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Thread: New Sharpmaker- Comments and Questions

  1. #1
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    New Sharpmaker- Comments and Questions

    As I posted in the Retail Therapy Thread, I just picked up the Spyderco Sharpmaker because I am a complete knife sharpening novice beyond using a steel on my kitchen knives. I made the purchase knowing fully that it may be a 90 % solution 90% of the time relative to other, particularly motorized systems.

    My initial impressions are quite positive. I do concur that is does its best work at touching up/ maintaining and a knife that was 1/2 way sharp in the first place. I have be practicing on a cheapy Kershaw (Model 1445 with 8CR13MOV steel). It has gone from dull to barely cut typing paper sharp with a lot of work at both the 40 and 30 Degree settings. (hundreds of passes)

    I "touched" up a SAK, a Spyderco Cat 10 and a CPMS 30V Native that was a WalMart Special way back in the day to thin legal pad paper slicing sharpness with relative ease (dozens of passes).


    Questions:

    1. Should my default setting be at 40 (20 a side) setting or the 30 (15 a side setting)? There is much conflicting info on to include from the master himself Sal G of Spyderco?

    2. Any harm in just doing 10 passes a side with the white fine stones on the flats every day on the way out the door as I move thru the carry rotation


    Before I start on a VG 10 Limited Edition Wave and my Clinch Pick, I thought it best to ask around a bit. I have watched a fair number of videos on line.

    Any other nuggets of Sharpmaker wisdom are most appreciated.

  2. #2
    banana republican blues's Avatar
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    1. There is no default per se. It really depends on the angle of the existing edge bevel.

    Try taking a piece of newspaper and tightly wrap it around one of the rods when placed in each of the slots, 20 and 15 degrees. (Flat side of the hone.)

    Place the knife vertically as if you were going to hone it and see if the edge "bites" into the paper. If it slides on the paper in the 15 degree slot, that means that the edge bevel is more obtuse than 15 degrees, (or 30 degrees "included"). If it bites into the paper, Bob's your uncle and that's the best slot to use for future sharpening.

    Try in the 20 degree. If it bites into the paper, then use the 20 degree slots to maintain. If it slides down the 20* rod, then the edge bevel will need to be thinned (at the shoulder) for the Sharpmaker to sharpen the edge. This is where a coarser hone makes for quicker work...during the "thinning".

    Even if the edge bites into the 15* side, you can micro-bevel with a few strokes in the 20 degree slot daily to keep the edge more robust and more quickly sharpen in future.

    2. There is no harm done by giving a few licks on the hones daily after use. It will keep the edge running longer.

    I linked several videos in an earlier discussion on the Sharpmaker. If you have specific questions I'm happy to try to answer them here or speak to you on the phone, which may be easier.
    Last edited by blues; 04-28-2020 at 04:31 PM.
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  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by vcdgrips View Post
    As I posted in the Retail Therapy Thread, I just picked up the Spyderco Sharpmaker because I am a complete knife sharpening novice beyond using a steel on my kitchen knives. I made the purchase knowing fully that it may be a 90 % solution 90% of the time relative to other, particularly motorized systems.

    My initial impressions are quite positive. I do concur that is does its best work at touching up/ maintaining and a knife that was 1/2 way sharp in the first place. I have be practicing on a cheapy Kershaw (Model 1445 with 8CR13MOV steel). It has gone from dull to barely cut typing paper sharp with a lot of work at both the 40 and 30 Degree settings. (hundreds of passes)

    I "touched" up a SAK, a Spyderco Cat 10 and a CPMS 30V Native that was a WalMart Special way back in the day to thin legal pad paper slicing sharpness with relative ease (dozens of passes).


    Questions:

    1. Should my default setting be at 40 (20 a side) setting or the 30 (15 a side setting)? There is much conflicting info on to include from the master himself Sal G of Spyderco?

    2. Any harm in just doing 10 passes a side with the white fine stones on the flats every day on the way out the door as I move thru the carry rotation


    Before I start on a VG 10 Limited Edition Wave and my Clinch Pick, I thought it best to ask around a bit. I have watched a fair number of videos on line.

    Any other nuggets of Sharpmaker wisdom are most appreciated.
    The 15/30 is used mostly for re-profiling a knife. For folding knives the 20/40 is what you want to use. Really cheap knives may be ground at an angle larger than 20 per side. That means your stones won’t hit the edge of the blade. It shouldn’t take hundreds of passes so most likely that’s what is happening. Kershaws vary widely with their grinds. I had some that I could use the sharpmaker on. But I measured some with angles of 25-30 degrees which is huge. The more acute the edge the better cutting, although there is a happy medium because if you get too acute the edge chips more easily.

    The sharpie trick is very helpful. Use a sharpie to color the edge of your knife and then make 5-10 passes per side. Ideally you want to see shiny metal and the sharpie removed on the edge. If it’s not then your knife is ground wider than 20 and will need to be re-profiled to use a sharp maker.

