Which angle to sharpen at?

M

MilitaryPower

Joined
May 25, 2007
Messages
1
I am getting a Spyderco Sharpmaker but I am unsure whether I should use the 40 or 30 degree angle to sharpen my knives. I will be sharpening a CRKT M16-14SFA (chisel), CRKT Ryan Plan B (chisel), CRKT M16-10KZ (hollow), Kershaw Blur (hollow), and Cold Steel Recon 1 (hollow). Thank you.
 
When you get the Sharpmaker, watch the DVD that comes with it and read the manual. Sal Glesser (Spyderco's President/Founder) is featured in the DVD, and he'll help you understand what angles to use.

Welcome to the forums, MilitaryPower!:)

Regards,
3G
 
That's good advice above. I would just add that some people have found that the sharpmaker may slightly round the points of their blades over time if used as shown in the video. One way to avoid that is to skip the steps that use the corners of the stones and only use the steps that involve the flat surfaces of the stones. Overall, the sharpmaker is a really great tool.
 
Lurker said:
That's good advice above. I would just add that some people have found that the sharpmaker may slightly round the points of their blades over time if used as shown in the video. One way to avoid that is to skip the steps that use the corners of the stones and only use the steps that involve the flat surfaces of the stones. Overall, the sharpmaker is a really great tool.
Click to expand...

Or, use the corners (have to, for serrated), but lift the blade before it gets to the point.
 
Your knives will come with an edge angle. So the easy answer is to match the angle of the existing edge with either the 30- or 40-degree Sharpmaker angle. For knives with premium steels (VG-10, S30V, S90V, etc.), I like to use the 30-degree stone. For lesser steels (420/440/Aus steels), I'd use the 40-degree stones. But I like to profilel my knives to 30 degrees, just to simplify things.

The DVD is a start, but it's too general if you want to get the most out of the sharpening system and your knife. Picking an edge angle is part of it, but you also will want to know how to raise and properly remove a burr.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!

Let’s see if we can find the right forum …
attachment.php
 
I tried the 30 degree slots for my Henckel kitchen knives, but the edges chipped a little more than I liked during daily use. So I went back to the 40 degree slots.

For my pocket folders, I use the 30 degree slots.

If you have a knife with a bevel greater than 30 degrees, you will need to use the 40 degree slots to reach the edge.
 
Nothing is written in stone but most of my knives seem to like the 40 degree side. The exception so far for me has been the thin kitchen knife blades. As you may know, if you mark the edge with a sharpie then pull it acroos a few times and see if you are taking off the mark clear to the edge. Some young whipper snapper showed me that.:D Don't let D2 get to dull or it can be a little tough to resharpen. I like to touch them up often on the fine or ultra-fine rods.
 
udtjim said:
Nothing is written in stone but most of my knives seem to like the 40 degree side. The exception so far for me has been the thin kitchen knife blades. As you may know, if you mark the edge with a sharpie then pull it acroos a few times and see if you are taking off the mark clear to the edge. Some young whipper snapper showed me that.:D Don't let D2 get to dull or it can be a little tough to resharpen. I like to touch them up often on the fine or ultra-fine rods.
Click to expand...


Sounds like he gave you good advice!:D

Whaddaya think of D2 by now? I've heard it can't be sharpened to acute angles due to the large carbide present. Although I imagine you probably keep yours around 40 degrees inclusive, don't you?
 
udtjim said:
Nothing is written in stone but most of my knives seem to like the 40 degree side. The exception so far for me has been the thin kitchen knife blades. As you may know, if you mark the edge with a sharpie then pull it acroos a few times and see if you are taking off the mark clear to the edge. Some young whipper snapper showed me that.:D Don't let D2 get to dull or it can be a little tough to resharpen. I like to touch them up often on the fine or ultra-fine rods.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've had better results at 40 degrees with my Delica 4. When I first got it, I discovered that the edge was asymmetrical (15 degrees on one side, almost 20 on the other), so I reprofiled to 15 degrees on both). I've been able to get it pretty sharp at 30 degrees inclusive, but when I did a 40 degree microbevel, it was instantly sharper. In theory, shouldn't I be able to get it sharper at 30 degrees than at 40? If that's the case, do I just need more practice/better technique? Thanks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top