Sharpmaker Ultrafine rods

S

SanShou

Joined
Nov 18, 2005
Messages
258
Hi!

I just got the ultrafine rods for the Sharpmaker but I'm having some problems using them. I can get my knives shaving sharp with no effort using the medium and fine rods but, when I switch to the Ultrafine ones and make some swipes, the edge won't be shaving sharp anymore. Have you experiencied the same or can please give me some advice?

Thanks!
 
Use very light pressure. They are more for polishing than sharpening.

You will actually get a better cutting edge (more toothier) with the standard fine rods than with the U/F ones.
 
I've use the ultra-fine rods and I've never had a problem with them. Even without stropping they can get a blade hair-splitting sharp. As Ted suggests, you'll get the best results with light strokes -- just the weight of the blade. For even better results, follow by similarly light stropping on leather loaded with chromium oxide.
 
What steel is the knife made from? Is the edge burred to one side after using the UF rods?

-Cliff
 
Thanks for the input!
I'll try with lighter strokes and check again.
Cliff, I was sharpening a Para, S30V, I couldn't feel a burr but I'm not good at it yet :S
 
Like the one brother mentioned you really don't want to use the same pressure with the UF stone that you would use on the medium stone. I personally have had nothing but great results when using the method that Sal displays on the DVD. One thing I will insert here is that I can't stress enough that you really need to look at the video/DVD at least 2 to 3 times before attempting to get top notch results. There are also some valuable guidelines in that booklet that comes with the kit pertaining to angles and the incremental steps necessary.

Also the angle in which you feed the knife into the stone does make a difference. I try to hold most of my knife edges perpendicular with the base of the unit. I discovered once that when I did my final strokes on the fine stone and if held the handle of the knife down leaving the blade tip facing upward it would affect the results. I can't stress enough that you really need to look at the DVD at least 2 to 3 times to catch most of the tricks that Sal tries to illustrate. The kit does take some practice. I used some old beat up kitchen knives ( with older, softer steel) to practice with when I got my first 204 Sharpmaker and it really helped me to master the methods prescribed.

Now when you do get to the ultra fine stones it is like the other guy said: you don't need to use much pressure. That stone is for polishing and fine tuning an edge that is already paper cutting sharp. I even use one of the ultra fine stones like a "Steel" when just wanting to tune up the edge or re-align the edge. But the UF stones are really worth their weight in gold when you finally master the kit. And you will it just takes patience and practice and getting the tricks of the video/DVD down pat.
 
JD - Excellent post.

Lots of folks get a Sharpmaker because they don't want to take the time to develop good basic sharpening skills. They see the S/M as a fast-track means to a sharp knife. I contend that unless a person understands basic sharpening techniques beforehand, he will never get optimal results using the S/M (or any other sharpening tool).

I have an Edge Pro and a Sharpmaker. I love them both. Their design has made it very easy for me to do a very good job of sharpening, BUT I feel that I am able to get the absolute most out of each one, simply because I have taken the time to understand the theory of sharpening.
 
TedGamble said:
I contend that unless a person understands basic sharpening techniques beforehand, he will never get optimal results using the S/M (or any other sharpening tool).
Click to expand...

Best statement I've read all year. :thumbup:
 
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