If you're lazy, a pencil eraser can remove most of the metal on the ceramic rods, you'll still have very light marks on the rod after though, but it gets the job done.I very much like my Sharpmaker, but it's far from perfect. There's very little in the video about angles, nor is there anything in it about sharpening chisel grind knives. I tried setting my Sharpmaker to 40º and sharpening one side, but the angle seemed wrong. Did I need more of an angle or less? Because of the lack of instruction, there was no way for me to know. The knife was a CRKT Desert Cruiser, and it's still as dull as a screwdriver.
Cleaning the rods also is an onerous chore. I have one of those scratchy cleaning pads and I use it with Ajax powder, but some of the steel seems to stay on the rods. I'm supposing this is normal, but am wondering if there's an easier way to clean the ceramic stones. Also, are the fine rods fine enough to give me a suitable edge or should I finish it up with something finer?
I've found this little sharpener to be a great
touch up tool, but cleaning ceramic rods,
especially small ones, can be a real bear!
What's the best way to clean them?
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Spyderco Sharpmaker Review
- Thread starter 123tjd
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- Sep 5, 2005
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Well, I'm not that lazy, though that's good to know.
I'm just looking for a better cleaning agent. I even tried toothpaste, but it didn't work. Sure improved the Sharpmaker's breath, though! Whatever is used has to be abrasive. I've also wondered how sticking the rods in a dishwasher would work. Anyone tried that?
Also on my list of things to try: baking soda and salt; and sand suspended in Vaseline and water. I need something gritty.
I'm just looking for a better cleaning agent. I even tried toothpaste, but it didn't work. Sure improved the Sharpmaker's breath, though! Whatever is used has to be abrasive. I've also wondered how sticking the rods in a dishwasher would work. Anyone tried that?
Also on my list of things to try: baking soda and salt; and sand suspended in Vaseline and water. I need something gritty.
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- Nov 13, 2007
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- 95
The Sharpie method of determining whether you are reaching the edge is probably the next thing you should try. When I first got my SharpMaker, I found that the angles on my Delica (new, had never been sharpened) were approximately 20 degrees on one side and 15 on the other. A Sharpie along the edge allowed me to track my progress, while I reprofiled the 20 degree side down to 15, but until you are actually reaching the edge, it will seem like an exercise in futility.
I think the SharpMaker is a good tool, but it requires that any knives you sharpen on it have edge angles that match up with the SharpMaker's angles (or are more acute). It really doesn't require "expertise", but it becomes significantly easier once you understand what is necessary to achieve the desired goal. If you find that you are having to reprofile every knife you try to sharpen and want to speed up the process, you might want to attach some coarse wet/dry sandpaper to the flats of your existing rods, or invest in the coarse diamond rods.
Anyway, get yourself a Sharpie (and possibly some coarse sandpaper) and hang in there... before you know it, you'll be turning out some nice sharp blades!!
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2001
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- 1,583
As everyone has mentioned above and the post I wrote over a year ago, just do the sharpie method. It really tells you what is going on with your knife. It seems to me that all the steps you are leaving out are the steps that are essential to your success with this unit(Sharpie/mirror). Since the last post from last year, I have purchased a second unit for my apartment, its that good of a sharpener.
The white rods (fine) will give you a hair shaving edge. If you want to wittle hair, then you need to purchase the UF (ultra fine rods). I don't suggest you purchase them just yet until you get the hang of using your SM. Just remember to clean your stones after about 40 strokes. Keep on marking your edge with a sharpie until you see that you are infact hitting the edge and not just the shoulder. This will take TIME, but once you get down, but it will soon become second nature.
The white rods (fine) will give you a hair shaving edge. If you want to wittle hair, then you need to purchase the UF (ultra fine rods). I don't suggest you purchase them just yet until you get the hang of using your SM. Just remember to clean your stones after about 40 strokes. Keep on marking your edge with a sharpie until you see that you are infact hitting the edge and not just the shoulder. This will take TIME, but once you get down, but it will soon become second nature.
