wth sharpmaker

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SomeNewGuy

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So while I was just going through a box of junk I found a lansky crock stick sharpener.. you know the like 15$ fine and coarse like 6 inch ceramic rod deal. deal And I decided to use it on my Byrd cara cara 2 just because that is my user beater blade and.. I was astonished it got it sharper then I ever got it on the sharpmaker. And I went and did some kitchen knives at my house on sharp maker and some on lansky and what? The lansky ones were definitely sharper.. I just can't wrap my mind around how this one seems to be getting them sharper or at least sharper with less effort.

Anyone have any idea or ever tested this out?
 
Use it on a few more knives this morning and same results.. am i using sharp maker wrong..?
 
My sharpmaker puts extremely sharp edges on my knives. Are you using the 40 deg edge slots, or the 30 deg back bevel slots? My guess is that you're not really hitting the edge on the sharpmaker. Try the sharpie trick where you color the edge in then use the sharpmaker to see where you're really hitting.
 
357fan said:
My sharpmaker puts extremely sharp edges on my knives. Are you using the 40 deg edge slots, or the 30 deg back bevel slots? My guess is that you're not really hitting the edge on the sharpmaker. Try the sharpie trick where you color the edge in then use the sharpmaker to see where you're really hitting.
Click to expand...

using 40 degree.. and im doing the same knives on the lansky on the same angle and its getting sharper.. idk why i know im hitting the egdes.
 
There could be some difference in actual angle settings between the two. But, sometimes a given ceramic will suit certain blades better, either due to shape (round vs. triangular or flat) or the character of the ceramic itself. The Sharpmaker can be troublesome to learn to use, especially if sharpening on the corners of the rods. The very narrow contact area can easily roll or chip an edge if pressure is too heavy. The corners of the rods will also load up much faster with swarf from the blade, so it's performance will drop off if the rods aren't kept clean. In fact, before doing anything else, I'd first make sure they are clean.


David
 
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I had the same issue for a while. I have the lansky crock sticks and the sharpmaker. I never could get the sharpmaker to work as well as the lansky until recently. I have to pay more attention on the flats of it that does the trick. Also, if you don't clean the sharpmaker rod periodically, they won't work as well. Barkeeper's Friend or Comet with a green scouring pad will make them look brand new
 
Yeah you gotta clean those ceramics. Also, take a protractor to you Lansky crock stick tool. If the angle there is greater than 40 by even a little bit, it may just be that it is sharpening at a sufficiently obtuse angle that you're getting a better edge apex. The sad fact of the matter is that despite what they all say, almost nobody below a certain price point (and that number is high!) are doing very acute edges these days nor are they doing them evenly. I reprofile ALL my knives, regardless of brand, down to about 25 degrees inclusive with freehanding (or even a file on 1095), then sand the edge very smooth, and THEN take it to either the 30 or 40 degree SharpMaker setting. The only exception is Mora. Those scandis are already about 25 inclusive so I just hit them witht he 30 and I'm good to go.

I call it indexing. You've got to get your bevel less than the bevels on the SharpMaker and then your life gets easy. I just re-profiled an ESEE-6 with a file and then sanded the dickens out of it to get out the scratch marks. Made a nice convex bevel that took to the 40 degree Sharpmake like a fish to water. Came out great and is super easy to maintain.

Indexing is the key. I'll bet the Lansky (based exclusively in what you've said) is more like 45 inclusive and that is sufficiently obtuse to apex the edge. Nothing wrong with that obtuse of an edge but it will not perform slicing tasks very well. Let's face it, sharp is very subjective term. I'd hate to hit my head, or any other hard part of my body, against a perfectly apexed 90 degree piece of steel!
 
There is another solution if you have access to a drill press. I bought the lansky diamond crock stud for like 16 bucks and used a drill press to put a 30 degrees inclusive setting on the turnbox. Just tilt the press platform to 15 degrees and drill two holes. So I do the reprofiling with that, then sharpmaker on 30 inclusive and finish with a few swipes on 40 with the fine rods. Works like a champ
 
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