Sharpmaker tips?

K

kershawguy13

Gold Member
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May 8, 2014
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I just got my Sharpmaker after having a Lansky and hating it. I'm trying to sharpen my Ladybug. I did the 30 back bevel and the 40 edge and the edge is pretty sharp, but not as sharp as the factory edge on my Delica, D-fly, or UKPK. Any tips? Thanks.
 
Get the diamond and UF stones or rub, rub, rub away with the brown ones. I use the 30's for the edge and lean left or right to make the back bevel, though in truth I strop to finish so I'm convexed anyway. You are probably convexed too so your 40 finished edge is likely closer to 45 inclusive. Not conducive to scary-sharpness.

Without the diamond stones I wouldn't use the SM as the brown ones cut 60+ RC steel so slowly that you end up with a severely convexed edge. With them I sharpen all my folders and fixed hunters scary-sharp no problem.
 
The first tip is called the sharpie trick. That is where you color the edge of the knife. That way you can see where you're removing steel. The next is not drag the tip off the stones. This applies more so when using the flat sides. If you continually do this you will round off the tip of the knife.
 
Keep those stones/sticks clean. Clean with Ajax, Comet and scrub and rinse well.
 
Use diamond stones the Nomo suggested to create a clean, 30-degree back bevel. Use the Sharpie, as Rycen said, and your fingers to make sure you've created a burr on both sides of the entire edge. Use light pressure to remove as much of the burr as you can.

Then clean the regular stones as Whitedog said, to refine the back bebel and remove any final burrs.

Then switch to the 40-degree stone setting and use the lightest pressure you can to create the final edge, making sure you leave no burr behind.

Then (optional) strop to get a super refined edge.
 
[video=youtube;GB0r6GvESGg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB0r6GvESGg[/video]
 
Twindog said:
Use diamond stones the Nomo suggested to create a clean, 30-degree back bevel. Use the Sharpie, as Rycen said, and your fingers to make sure you've created a burr on both sides of the entire edge. Use light pressure to remove as much of the burr as you can.

Then clean the regular stones as Whitedog said, to refine the back bebel and remove any final burrs.

Then switch to the 40-degree stone setting and use the lightest pressure you can to create the final edge, making sure you leave no burr behind.

Then (optional) strop to get a super refined edge.
Click to expand...
How do you get a burr on both sides of the edge? Wouldn't you sharpen one side until you worked up a burr on the other, then flip the burr back to the first side? Also, with the diamonds, do you alternate strokes like you do with the other stones?
Thanks.
 
kershawguy13 said:
How do you get a burr on both sides of the edge? Wouldn't you sharpen one side until you worked up a burr on the other, then flip the burr back to the first side? Also, with the diamonds, do you alternate strokes like you do with the other stones?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

You'll want to keep your edge bevel even, so alternate sharpening from one side to the other. If the bevel on one side of the edge starts to get wider than the bevel on the other side, work the other side more to even things up. While the edge is still dull, you can do multiple strokes on one side, then do the same number on the other. When the burr starts to form, you can feel it. The burr bends away from the side of the edge that you're sharpening.

Yes, the burr forms on only one side at a time. When the burr begins to form, you know that you are working the apex, at least on the parts of the edge where the burr forms. You can stop removing metal when you have a burr that forms along the entire edge. If you stop before that, you'll have dull parts on your edge. When you get to the point where you can raise a burr along the entire length of both sides of the edge (first on one side, then on the other), you can start to remove it by reducing pressure on your stone and moving to ever finer stones.
 
You can do it either way. I'd say to work on one side first when using the diamond stones. You could then alternate sides on the finer ones, since you wouldn't feel the burr anyway.

Good sharpening,
Dave
 
tips:

Take your time, dont rush it. keep your hands (and the knife) steady for even beveling.....and use the brass safety rods;-) I got way too cocky after a few beers and went way too fast touching up my edc....needless to say i didnt use the rods and have a scar to remind me each time i reach for it. I also started on a lansky...the sharpmaker is a much better unit.....keep at it and you will be happy with the results.
 
Thanks for the tips guys! Just ordered the Diamond rods from KW and some flat Congress Moldmaster stones to clip to my existing rods.
 
I can echo what the others have said here already. I too was having trouble getting a really nice edge at first. The knives I have sharpened with the Sharpmaker were not exactly 30 or 40 degrees from the factory, so I was struggling with just the brown stones to get a burr to form. The sharpie trick confirmed that I was not hitting the full bevel, I was either hitting just the edge or just the shoulder. Another thing for me was my own inconsistency in holding the knife perfectly vertical.

I got some Moldmaster stones and use my wife's worn out elastic hair ties to affix the MM stones to the flat sides of the brown SM rods, using strips of an index card between. Once I started getting the burr to form along the entire edge on both sides, then moving to the next finer grit/stone, I started getting really good edges. Well, really good for a sharpening newb.... They will push cut magazine paper and shave hair. That's good enough for me, for now at least...

I ran across some Micro-Mesh 1/2" x 5-3/4" foam-backed sanding sticks on amazon and got the idea to clip them to the SM stones and really take it further. This set was 9 grits from 1500 to 12,000 for less than 20 bucks. The only issues would be that they are foam backed and would probably produce convex edges. Not that this is a bad thing, just something to consider.
 