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You can do a dishwasher, autoclave etc. I have never gotten my rods to be as clean as they were when they were new. They still work, they just don't look as clean
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One of the weakest points about the Sharpmaker is the limitation of angles. The 40-degree slots are okay, but I'd like to be able to put a finer edge on my knives. All they would have had to do is add a couple of more holes. Also, how does one sharpen chisel grind blades with the Sharpmaker? Even CRKT's Slidesharp doesn't accommodate their own knives. When I called CRKT, you know what they told me? They told me to sharpen both sides as though it were a V-grind! I spent most of today downstairs cutting up boxes to get rid of and I took my CRKT Desert Cruiser down to see how well it cut up cardboard. I had put as sharp an edge on the blade as I could, which was fairly sharp, but it didn't cut nearly as well as my V-grind knives. In fact, while it did work, it did the worst job of the bunch (it didn't seem to want to cut straight, plus it didn't immediately bite into the cardboard). So I'm still trying to figure out what advantage a CG has over a V-grind. The only thing I can figure is that it saves the manufacturer money; still, it's pretty bad when the manufacturer tells you to sharpen the knife on both sides because their own sharpener isn't designed to sharpen the blades they make. Right now I'm using a diamond rod sharpener to sharpen it and it seems fairly easy to get an edge.
Postage string.
Just old fashioned white, fluffy, cotton string.
I use Bon-Ami, still Ajax, Comet , and others work.
Just tie the string taut, and work the "V" against the string.
Wet the "V" sharpener, any brand be it Case, Rapela, Lanksy...sprinkle Bon-Ami ( or your choice) and run the string through the "V", and one can get down into the itty bitty crevice and by working on just one "stick" clean up each of the sticks real well.
HTH
Steve
If it makes you feel better its not supposed to cut in a straight line. (Might make you feel worse though idunno
) What I would do is sharpen the "sharpened" side till have a burr worked up and then freehand, with edge leading, a few strokes at however low of angle you thing you can hold with scratching the whole side of the blade...so something like 5 degree or less. That should leave you with a 30 degree, or whatever factory angle is, on one side and 5 degree or less on the other instead of zero. You're not gonna notice the difference between a 30 degree inclusive and a less-than 35 degree inclusive angle. AND you only have to "work" on one side...just enough strokes to take the burr off on the other.- Joined
- Feb 1, 2007
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- 314
The Sharpmaker is an excellent tool to finish your edges on and for upkeep of that edge. The problem is that most knife makers put too thick edges on their knives so first you have to rebevel nearly all knives you buy. After this initial rebevelling than the Sharpmaker can do its work at putting consistent edges on your knife. I freehand my rebevel but others may choose to use a jigged device.
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I don't know. I'm not too disappointed with most knives out of the box. As I continue to use my Spyderco Native, I'm a bit peeved that I can't keep a wicked sharp edge on it like I can my CS Voyager. The Native cuts exceptionally well and holds a good working edge, but it won't keep a scary sharp edge. I can cut up a few large boxes with my Voyager 4-inch, and it still has an edge that would slide beneath the quick with very little effort (which is how I define "scary" sharp), but I can't seem to maintain the same sort edge on my Native.
As for my chisel grind knives, since they seem to be sharp enough, I guess I just don't care for the way they cut. If I pick up a piece of wood and just begin whittling on it, I have to maintain a certain angle for it to bite into the wood; otherwise, it slides under the polished bevel. This means I have to make deeper cuts to cut the wood. With a V-grind, I can shave off thin slices of wood and have more control over what I'm doing. If the bevel were on the other side of the CG, I think I'd be able to cut better. (I have an old Winchester folder I bought before knowing any better, and the bevel was on the right side, not the left. It was much easier for me to cut with that the knives having the bevel on the left side.)
As for my chisel grind knives, since they seem to be sharp enough, I guess I just don't care for the way they cut. If I pick up a piece of wood and just begin whittling on it, I have to maintain a certain angle for it to bite into the wood; otherwise, it slides under the polished bevel. This means I have to make deeper cuts to cut the wood. With a V-grind, I can shave off thin slices of wood and have more control over what I'm doing. If the bevel were on the other side of the CG, I think I'd be able to cut better. (I have an old Winchester folder I bought before knowing any better, and the bevel was on the right side, not the left. It was much easier for me to cut with that the knives having the bevel on the left side.)
Have you tried simply looking at the knife and seeing what part of the blade you were grinding? That should give you a clear indication of whether you're hitting the shoulder, the edge, or the entire bevel.
