Spyderco Sharpmaker What not to do?

MTHall720

MTHall720

Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Messages
2,957
I just got a Sharpmaker for the second time. First one I had lasted a very short time. I think I put a lot of pressure on the rods while sharpening since they became loaded very quickly with every knife I sharpened. Then pits began to form in the rods!!!

Should I just use a light amount of pressure?

For a sharper edge is it better to sharpen at smaller angle?
 
Did yours come with the how-to booklet and also the DVD? The DVD is a huge help. I'm all sold out right now but the one I was selling came with the booklet and also a DVD.
 
I have used mine for years now. At times I have used a lot of pressure and at other times I have used it correctly and just used light to moderate pressure (allowing the stones to do the work)

I have never experienced any pitting of the stones. They seem almost indestructable.
 
It could be that I simply got defective rods the first time. I am now ready to give my new set a whirl. I also got super coarsse rods too from Spydie Guys on eBay.
 
MTHall720 said:
It could be that I simply got defective rods the first time. I am now ready to give my new set a whirl. I also got super coarsse rods too from Spydie Guys on eBay.
Click to expand...

Under what listing were those super coarse rods in? Could those be the diamond rods?
 
MTHall720 said:
It could be that I simply got defective rods the first time. I am now ready to give my new set a whirl. I also got super coarsse rods too from Spydie Guys on eBay.
Click to expand...

They could have been defective, but excessive pressure can do funny things. Keep the pressure very light and let the abrasive do the work. End your strokes with the blade tip still in contact with the rod, especially when using the corners. Dragging the tip off the corner onto the flat will round off the point very quickly. There are many other SharpMaker use tips out there if you search.
 
MTHall720 said:
Yes These are the Diamond rods. Are these super coarse or is it the other way around where they are for super fine finishing touches?
Click to expand...

The diamond rods are coarser than the ceramics, but they still aren't made for hogging off a lot of steel. Spyderco also makes a set of ultra-fine rods that put an even finer edge on than the regular white rods.
 
I use a DMT X-Coarse for my serious stock removal, and a lot of folks hereabouts use the DMT XX Coarse. The thing is, I've been sharpening freehand for about 45 years, so the only thing I use my SharpMaker for is serrations. Another SharpMaker trick for faster stock removal is to wrap sandpaper around the rods and secure it with binder clips. Cheap, effective and available in a variety of grits almost everwhere.
 
That's a lot experience. All I have done most of the time is just dabble a little with freehand, but just figured I didn't do it right since I never got the sharpness I wanted.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top