Stones to buy for getting a edge ready for sharpmaker.

K

knifeandgun

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Aug 10, 2013
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Hello again everybody!
So I have been only really into knives for about 8 months and ever since I absolutely love it!
I recently began sharpening and cleaning knives for my friends and family but have come across a big problem. I have a sharpmaker which I use to sharpen their knives but recently many of the knives I have been taking care of are extremely dull and sharpmaker has been useless in sharpening them.
I know that I need to buy some stones but I don't know which to get. I don't have enough to get the nicer dmt stones. My budget is about 40 I'm looking for very coarse and coarse stones. Please let me know which I should check out and what grits I should use before hitting up my sharpmaker.
Ps. I would prefer dry stones/diamonds over oil stones.
Thank you!
 
You really only need one coarse stone; a coarse or XC diamond would handle any steel you choose. Unless the blade is huge and/or in very wear-resistant steel, the coarse would likely be enough. Once the bevel is set with the coarse stone, maintenance and/or refinement gets a LOT easier with the Sharpmaker. The biggest battle is just setting a bevel within the working limits of the Sharpmaker (30 degrees inclusive is ideal), so a single coarse or XC diamond would fit the bill.


David
 
DMT has some 6" interrupted-surface hones within your price limit (< $40), such as:
http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/DMTW6CP/DMT-W6CP-6-inch-Diamond-Whetstone-Coarse-with-Plastic-Box
http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/DM...amond-Whetstone-Extra-Coarse-with-Plastic-Box

I think their coarse/fine Duo-Sharp is one of the most versatile hones. More expensive, but worth saving up for:
http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/DM...nch-DuoSharp-Bench-Stone-with-Base-FineCoarse

If you're not sharpening very high-wear steels with lots of vanadium carbides (such as S30V, S90V, etc.), you might also look into Norton's Crystolon and/or India bench stones. Either is easily within that price limit. The Crystolon is more aggressive, and would likely be the better choice for setting bevels; the India has a great reputation as an all-around maintenance/upkeep stone.


David
 
Here is my "TO GO" sharpening kit. When I get together with my buddies they are usually asking me to sharpen their blades. DMT coarse stone, sharpmaker with extra fine rods, and strop with green compound and ITS ON!

If I were you I would definately drop a few bucks on the DMT. It really gets the dirty work out of the way quickly.

 
Do the Diamond sharpmaker rods fit this purpose as well? I have the same problem sharpening some of my cheap knives
 
lakewalker said:
Do the Diamond sharpmaker rods fit this purpose as well? I have the same problem sharpening some of my cheap knives
Click to expand...

It should, for most uses. But the biggest disadvantage of the SM's diamond rods is their smaller working surface area. They're not especially coarse or aggressive, either, from what I read here on the forums. On a very large or thick blade, from which a lot of steel must be removed, abrasive surface area will make the biggest difference in working speed, and a coarser grit option would speed things further. The SM's diamond rods are pretty pricey, for the relatively small hones you get. This is why a full-sized diamond bench hone may be a better investment. Not to mention, more grit options and choices in diamond bench hones.


David
 
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