I've honestly never tried the sharpie trick because I've never had trouble just looking at the blade and seeing what parts I'm grinding away.
I clean all my stones with dishwasher soap and a toothbrush. Works good for me.
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(This isn't directed to any one particular person)
I don't own a sharpmaker, but from what I've seen of it, it's just a set of ceramic sharpening rods with a base to use as an angle guide. It's not a replacement for knowing the basics of sharpening. A knife isn't going to take a specific number of strokes to get sharp, it's going to need ground until there is a fresh edge put on the knife. There are much more suitable jobs for reprofiling a knife too, if you find you need a thinner edge to use the sharpmaker or just want a proper cutting profile on your knife.
+1 For the initial rebevel I went and bought the diamond rods. I'm not quite up to freehand yet, but maybe in time...
As someone who is still new to sharpening, let me pass on the things that I found to be essential to understanding what was happening, and then to making things I wanted to actually happen...
1) Use the Sharpie trick. You need to know what you're grinding. (In time you'll probably stop needing it, but you have to start somewhere. And in the beginning you *will* need the Sharpie trick.)
2) Consistency. You need to maintain a constant angle between your edge and the stone or you'll never get anywhere. You'll have dull, weird-looking knives. A system like the Sharpmaker makes this easier, all you have to do is stay vertical- work on staying vertical all the way through your stroke.
Oh, and don't try to press hard. You don't need to, and it won't help. All it will do is make the base flex, which is bad.
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- Mar 4, 2007
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I never could sharpen Jack S**t with my Sharpmaker and gave up on it years ago. :thumbdn:
Got a Gatco diamond system and was able to sharpen everything shaving sharp with it. :thumbup:
Maybe the Sharpmaker works for some but I had no luck at all with mine.
Sag.
Got a Gatco diamond system and was able to sharpen everything shaving sharp with it. :thumbup:
Maybe the Sharpmaker works for some but I had no luck at all with mine.
Sag.
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2007
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- 314
its not luck, its knowing the basics, and applying them to that perticular system. redouble your efforts, and see where that gets you.
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2007
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- 314
I never could sharpen Jack S**t with my Sharpmaker and gave up on it years ago. :thumbdn:
Got a Gatco diamond system and was able to sharpen everything shaving sharp with it. :thumbup:
Maybe the Sharpmaker works for some but I had no luck at all with mine.
Sag.
The only reason that I could see that the Sharpmaker didn't work is maybe you weren't contacting the actual cutting edge due to the angles. That is just conjecture on my part though.
I've been interested in the sharpmaker but I wonder if it's more than it's worth... might my money be better spent elsewhere?
I had attempted to sharpen using a flatstone with no luck in the past, then I tried the sharpie trick the other day and my ridiculously dull scallion suddenly came back to life. Now I'm considering a duckfoot for quick touchups and then some decent stones later on.
I had attempted to sharpen using a flatstone with no luck in the past, then I tried the sharpie trick the other day and my ridiculously dull scallion suddenly came back to life. Now I'm considering a duckfoot for quick touchups and then some decent stones later on.
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2006
- Messages
- 413
A couple of comments...
Try Bar Keeper's Friend for cleaning the rods. Just use it like Comet on a sponge. It is also great for removing metal stains from porcelain etc.
If you want to keep it simple for re-profiling, try the Duckfoot (mentioned above - just google "duckfoot sharpener"). Cheaper that the diamond rods and has more utility. It will re-profile in a jiffy.
And you absolutely have to use the Sharpie. Most people are only looking at the primary bevel. The actual cutting edge is tiny.
Try Bar Keeper's Friend for cleaning the rods. Just use it like Comet on a sponge. It is also great for removing metal stains from porcelain etc.
If you want to keep it simple for re-profiling, try the Duckfoot (mentioned above - just google "duckfoot sharpener"). Cheaper that the diamond rods and has more utility. It will re-profile in a jiffy.
And you absolutely have to use the Sharpie. Most people are only looking at the primary bevel. The actual cutting edge is tiny.
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2004
- Messages
- 628
On the Sharpmaker, the coarse (dark) rods will wear over time---usually at the 3 "edges." They sell replacements, but it would take several thousand sharpenings to actually wear them out. FWIW, I'm still on my originals from 15 or so years ago. The fine white rods show no wear. Breaking one from dropping it is far more likely.