Will the SharpMaker get a blade ...

T

TedGamble

Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
431
... hair-tip (not shaving, not hair-popping, but hair-tip) cutting sharp? If so, do you have to use the ultra-fine sticks in order to accomplish it or will the included fine sticks do it?

(Please don't let this thread turn into another "I use waterstones", "I use diamonds", "Get an EdgePro", etc. Just stick to the main question.)
 
No. There are other ways to do that, but I won't get into them because you told me not to.
:p
The Sharpmaker gets and keeps an edge plenty sharp enough for all of my daily needs. I have never had the real need to have a knife "hair-tip cutting sharp" even though I've done it with another technque that I won't mention here because you don't want to hear about it. So I guess I'll stick with my original answer of "No."...

BTW What is "hair-tip cutting sharp" anyway? Now I'm not sure I have ever had a knife that sharp with any technique much less the Sharpmaker.

Bruce
 
I have never had the real need to have a knife "hair-tip cutting sharp"
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It's just one of those things that I like to try from time to time. I can get close with my Arkansas Black Hard stone, but it really takes time, and I can never get completely there. I realize that an edge this sharp would not last as long as less fragile edges, but to me, "shaving", "hair-popping", and "hair-tip cutting" are the most commonly used terms that we all use to explain how sharp an edge is.

My reason for asking this question was to try to get a feel as to the real capabilities of the SharpMaker. I use DMT's for the coarse work and finish with Arkansas Hard and Black-Hard stones. I use the Razor Edge guide to hold the angles. Naturally, it takes time to attach the guide to the blade, and I often want to just quickly touch up an edge. (I'm not quite good enough yet to do it completely by hand.) It appears that the SharpMaker would be really quick to set up (and consistent) for the touch-ups, so I'm trying to see just how good it really is before spending the money on "yet another sharpening toy".
 
I think you are confusing a razor with a knife. You can strop a knife to a very sharp edge but it will never equal a razor because it will not have that narrow or small an angle.
 
Some knives with thin blades sharpened to 30 degrees on the Sharpmaker will probably pop hair for a short while. I've even gotten a dulled Sebenza to mow a patch of hair off with no effort, couldn't feel it cutting the hair away, after that was sharpened to 40 degrees, but with a polished edge (fine rods).

You have to take your time and sharpen it lightly and very evenly, finishing with at least as much time on the fine as the medium rods.
 
TedGamble said:
... hair-tip (not shaving, not hair-popping, but hair-tip) cutting sharp?
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Yes, you can even do this with an 80 grit AO belt with enough skill.

-Cliff
 
The UF rods will get an edge as sharp as any razor hone or Arkansas stone that I have used. Depending on the steel I can still squeeze out a bit more sharpness by following with a strop. Finishing with the UF rods really does make a difference.

The issue that I see is the angle of the rod holders. I don't get spectacular shaving ability unless the honing angle is well under 10 degrees per side. It maybe the condition of my hair, but I don't get real hair tip shaving from a straight razor. So when I go for a bragging edge on my Sharpmaker I have to play around to get a honing angle that is lower than the 15 degrees of the "30-degree" edge slots. I do that by putting a rod under the center of the base as a fulcrum. That allows me to tip the Sharpmaker back and forth to subtract 5 or 6 degrees from the 15. When I do that I can get edges that rival my straight razor's.

On a more practical note I like the slicing characteristics of the edges that I get with the medium and fine rods. Sometimes I sharpen up to UF to perfect the fineness of an edge then I go back and roughen it slightly with the fine or medium rods. That kind of edge slices a lot better and still shaves pretty well.
 
Jeff, your answer is exactly the type of answer that I was looking for. From reading lots of your posts, am I correct in assuming that the S/M is your preferred sharpener unless you are doing something out of the ordinary?
 
Ted, yes it can be done with the 204 and a combination of the medium and fine rods that come with it. I have done it with my Military. It took about four full sharpening sessions over about 2 weeks. I'd use it a bit for light stuff and resharpen it, several times. After about the forth time it would "tree-top" hair. Of course it only lasted until I sliced some cardboard, but it is possible with the standard 204. :) There is a good chance it was just a borderline wire edge. :o
 
I fool around with a lot of hones. I have even picked up old razor hones on ebay. I have settled on the Sharpmaker for most of my finish sharpening. I mostly use a belt sander for rough sharpening and reprofiling. I use a variety of hones during intermediate stages between reprofiling and the Sharpmaker. A lot of that variety is part of my experimenting. If I just need the knife sharp and I don't feel like experimenting I usually go from a worn 600 grit sanding belt direct to the Sharpmaker.

I am not easily contented. I still look for something that will do a better job. I just haven't found anything that consistently does better than the sharpmaker.

There are times when I want to finish a blade using edge-trailing (stropping) strokes. I am suspicious that this can leave a feathered edge that is not as durable as an edge-forward honing technique. There are times when a knife just doesn't come out like I expect after edge-forwards honing and I strop the blade on leather or on an extremely fine hone. You can do this with Sharpmaker rods, but you have to take them out of their normal slots and put them in the horizontal grooves on the bottom side of the plastic base.
 
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