I've had great fun for the last year experimenting with a Sharpmaker and trying to reach higher levels of sharpness. (Most of what I tried were suggestions from this forum.) My sharpening has improved to the point that I can push cut printer paper at 4 inches from the hold point. I expect to eventualy do even better with time.
The most productive tip has already been mentioned. i.e. make sure the bevel angle is not so obtuse that the Sharpmaker rods don't touch the very edge. If the bevel angle is greater than 40 degrees, then some grinding on a course bench stone or DMT will be necessary before the Sharpmaker will do anything to the edge.
Here are some more things to consider and experiment with. I can't promise any of these will work for you, but they might. Either way, the experimentation is fun. (It's not the destination, it's all about the journey
)
1. Keep the stones very clean. I get a much better edge quality with clean stones. I clean after each knife. Some people clean after every few strokes!
2. Start with moderate to light pressure and gradually progress to even less pressure. The stones act on the edge to
a) cut away metal and
b) bend the edge.
You want to incourage the former and discourage the latter. So keep the stones clean and use light pressure.
3. You can experiment with burr formation and removal. The classic burr formation is more easily accomplished by raising a burr on one side before switching to the other. I learned to form and remove pronounced burrs by leaning a coarse DMT against the Spyderco Stones and raised a burr on one side before moving to the other. Then I finished out with the Sharpmaker stones in the normal way. I don't do this routinely, but I recommend you try it.
4. I believe that certain forms of faulty edge creation tend to persist and reform in the next sharpening session. So in some cases it is a good idea to obliterate the old edge before starting a new sharpening session. You can do this by lightly cutting the edge directly into the stones a few strokes.
5. I was able to get a much sharper edge on the sharpmaker by finishing with the optional ultra-fine rods. They are not terribly expensive. The standard medium stones are all that I need for kitchen knives, but for pushing the limit, the fine and ultra-fine are useful.
6. As the edge becomes very sharp it also becomes very thin at the apex. So progressing to extreme sharpness requires a light touch to keep from damaging the fragile edge.
7. Stropping on loaded leather or paper allowed me to gain about 10%. Most folks on the forum recommend using a hard backing and using very light strokes to keep from rounding the edge.
8. You can experiment with polished edges (ultra-fine stones and stropping) versus coarser edges that slice more aggresively (medium stones). A very carefully formed coarse edge can feel sharper than a polished edge.
9. You can experiment with burr removal strategies. Some recommend finishing with very light strokes at a slightly elevated angle.
Good Luck!
