spyderco sharpmaker

An eraser also works for cleaning the stones, though it will chew it up. I also just use my thumb, for that matter. If using the edges, they can clog fast, even just a fast wipe every few strikes makes a big difference, at least for me
 
Surfingringo said:
Hi Nick, and welcome to the forum. A microbevel is not beyond you. It is by far the simplest way to sharpen and maintain a knife edge. Here's a few tips you can follow. There are a million ways to skin a cat but I'm going to outline what I believe is one of the simplest ways to learn.

Get yourself a set of the diamond of cbn rods for the sharpmaker and put them in the 30 degree side. Sharpen one side until you can feel a burr form along the opposite side. (Depending on how dull your knife is and how obtuse your edge bevel is this can take quite a while). After you have a burr, switch sides and sharpen the other side at 30 degrees until a burr forms on the first side. At that point alternate sides using continually lighter strokes until the burr is gone from both sides. Now your knife is sharp and you have a clean apex. All the hard work is done at this point.

From there, all a microbevel is is sharpening very lightly at a more obtuse angle (lets say 40 degrees since that's the other sm setting). You will find that once you do the first part right and have a clean apex, you can put an extremely sharp microbevel on with just a few passes and very light pressure. When your knife gets dull, just continue to sharpen the microbevel. This is way more fast and efficient since you are only removing a tiny bit of steel at the apex. Slowly over time and repeated sharpenings, your microbevel will start to take over your main bevel and you will need to go back and reset the main bevels to 30 degrees but it takes a good bit of use and many sharpenings before that is necessary. Take a bit of time to practice this and you will be very pleased. Don't tell yourself it is too hard. It's not. It is the easiest way to maintain an edge IMHO. You will definitely need the more aggressive diamond rods to do this with the sharpmaker though.
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Well put.
 
G III said:
An eraser also works for cleaning the stones, though it will chew it up. I also just use my thumb, for that matter. If using the edges, they can clog fast, even just a fast wipe every few strikes makes a big difference, at least for me
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I did this with a white rubber eraser. The white rods are now as white as snow and the brown rods like a deep chocolate.

This is a brilliant tip for all SharpMaker owners. Since I bought my Triangle Kit used with the extra UF rods, they all look and work like new now since cleaning them with a white rubber eraser.
 
G III said:
An eraser also works for cleaning the stones, though it will chew it up. I also just use my thumb, for that matter. If using the edges, they can clog fast, even just a fast wipe every few strikes makes a big difference, at least for me
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The very best product I've found for cleaning the ceramic rods on the 204 Sharpmaker is "Bar Keeper's Friend". I've found that after I use Bar Keeper's Friend to clean my stones on the 204 Sharpmaker the stones bite and abrade very evenly and do an excellent job. I usually clean mine after two or no more than three sharpenings. The ceramic stones load up quickly and don't abrade very well when they are loaded up.

Especially the ultra-fine stone>> it loads up very quickly. But I do like the ceramic stones because when they are clean they do a very consistent job.
 
JD Spydo said:
The very best product I've found for cleaning the ceramic rods on the 204 Sharpmaker is "Bar Keeper's Friend". I've found that after I use Bar Keeper's Friend to clean my stones on the 204 Sharpmaker the stones bite and abrade very evenly and do an excellent job. I usually clean mine after two or no more than three sharpenings. The ceramic stones load up quickly and don't abrade very well when they are loaded up.

Especially the ultra-fine stone>> it loads up very quickly. But I do like the ceramic stones because when they are clean they do a very consistent job.
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^THIS^ I tried the eraser thing just to experiment. It worked okay but I find Bar Keeper's Friend to be much easier.
 
Never tried an eraser... you all are just referring to a pencil eraser, correct?
Why does it matter if it is a white pencil eraser?
I've got a bunch of the regular gum colored erasers around the house, maybe I'll try one out next time... heck, now I've got a reason to get out the SM and touch up a few knives tonight after I finish some other projects around the house!
 
Thank you, Surfingringo for that micro bevel technique. Up to now I've only used the 30 degree angle. I found it took so long to get a good edge that I pretty much gave up on the Sharpmaker and now I sharpen freehand on DMT and ceramic stones. This has been working really well for me, but I do miss the convenience of the Sharpmaker and the consistent angles it delivers. Now I can't wait to try it again.
 
I finally ordered a Sharpmaker. I also got the extra fine stones and pre loaded strop. Can't wait to get it and sharpen every knife in my house. Well, that's the way I sold it to my wife anyway.

I appreciate the tips given in this thread!
 
Buellrider said:
I finally ordered a Sharpmaker. I also got the extra fine stones and pre loaded strop. Can't wait to get it and sharpen every knife in my house. Well, that's the way I sold it to my wife anyway.

I appreciate the tips given in this thread!
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Congrats! :thumbup:

I say it everytime, though - should have spent a bit more and gotten the CBN or Diamond triangles instead of the extra-fine.
 
SpeedHoles said:
Congrats! :thumbup:

I say it everytime, though - should have spent a bit more and gotten the CBN or Diamond triangles instead of the extra-fine.
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This^

The diamonds are indispensable. The only thing I use the uf rods for is something to attach my dmt 600 grit diafold stones to.
 
Agreed, you'll get more use out of the diamond rods. What happened to me was that I got the UF rods with my Sharpmaker, went to sharpen every knife in the house and the dull knives gave me a really hard time. I ended up at about $150 into this thing by the time I got the diamond rods. No regrets, but if I had to just pick one set of extra rods, it would be the diamond rods no contest.
 
