SpyderCo Sharpmaker and S35VN steel

A

Armen

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Apr 20, 2018
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Is it possible to sharpen S30V or S35VN steel with the Sharpmaker? A friend of mine suggested I use one rod on one side of the blade until a Burr formed (explained to me what a burr is) and then said to move to another rod and the other side until the burr vanished.

Well, I swiped and swiped on the course stone on 1 side at least over 20 swipes and didnt notice a burr at all. Is S35VN just too hard for the sharpmaker rods?

Same friend also suggested I learn to use a whetstone instead.

FWIW it's a ZT 0450CF I'm trying to sharpen. It cuts paper ok but can't seem to shave arm hair.
 
I used a very well used SharpMaker to sharpen a ZT in S35VN that was completely dull from cutting fiberglass insulation. Take your time and it should work.

How do you test for the burr? Personally, I run my fingernail down the primary bevel (spine to blade direction) to check. You might have your friend demonstrate on the SharpMaker so you know what to look for.
 
The SharpMaker is set at 15dps for a back bevel and 20dps.
Your particular knife probably has more than 20dps from the factory making it impossible to touch the apex until you spend some serious time slashing away on that Sharpmaker.
It's a decent sharpening system for blades <20dps but in my experience it's tedious removing large amounts of metal getting to that apex.
I picked up an Edge Pro with some diamond plates that works okay but with my more expensive knives I send them to one of our BF members to set a proper angle and make it pretty.
THEN...the Sharpmaker works very well.
 
You might find your answers at the "Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment" sub forums.
There is a ton of information about sharpening - including pictures...
hope this helps
 
Armen said:
Is it possible to sharpen S30V or S35VN steel with the Sharpmaker? A friend of mine suggested I use one rod on one side of the blade until a Burr formed (explained to me what a burr is) and then said to move to another rod and the other side until the burr vanished.

Well, I swiped and swiped on the course stone on 1 side at least over 20 swipes and didnt notice a burr at all. Is S35VN just too hard for the sharpmaker rods?

Same friend also suggested I learn to use a whetstone instead.

FWIW it's a ZT 0450CF I'm trying to sharpen. It cuts paper ok but can't seem to shave arm hair.
Click to expand...

I sharpen lots of different alloys using a sharpmaker.
Howsoever, I use it for sharpening, not changing the edge angle.

For a sharpmaker to work, the angle of the bevel of the blade edge must match the angle on the rods. Not all knife manufacturers produce knives with edge angles of 20° per side or 15° per side. So you have to remove steel until the angles match, then you can actually sharpen.

To determine if you the angles match, use a Sharpie to blacken the bevel of the blade. Then take a few swipes on a Sharpmaker. Now look at the blade. The Sharpmaker rod is hitting where the black has been removed. If the black has not been removed at the very edge, then you aren't actually sharpening, yet.

It is possible to change the edge angle using a Sharpmaker coarse rod, but I don't have the patience for it. For changing edge angles, I lean an extra coarse DMT stone against the Sharpmaker rod so that it matches the angle. Then I use the same Sharpmaker technique, but remove steel a lot faster. Once the angles match, I just use the Sharpmaker rods. They work well on S35VN, M390, D2, etc.
 
Sharpmaker do sell diamond rods which should work far better for aligning the knife edge angle to specifically how your hand is moving with the sharpmaker angles. I'll get round to buying them one day specifically for this reason.
 
I rarely use the guided slots on my Sharpmaker anymore. You get great results using the 30 and 40 degree slots if you can manage to hold the knife straight and not turn the edge too far towards or away from the rods. Something else I have encountered is odd ball angles, which wouldn’t work unless you turn the blade so the rod would make contact with the apex.
Anyway, I find it much easier to use the scissor sharpening slot at the bottom of the case. I have been using it for well over a year and have had great results. BTW, I have sharpened D2, S30V, 154CM, S35VN, Niolox and many other steels with my medium and fine stones. Some steels will require more patience than others, but it will sharpen if you do your part.
However, if you decide to move up to steels like S110V or S90V, do yourself a favor and grab some diamond rods.
If your knife will easily cut paper, it should be able to at least shave a little bit. If your right handed, try holding the knife in your left hand and see if it will shave hair off of your right arm. You may be dealing with two different angles.
 
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S35Vn is basically S30V with a pinch of niobium. so still has a high volume of very hard carbides, so diamond hones would be your best bet. I use a DMT ultra coarse for setting the bevel if needed; then fine (red) and ultra fine (green) for the finished edge on S35Vn.
 
Armen said:
That's good to know. I was thinking "I paid $50 for a sharpening system that can only sharpen cheaper steel!!!?" I'll give it a try.
Click to expand...
Anything with lots of Vanadium, youll want to use diamonds. But it should be good for s35vn. I assume the angle is not the same as the angle the stones are set at. Use the sharpie to see. Then adjust to the angle of the edge if needed.
 
