Sharpmaker questions??

[dtsoll]

Hey Folks,
Just a couple quick questions for ya on the sharpmaker. Firstly, what is the best way to sharpen the very tip for instance on the Nimravus Cub I have it is extremely sharp everywhere except for the last 1/2 to 3/4 inches of the blade. I can't seem to get that part as sharp as the rest. Any different techniques that you use to get that part sharper? Secondly, how many knifes do you sharpen before you clean the ceramic rods? Just wondering if it would be helpful to clean them every time I use it. It does work better if they are all cleaned up to start with. have a nice day and thanks for the forum. dtsoll

 

[Crayola]

For cleaning, you'll figure that out on your own. The cleaner the better, but you won't need to clean 'em after each sharpening.

As for the tip, there may be a couple of things going on there. Tips are usually the hardest part on a knife to sharpen, so sometimes they come from the factories ground a bit funny. Definitely magic marker the edge of your knife while you sharpen it, so you can see if you are removing steel from the very edge. Any marker left over after this process can be removed with paint thinner or nail polish remover, or alcohol (rubbing, not drinking!)

Two other ideas for you. The sharpmaker works best when the very bit you are sharpening is running perpendicular to the rod. basically, that meand that with a curved edge you should be arcing the blade as you draw it down the rods. a curvier tip requires more wrist movement. A recurved blade requires you to do a whole lotta shakin' and movin'! Finally, the sharpmaker can cause you to round off the very tip as the tip comes off of the stones. Slow down at the tip, and when you are sharpening on the flats of the rods, make sure the tip stops on the flat- don't drag the tip right off of the rod. Also, don't be afraid to spend a little more time on one area. Sometimes I'll do 20 strokes just on the tip of a knife, and then do the whole blade, tip included.

If after all of that the tip still sucks, then you need to... REPROFILE! For that, as I said in the other post, I suggest an inexpensive coarse stone. If you have to get to this stage, post again, or do a searh on reprofiling. I and others have described the process on the forums, and Joe talks about it in his FAQ.

Happy Sharpening!

 

[dtsoll]

Crayola,
Thanks for the help, once again I forgot about the black marker trick. I'll give your tips a try, thanks. dtsoll

 

[Don Luis]

The tip and the belly, that´s one of the reasons why I prefer to jig my hones tilted and draw the blade horizontally, I get a good view and can keep the edge tangential to the hone. I have tried fixing the base of my crocksticks vertically to the wall and move the knife sideways instead of up-down but didn´t feel confortable, perhaps you can try it with the sharpmaker (but be carefull, the rods tend to fall off and may have to be fixed in place somehow), or you can jig a 20 degree inclined plane and lay the rod on top.