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spyderco sharpmaker 204. does it come with everything I need?
- Thread starter sogflash
- Start date
If you will do a bunch of reprofiling, you should get the Diamond stones. If you really like to bring the grind down to a polish then you should also get the ultrafine stones. And even a strop if you want to get a little crazy about the edge.
I think what comes with the kit, the medium and fine stones, are perfectly good for about 95% of us without needing the extra stones.
I think what comes with the kit, the medium and fine stones, are perfectly good for about 95% of us without needing the extra stones.
kreole
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2009
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- 4,439
If you're thinning out an edge quite a bit on a hard steel, it will take forever to do it with a Sharpmaker (even with the diamond stones). My first knife in CPM M4 was when I ran into that trouble. Now I use a red/blue DMT stone to do the initial edge and finish it off and touch it up with a Sharpmaker.
kreole
Gold Member
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- Jul 23, 2009
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- 4,439
The diamond stones for the Sharpmaker certainly will be better than the medium (brown) ceramic ones that come with it, but still it won't always be easy or quick. (Don't get me wrong; it can certainly sharpen any steel if you're motivated to do it.)
red/blue DMT stone: DMT is a brand that makes sharpeners. They code the coarseness of the grit by color. http://www.dmtsharp.com/sharpeners/bench-stones/duosharp/ are the style I use and here's the color guide (red = coarse, blue = fine) http://www.dmtsharp.com/misc/dmt-chart/?ajax=true even the blue/fine will take off metal much much faster than diamond stones for the Sharpmaker.
Thin out an edge: Make it more acute. If the knife comes with a 50 degree edge, you'll need to 'thin it out' to get the Sharpmaker to hit the very edge, since it will only do 40 degree and 30 degree edge angles. To cut it down, it can take a long time with the Sharpmaker, even with the diamond extra coarse ones. On the other hand, if you don't have to reduce it--for instance if from the factory it came with a 30 degree edge and you use the 40 degree setting on the Sharpmaker--then the Sharpmaker will get it super sharp fast. That's where it excels.
So what I was saying before is, for example, if I want to sharpen my knife with the 30 degree Sharpmaker setting but it came with an edge angle more obtuse than that, I'll thin it out on the DMT to something around 25 degrees, then hit it with the Sharpmaker. That makes it much faster to touch up using the Sharpmaker because it has to take off less metal each time.
Either The Mastiff or The Deacon (I always get you guys mixed up, sorry
) over on the Spyderco forum once nicknamed it the SharpKeeper. I think that fits it well.does anyone use the sharpmaker on larger fixed blades? Something like a becker bk9? The sharpmaker works great on my enduras and military folders, but it seems kinda small. Also does anyone know what angle the edge on a becker bk knife from kabar is? I have my bk9 and bk11 that i wanted to make sharper but after reading this thread i am wondering if they are a 30 degree edge or not. Is one angle better then another?
Daniel L
Gold Member
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- Nov 2, 1998
- Messages
- 2,000
I use my Sharpmaker on 12" blades... no problems but you obviously need to be careful and pull the strokes evenly.
For reprofiling I like to use a freehand stone and the Sharpmaker for quick touch ups, really hard to beat for blades that just need a little attention.
For reprofiling I like to use a freehand stone and the Sharpmaker for quick touch ups, really hard to beat for blades that just need a little attention.
The Sharpmaker is an excellent system for knives that are already fairly sharp and have edge angles that match either the 40- or 30-degree settings. Unfortunately, few factory knives come with perfect angles, much less angles that match the pre-set angles on the Sharpmaker.
You can reprofile the edge until the edge angle matches the stone angle, but on the Sharpmaker that's a big job, even with the diamond stone.
The easy solution is to send your knives to one of the excellent artisan sharpeners on this forum and ask to have the edge set to a perfect 30 degrees. That service is not too expensive, and after that reprofiling, you'll be able to sharpen your knife easily at either the 30- or 40-degree setting. The 40-degree setting will give you a somewhat more robust edge and the 30-degree setting will give you better cutting performance.
You can reprofile the edge until the edge angle matches the stone angle, but on the Sharpmaker that's a big job, even with the diamond stone.
The easy solution is to send your knives to one of the excellent artisan sharpeners on this forum and ask to have the edge set to a perfect 30 degrees. That service is not too expensive, and after that reprofiling, you'll be able to sharpen your knife easily at either the 30- or 40-degree setting. The 40-degree setting will give you a somewhat more robust edge and the 30-degree setting will give you better cutting performance.