I took a nick out of my S110V Native lightweight with a Sharpmaker.

It took some time but I am patient and enjoy doing it.
 
TheEdge01 said:
I rarely use the guided slots on my Sharpmaker anymore. You get great results using the 30 and 40 degree slots if you can manage to hold the knife straight and not turn the edge too far towards or away from the rods. Something else I have encountered is odd ball angles, which wouldn’t work unless you turn the blade so the rod would make contact with the apex.
Anyway, I find it much easier to use the scissor sharpening slot at the bottom of the case. I have been using it for well over a year and have had great results. BTW, I have sharpened D2, S30V, 154CM, S35VN, Niolox and many other steels with my medium and fine stones. Some steels will require more patience than others, but it will sharpen if you do your part.
However, if you decide to move up to steels like S110V or S90V, do yourself a favor and grab some diamond rods.
If your knife will easily cut paper, it should be able to at least shave a little bit. If your right handed, try holding the knife in your left hand and see if it will shave hair off of your right arm. You may be dealing with two different angles.
Click to expand...

Are you saying you use the scissor sharpening slot flat on the table top and you hold the 20 degree angle by hand? how is this different than flipping over the sharpmaker and putting the rods in the slots underneath?
 
Armen said:
Are you saying you use the scissor sharpening slot flat on the table top and you hold the 20 degree angle by hand? how is this different than flipping over the sharpmaker and putting the rods in the slots underneath?
Click to expand...

The scissor slot holds the sharpening rod at a slight upward angle, for some reason it seems to work for me. If you have strong sharpening skills the slots on the bottom will probably do the trick.
 
TheEdge01 said:
The scissor slot holds the sharpening rod at a slight upward angle, for some reason it seems to work for me. If you have strong sharpening skills the slots on the bottom will probably do the trick.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm a sharpening noob so any tips using the sharpmaker are always appreciated.
 
knarfeng said:
I sharpen lots of different alloys using a sharpmaker.
Howsoever, I use it for sharpening, not changing the edge angle.

For a sharpmaker to work, the angle of the bevel of the blade edge must match the angle on the rods. Not all knife manufacturers produce knives with edge angles of 20° per side or 15° per side. So you have to remove steel until the angles match, then you can actually sharpen.

To determine if you the angles match, use a Sharpie to blacken the bevel of the blade. Then take a few swipes on a Sharpmaker. Now look at the blade. The Sharpmaker rod is hitting where the black has been removed. If the black has not been removed at the very edge, then you aren't actually sharpening, yet.

It is possible to change the edge angle using a Sharpmaker coarse rod, but I don't have the patience for it. For changing edge angles, I lean an extra coarse DMT stone against the Sharpmaker rod so that it matches the angle. Then I use the same Sharpmaker technique, but remove steel a lot faster. Once the angles match, I just use the Sharpmaker rods. They work well on S35VN, M390, D2, etc.
Click to expand...

That trick you just shared will save me a lot of money buying Spyderco's rod. Thannk you! Man I'm so dumb not to think about that.
 
Armen said:
Well, I'm a sharpening noob so any tips using the sharpmaker are always appreciated.
Click to expand...

Oh ok, using the scissor slot allows me to turn the blade easier so I can sharpen at the correct angle. I have owned many knives that were sharpened at angles that just wouldn’t line up to the 30 and 40 degree slots. So I experimented a little bit and was pleasantly surprised at the results. I realized that it was easier to find and maintain the correct angle on the scissor sharpening slots.
 
If you follow the Spyderco Sharpmaker instructions you will end up with a very small, and very sharp, total 40 degree micro cutting edge regardless of the edge angle your knife started with. Holding the knife in a vertical position is very natural and you should not have to use the scissors position. If the knife is a couple of degrees off 40 degrees total it is no big deal and the knife will definitely cut.

Spyderco Gayle Bradley, M-4 steel blade, is my EDC and after about four years of use I have never had to use the 30 degree angle to reprofile the primary edge angle. Just a few passes with the stones set at 40 degrees brings the micro-bevel back to a very good sharpness. Most of the time I only have to use the white (fine) rods to reset the micro-edge. You should try to sharpen so that you take the least amount of steel off the edge. Many folks over sharpen and then have problems later because the micro-edge increases a tiny bit with each sharpening.

The only thing I sharpen at 30 degrees is a commercial grade Fibrox Victorinox Filet knife, what has a fine and flexible primary edge.

Even a flat edged blade really has two edges, a primary edge and a micro cutting edge. The geniuses at Spyderco determined the best micro-edge dimensions to be 40 degrees for most knives.

Does this make sense? If not, watch the four videos that explain it with pictures.
 
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