    Making ten passes really isn’t necessary every day unless you’re cutting a lot with it. Every time you use the stones it removes some metal. Granted it’s a small amount and you’ll likely never notice if you have multiple knives. If you wanted something for daily maintenance I would get a strop.

    When I got my sharpmaker I got a strop with it and I was able to get hair whittling edges after not too long on my Spyderco knives. If you have any other questions let me know or feel free to PM me if you like.
    "Shooting is 90% mental. The rest is in your head." -Nils

  4. #4
    Name:  3FF69E37-5180-41B6-B828-7E02F812E1D0.jpg
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    Honestly, this is way sharper than one could ever need but who doesn’t want a sharp knife?
    "Shooting is 90% mental. The rest is in your head." -Nils

  5. #5
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
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    Jun 2013
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    New Sharpmaker- Comments and Questions

    This thread reminded me to use a strop and green polish to refresh the edge on my ZT Elmax blade. It shaves again.

    I use the Sharpmaker for heavier sharpening tasks.

    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  6. #6
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    Feb 2011
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    Midwest
    Thank you to date for your help and input. I really appreciate it.

    I have made a Spyderco VG10 Endura Wave, a Spyderco CPMS30V Native, a Spyderco BD1 Cat-10, a 1st Run Chinese 12C27 Clinch Pick and a Maurice Lacroix Victornox (2 inch cutting blade/ 1 inch watch back removal "blade") to a hair of the forearm shaving sharp level. I have also "stropped" with the jeans I was wearing after cutting some paper and it seemed to put a finishing touch right on the blade.

    I will chalk up the barely cutting paper sharp Kershaw to the learning curve and drive on as it was found on a campout and never claimed by any of our Scouts such that I have 0 in the knife in the first instance.

    I feel confident enough to re sharpen all of the knives above with the Sharpmaker and similar blade designs in the future.

    I have custom Benchmade partially serrated S30V Mini Barrage that was a gift such that I might default to sending that one in to Benchmade when the time comes to sharpen it given the serrations and black colored/engraved blade.

    The Sharpmaker may have been my best piece of retail therapy since 1 Jan 2020.

  7. #7
    This place is costly.
    #RESIST

  8. #8
    Member
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    Deepinnaheartta, Texas
    Did you get there with the sharpmaker or another system? I get there with the Lansky. SCARY sharp!
    Quote Originally Posted by JCS View Post
    Name:  3FF69E37-5180-41B6-B828-7E02F812E1D0.jpg
Views: 878
Size:  26.1 KB

    Honestly, this is way sharper than one could ever need but who doesn’t want a sharp knife?

  9. #9
    Member JHC's Avatar
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    Feb 2011
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    North Georgia
    Quote Originally Posted by vcdgrips View Post
    As I posted in the Retail Therapy Thread, I just picked up the Spyderco Sharpmaker because I am a complete knife sharpening novice beyond using a steel on my kitchen knives. I made the purchase knowing fully that it may be a 90 % solution 90% of the time relative to other, particularly motorized systems.

    My initial impressions are quite positive. I do concur that is does its best work at touching up/ maintaining and a knife that was 1/2 way sharp in the first place. I have be practicing on a cheapy Kershaw (Model 1445 with 8CR13MOV steel). It has gone from dull to barely cut typing paper sharp with a lot of work at both the 40 and 30 Degree settings. (hundreds of passes)

    I "touched" up a SAK, a Spyderco Cat 10 and a CPMS 30V Native that was a WalMart Special way back in the day to thin legal pad paper slicing sharpness with relative ease (dozens of passes).


    Questions:

    1. Should my default setting be at 40 (20 a side) setting or the 30 (15 a side setting)? There is much conflicting info on to include from the master himself Sal G of Spyderco?

    2. Any harm in just doing 10 passes a side with the white fine stones on the flats every day on the way out the door as I move thru the carry rotation


    Before I start on a VG 10 Limited Edition Wave and my Clinch Pick, I thought it best to ask around a bit. I have watched a fair number of videos on line.

    Any other nuggets of Sharpmaker wisdom are most appreciated.
    My default is 40 (20R 20L) gray rod on the angle then repeat gray on the flat.
    Then the same series with the white rods.

    That's a full sharpen for me. But yeah why not short cut it for a touch up?

    I often intend to. But then once I get started some sort of OCD kicks in and I have to go full cycle.
    “Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by JCS View Post

    The sharpie trick is very helpful. Use a sharpie to color the edge of your knife and then make 5-10 passes per side. Ideally you want to see shiny metal and the sharpie removed on the edge. If it’s not then your knife is ground wider than 20 and will need to be re-profiled to use a sharp maker.

    Making ten passes really isn’t necessary every day unless you’re cutting a lot with it. Every time you use the stones it removes some metal. Granted it’s a small amount and you’ll likely never notice if you have multiple knives. If you wanted something for daily maintenance I would get a strop.
    Nothing to add.. just bears repeating...
    You will more often be attacked for what others think you believe than what you actually believe. Expect misrepresentation, misunderstanding, and projection as the modern normal default setting. ~ Quintus Curtius

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