I agree, the Sharpmaker is great, but the diamond rods make it the best.

There needs to be a Sharpmaker Deluxe that has the diamond rods included and a different base to hold them :)
 
I agree the diamond rods are a necessity but, once the knife is sharp, I use the ultrafine rods more than any of the others. Most of the time, I freehand on the fine or ultrafine rods to keep edges performing perfectly--either that or I strop. I also have the full set of Spyderco ceramic benchstones and the ultrafine stone is the one that gets the most frequent use there.

If you always drive your knives until they're dull, diamonds are the choice. To keep them from ever getting dull, the fine and ultrafine rods are my choice. Medium? It's an intermediate step most of the time but some knives perform better with a less refined edge.
 
I got both the CBN and Ultra Fine rods.

I use the CBN rods much more. Indeed, I've not used the UF in months.

The Medium rods are all my kitchen cutlery need and the Fine rods create a fantastic edge. Touch-ups with my strop gives my EDCs way more 'sharp' than I'd ever need.
 
I have the diamond and the UF rods. Once the novelty wore off I found that I rarely used the UFs.
 
Buellrider said:
Yes, the diamonds are next. It can't be a bad thing to step down though right?
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By step down, do you mean finishing with a finer grit? The short answer is yes, it can be a bad thing, depending on the intended use of the knife. A highly refined edge is great for pushcuts but does not make a great slicer.

If you are looking to shave your face then the more refined the better. If you are looking to cut string, rope, cardboard, zip ties and most of the other things we cut on a daily basis, a more aggressive edge will work MUCH better than a highly refined edge. Try cutting a piece of polypropylene rope with a polished edge and watch how that edge will just slide across it as if it's not even sharp. Trying the same with a more aggressive (lower grit) edge and it will "bite" and cut right through. Just depends on what you're cutting. For my uses I find the finish I get off the flats of the medium rods to be almost too refined for most of my uses. I can bring most any steel to hair whittling sharp off the medium sm rods.

In fact, here' a pic I took just a couple of days ago for the hap40 thread. This edge was finished with a 40 degree microbevel on the medium rods. I suppose I could have taken it all the way through the UF rods, but why?



I'm not trying to tell you the uf rods are worthless. Absolutely not! They are lots of fun and will help you get some of the sharpest edges you've ever achieved. They also work well to maintain serrated edges. I just don't find them necessary for my everyday edges.
 
Surfingringo said:
By step down, do you mean finishing with a finer grit? The short answer is yes, it can be a bad thing, depending on the intended use of the knife. A highly refined edge is great for pushcuts but does not make a great slicer.

If you are looking to shave your face then the more refined the better. If you are looking to cut string, rope, cardboard, zip ties and most of the other things we cut on a daily basis, a more aggressive edge will work MUCH better than a highly refined edge. Try cutting a piece of polypropylene rope with a polished edge and watch how that edge will just slide across it as if it's not even sharp. Trying the same with a more aggressive (lower grit) edge and it will "bite" and cut right through. Just depends on what you're cutting. For my uses I find the finish I get off the flats of the medium rods to be almost too refined for most of my uses. I can bring most any steel to hair whittling sharp off the medium sm rods.

In fact, here' a pic I took just a couple of days ago for the hap40 thread. This edge was finished with a 40 degree microbevel on the medium rods. I suppose I could have taken it all the way through the UF rods, but why?



I'm not trying to tell you the uf rods are worthless. Absolutely not! They are lots of fun and will help you get some of the sharpest edges you've ever achieved. They also work well to maintain serrated edges. I just don't find them necessary for my everyday edges.
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What method do you use to achieve this? The recommended back and forth strokes or something else?
 
Surfingringo, I read about your micro bevel technique with great interest in another thread. I just wanted to be certain--you start with the diamond rods at 30 deg, go to the mediums, then use mediums again at 40 deg? Do you just use the flats or both the corners and the flats? Back to front only, or back and forth? Sorry to be so detail focused, but I would love to get those kind of quick and consistent results from my Sharpmaker.
 
Thanks for the great explanation Surfingringo. What and how you say it makes perfect sense.

Surfingringo said:
By step down, do you mean finishing with a finer grit? The short answer is yes, it can be a bad thing, depending on the intended use of the knife. A highly refined edge is great for pushcuts but does not make a great slicer.

If you are looking to shave your face then the more refined the better. If you are looking to cut string, rope, cardboard, zip ties and most of the other things we cut on a daily basis, a more aggressive edge will work MUCH better than a highly refined edge. Try cutting a piece of polypropylene rope with a polished edge and watch how that edge will just slide across it as if it's not even sharp. Trying the same with a more aggressive (lower grit) edge and it will "bite" and cut right through. Just depends on what you're cutting. For my uses I find the finish I get off the flats of the medium rods to be almost too refined for most of my uses. I can bring most any steel to hair whittling sharp off the medium sm rods.

In fact, here' a pic I took just a couple of days ago for the hap40 thread. This edge was finished with a 40 degree microbevel on the medium rods. I suppose I could have taken it all the way through the UF rods, but why?

I'm not trying to tell you the uf rods are worthless. Absolutely not! They are lots of fun and will help you get some of the sharpest edges you've ever achieved. They also work well to maintain serrated edges. I just don't find them necessary for my everyday edges.
Click to expand...
 
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