MTS49 said:
I can echo what the others have said here already. I too was having trouble getting a really nice edge at first. The knives I have sharpened with the Sharpmaker were not exactly 30 or 40 degrees from the factory, so I was struggling with just the brown stones to get a burr to form. The sharpie trick confirmed that I was not hitting the full bevel, I was either hitting just the edge or just the shoulder. Another thing for me was my own inconsistency in holding the knife perfectly vertical.

I got some Moldmaster stones and use my wife's worn out elastic hair ties to affix the MM stones to the flat sides of the brown SM rods, using strips of an index card between. Once I started getting the burr to form along the entire edge on both sides, then moving to the next finer grit/stone, I started getting really good edges. Well, really good for a sharpening newb.... They will push cut magazine paper and shave hair. That's good enough for me, for now at least...
Click to expand...

Can you try to explain this another way, im not the best on american, so i cant understand,
Becuase i dont have any other sharpeningsystem then a Sharpmaker, yet. I need to get good edges with this one. And my salary wasnt very good this month so i cant afford a new sharpeningsystem.
 
TouchOfRed said:
Can you try to explain this another way, im not the best on american, so i cant understand,
Becuase i dont have any other sharpeningsystem then a Sharpmaker, yet. I need to get good edges with this one. And my salary wasnt very good this month so i cant afford a new sharpeningsystem.
Click to expand...

Moldmaster stones are made by a company called Congress. They sell them in varying widths and even make some in a triangular shape that would fit into the slots of the sharpmaker, though with a little play from what I hear.
Anyway, what he is suggesting is to secure a flat stone, any flat stone (most likely a course stone) to a sharmaker stone. The sharpmaker stone serves only to maintain the angle, while you use the stone affixed to it to do the grinding. Some people have also had sayisfactory results by wrapping the sharpmaker stones with sandpaper to expedite the creation of the bevel.
I'll post a picture when I get home that might illustrate the concept better than words.
 
There are so many (very similar) Spyderco Sharpmaker questions on the forum that I must wonder (and I hope a moderator is near by) whether we need a comprehensive sticky on M,T&E, preferable with some videos explaining it? I would be willing to contribute!
 
Thanks for all the tips guys, got the diamond rods and already reprofiled my Vic Cadet and Case Sodbuster Jr to 30 and added a 40 microbevel, they will now shave hair.
 
TouchOfRed said:
Can you try to explain this another way, im not the best on american, so i cant understand,
Becuase i dont have any other sharpeningsystem then a Sharpmaker, yet. I need to get good edges with this one. And my salary wasnt very good this month so i cant afford a new sharpeningsystem.
Click to expand...

KNaB is exactly right. I learned from here and the Spyderco forums that this was a possibility to expand my stone grit selection for the Sharpmaker and for not too much money invested.

There is a picture of the example I was explaining of using 1x6x1/8" Congress stones on the Sharpmaker in this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...aper-Alternatives-for-Sharpmaker-Diamond-Rods

The Congress stones are around 3 to 4 dollars each, I have 2 each of the Moldmaster 240 and 400 grit stones. I do not know about international shipping though...

I can't say how long these will last, but I only use them for a blade that is not ground to 30 or 40 degrees from the factory.

I am not very good at sharpening yet, especially knives that have a belly towards the tip, like the Skyline or Flash (larger model), so my angle towards the tip isn't exactly the same as the flatter section of blade closer to the pivot. If you can be consistent though, good edges should be attainable. And of course with more practice, you will get better. That's what I am hoping for at least...
 
MTS49 said:
KNaB is exactly right. I learned from here and the Spyderco forums that this was a possibility to expand my stone grit selection for the Sharpmaker and for not too much money invested.

There is a picture of the example I was explaining of using 1x6x1/8" Congress stones on the Sharpmaker in this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...aper-Alternatives-for-Sharpmaker-Diamond-Rods

The Congress stones are around 3 to 4 dollars each, I have 2 each of the Moldmaster 240 and 400 grit stones. I do not know about international shipping though...

I can't say how long these will last, but I only use them for a blade that is not ground to 30 or 40 degrees from the factory.

I am not very good at sharpening yet, especially knives that have a belly towards the tip, like the Skyline or Flash (larger model), so my angle towards the tip isn't exactly the same as the flatter section of blade closer to the pivot. If you can be consistent though, good edges should be attainable. And of course with more practice, you will get better. That's what I am hoping for at least...
Click to expand...

Okey, now i understand. Thank you very much bro. :)
If im lucky, i can sell a few knives and maybe afford a Wicked Edge.
 
KNaB said:
Moldmaster stones are made by a company called Congress. They sell them in varying widths and even make some in a triangular shape that would fit into the slots of the sharpmaker, though with a little play from what I hear.
Anyway, what he is suggesting is to secure a flat stone, any flat stone (most likely a course stone) to a sharmaker stone. The sharpmaker stone serves only to maintain the angle, while you use the stone affixed to it to do the grinding. Some people have also had sayisfactory results by wrapping the sharpmaker stones with sandpaper to expedite the creation of the bevel.
I'll post a picture when I get home that might illustrate the concept better than words.
Click to expand...

You dont have to do that, the picture i saw now is more than enough. :)
thanks dude !
 
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