spyderco sharpmaker

firefighterguy said:
What method do you use to achieve this? The recommended back and forth strokes or something else?
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Evany said:
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.
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Yes, I set the main edge bevel with the diamond rods at 30 degrees. Sometimes I do it with bench stones. your bevels don't have to be perfect. I mean, one side could be 13 degrees and the other 17 degrees and as long as you have a clean apex, you could still microbevel at 20/side and get the same level of sharpness. *(One of the many reasons why a microbevel is an easy way to sharpen) Once I've got a good clean apex off the diamonds, I go straight to the microbevel. If you want to polish the bevel further with the mediums or fines you can, but it isn't necessary. Sometimes I microbevel with the flats of the browns but I kind of prefer the edge I get with the corners of the browns. It is a good bit more aggressive than what you can get off the flats. It won't whittle hair but it is still face shaving sharp and cuts most stuff a lot better because its more toothy.

Very important: You should also use light pressure on the microbevel, but if you do choose to microbevel with the corners, remember to go EXTREMELY light. You are only touching the very apex and with the small contact area of the corners you can damage the edge if you use too much pressure. To achieve maximum sharpness, finish with lighter and lighter strokes until you are barely even contacting the stone.


---Oh, and to answer a couple of the other questions I missed, I always use alternating strokes when micro beveling and always heel to tip. If I am taking off lots of metal with the diamonds trying to reset the 30 degree edge bevel, I will often use both up and down strokes on one side at a time to maximize how much metal I'm cutting. Once I get to the apex I slow down and start alternating strokes to make sure I get my angles just right and all burrs removed.
 
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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Well put.
 
The technique Surfergringo describes has been working very well for me. I go straight from diamond rods at 30 degrees to the medium rods at 40. For the larger kitchen knives, I've stopped at the medium rods the last few times and had good results. For the folders, I usually go with the fine rods. Mostly I've only dabbled with the ultra-fine rods. As far as the real world performance of the edge goes, even the fine rods seem to give diminishing returns, though I am still a noob.
 
Just got mine today! Thanks for all the advice everyone. I have touched up all my knives, its addictive lol
 
wow!jugging from the amount of post on this thread,i never new the sharpmaker was so popular!but its one handy tool i'll say that,its the first thing i reach for to put a edge on my smaller folders because the set up is so easy,one of the best investment's i ever made.
 
This is great, thanks! Last question--is there a trick to avoiding rounding the tip? I stopped using the corners so much after I noticed my knives were all slightly losing their fine tips.
 
Evany said:
This is great, thanks! Last question--is there a trick to avoiding rounding the tip? I stopped using the corners so much after I noticed my knives were all slightly losing their fine tips.
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Yeah, just lighten up on the pressure at the end of each stroke, otherwise you will be repeatedly dragging the tip off the corner of the stone. That is what causes the rounding. And yes, this effect is more pronounced when using the corners since the tip slides across the angled flat if you don't let up on the force at the end. Slow down and pay close attention to this for a little while and it will soon become habit and part of your technique.
 
For the diamond rods, many people recommend using no more pressure than the weight of the blade. If you push too hard on the diamond rods, the material comes off and you can ruin the rods.

Using gentle, steady and uniform drags across the rods seems to be the trick with the Sharpmaker. For me, it helps to listen to the sound of the knife dragging across the rod. I know I have the right touch when it makes the same sound on both sides.

"Spare the rod, spoil the Sharpmaker."
 
I did it guys! Hair whittling edge with a sharpmaker and strop.
5129da6efa3ea512a1d305bda553ab05.jpg


I'm a complete amateur. I've sharpened maybe ten knives in my life, all on the sharpmaker. I went all the way to the uf stones and then stropped it. Until today I wasn't even sure if I was stropping correctly.

I realize it's far from a good hair whittle. I'm not even sure if it counts. Mostly I was just slicing the hair in half but I finally got it to shave/curl a little bit. I'm also 95% certain this was luck. Thanks for reading my excitement.
 
does anyone have issues with the diamond rods loosening up the mounts in the sharpmaker? I've noticed since using them, the regular rods don't fit as tight as before and there's some slight movement when using the regular rods.
 
scribe9154, out of curiosity, are you putting the in coated section of the rods in the base? I haven't noticed my diamond rods changing the fit on my other stones. Not sure what would cause that.
 
sc00ts said:
scribe9154, out of curiosity, are you putting the in coated section of the rods in the base? I haven't noticed my diamond rods changing the fit on my other stones. Not sure what would cause that.
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no, I have never put the coated ends in the base. it's like the diamond rods are a slightly different diameter than the ceramic rods.
 
Haha, wow, these pictures! I don't think I could ever get a knife to whittle hair, but then, I've never bothered with a strop or the ultra fine rods, either.
 
Some people say to put a little dish soap on the ends of the diamond rods to make them fit better, which is what I did.

I thought the diamond rods made the holes loose but then I realized that I only used the diamond rods on the 30 degree setting and it was the 40 degree setting that was a little loose. I think I probably did that by pressing too hard when I first got it and didn't handle it as gently as I should have. Either way, it doesn't seem to affect the functionality as long as I use it right. Though I wish they had a version with a metal base so that wouldn't be possible. But it's definitely not a deal breaker. I heart the Sharpmaker.
 
firefighterguy said:
I did it guys! Hair whittling edge with a sharpmaker and strop.
5129da6efa3ea512a1d305bda553ab05.jpg


I'm a complete amateur. I've sharpened maybe ten knives in my life, all on the sharpmaker. I went all the way to the uf stones and then stropped it. Until today I wasn't even sure if I was stropping correctly.

I realize it's far from a good hair whittle. I'm not even sure if it counts. Mostly I was just slicing the hair in half but I finally got it to shave/curl a little bit. I'm also 95% certain this was luck. Thanks for reading my excitement.
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Well there you go. You can't expect to be making feather sticks on day 1 but if you have made it that far you know what you're doing is working! :) Now you will get faster and more efficient and your results will continue to get even better. Once the novelty of polished edges wears off you will likely revert to finishing at a lower grit as that type of edge performs better for most tasks. The good thing is once you apply all the technique you are practicing now, even your low grit edges will be insanely sharp!
 
firefighterguy said:
I did it guys! Hair whittling edge with a sharpmaker and strop.... I'm a complete amateur. I've sharpened maybe ten knives in my life, all on the sharpmaker. I went all the way to the uf stones and then stropped it. Until today I wasn't even sure if I was stropping correctly....
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I've been sharpening knives for over 50 years and I can't do that! Great job!

The Sharpmaker and patience (and a good strop) will reward you well.
 
I kept thinking that I couldn't afford the Sharpmaker. Then it dawned on me that I couldn't afford all the knives I bought, either, so all the knives I couldn't afford may as well always be sharp :)
 
I heard that the sharpmaker and other ceramic rod system isn't recommended to sharpen hard steels like M4 as it will cause chips, is this true? I am kind of holding back after i heard about this issue, Thanks!

-Kevin
 
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