to go ahead and assume that gerbers edges are a bit on the thick side. That said, the only real way to tell if you're hitting the edge is with the sharpie trick or by looking at the edge with a microscope. The sharpie trick should tell you all you need to know about which angle to use. 40° inclusive is not too obtuse, but some higher end steels can handle more acute edges. The sharpmaker is designed to be used predominantly on the 40° setting. The 30° setting is meant to be used to thin out the edge by knocking down the "shoulders" of the bevel, allowing the 40° setting to more easily reach the apex of the edge. This won't need to be done every time you sharpen, but over time, as you sharpen on the 40° setting, you will be effectively thickening the edge bevel to 40°. Since the sharpmaker is not meant to remove a lot of metal, sharpening at 40° will eventually get more time consuming and difficult sine your 40° bevel will have gotten wider (taller). That is the time to put it on the 30° setting to knock down the shoulders. All of these things are explained by Sal in the dvd. Also, jdavis882's techniques are good and can be a huge time saver.
 
I've been sharpening for quite a few years and have a system down that works for me. Any edge that is too obtuse I use my Edge Pro to put a ~35degree inclusive and then use the Sharpmaker at 40 degrees for micro bevel touch-ups. Even for the touch-ups I use the same method as in the video. Going slow and making sure the angle is always consistant has really improved the sharpness even for my touch-ups.
 
Okay so I finally got it to work on my gerber and it can pop hairs! Its not whittling hairs yet, but im satisfied for now!

Now ive got a bigger problem, I tried sharpening my izula, man you guys arent kidding when you say that thing sharpens easy! I get it to for a burr real well , but I cant figure out how to finish it and get the dang burr off! Ev erytime I try I just move it to the other side!

What am I doing wrong now?!?
 
lawnica1 said:
Okay so I finally got it to work on my gerber and it can pop hairs! Its not whittling hairs yet, but im satisfied for now!

Now ive got a bigger problem, I tried sharpening my izula, man you guys arent kidding when you say that thing sharpens easy! I get it to for a burr real well , but I cant figure out how to finish it and get the dang burr off! Ev erytime I try I just move it to the other side!

What am I doing wrong now?!?
Click to expand...

About 5 alternating passes with extremely light pressure at a slightly increased angle (tilt the blade about 5° away from the stone) should clean that burr right off. The key here is EXTREMELY light pressure.
 
mkjellgren said:
About 5 alternating passes with extremely light pressure at a slightly increased angle (tilt the blade about 5° away from the stone) should clean that burr right off. The key here is EXTREMELY light pressure.
Click to expand...

This. Then set the knife back to 90* degrees and do a few more passes again. Do that with really light pressure. I would recommend getting a strop as well.
 
lawnica1 said:
Nice really light pressure did it! Can I use a leather belt without stropping compound or do I have to wait until I can get some of that?

Also is this a decent strop? I wouldnt want to spend more than $20 on a strop.

http://www.knivesplus.com/KP-STROP8-STROPBLOCK.html

Thanks!
Click to expand...
That is not a bad strop. I know quite a few people use that one. That was my first strop as well. However, I have greatly come to love Ken Schwartz's Kangaroo leather strop with .25 Micron diamond spray. Those two things combined run about $40. The knives plus strop block uses chromium oxide as it's polishing abrasive. Chromium oxide is not as aggressive in its crystalline structure as diamonds are. Imagine diamonds having tiny, sharp edges, and the chromium oxide being more rounded. Sorry for the short book. I prefer the diamond spray, because even at the finer grit it leaves an aggressive edge. However the knivesplus strop block is still a good strop, and it all comes down to personal preference. For a first strop that would be a good choice.
 
mkjellgren said:
Watch the dvd that came with your sharpmaker, then watch it again. It is not only possible to get hair shaving sharp edges off the sharpmaker, it's possible to get hair WHITTLING edges. It just takes practice and a steady hand
Click to expand...

I totally agree with what this Brother just said. That video/DVD that comes with the Sharpmaker should be viewed at least 2 if not 3 times before trying to use it. There are some great tricks of the trade to be learned by watching that DVD.

I've found over the years that practice will indeed make you much better over time when using the Sharpmaker. Anymore I use the Spyderco 302 Benchstones more than I do the Sharpmaker. I mainly use the Sharpmaker to fine tune and touch up blades more than anything else. I've always wished that Spyderco would offer a much more coarser stone than what they currently offer for the Sharpmaker unit as well as for their 302 Benchstones. I have the diamond and the ultra-fine stones you can buy extra with the Sharpmaker kit but even the diamond stone doesn't remove stock as fast as I would like to see it do. Possibly a really coarse Silicon Carbide or Aluminum Oxide stone that would fit the 204 Sharpmaker would fill that void. Because of that I do most of my tough reprofiling with my 3M & Norton diamond benchstones because currently in my opinion Spyderco just doesn't offer an aggressive, coarse stone that removes stock rapidly.

As I've said many times Spyderco's sharpening tools are top notch and I've learned a great deal of my sharpening skills using Spyderco's 204 Sharpmaker.
 
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