Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

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vivi
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#61

Post by vivi »

TkoK83Spy wrote:
Wed Oct 03, 2018 7:16 am
I actually tried the Sharpie on the 40° setting, though it was on the fine and ultra fine rods, only 20 passes on each and it just barely took the Sharpie off right at the apex, didn't touch the bevel. Maybe not enough passes to really gauge it, or should have used the brown rods?

If it makes any difference, or for those of you with the same knife that may be able to relate, it's BBS Para 3 M390.
That means the edge bevel on your knife is more narrow than 20 degrees per side. You can try the 15 degree slots, or continue using the 20.

The fine and ultrafine stones are for refining an already sharp edge. If your knife can't shave, use the browns.
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TkoK83Spy
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#62

Post by TkoK83Spy »

Thank you Vivi...that may be where I'm going wrong, assuming it just needs a touch up, when maybe it need to start at the beginning.

That M390 has a beautiful mirror finish right now, but just isn't as sticky sharp as when I first got it.
15 :bug-red 's in 10 different steels
1 - Bradford Guardian 3 / Vanadis 4E Wharnie
1 - Monterey Bay Knives Slayback Flipper / ZDP 189
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31/Macassar Ebony Inlays
1 - CRK Large Inkosi Insingo/ Black Micarta Inlays
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31 Insingo/Magnacut

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Sharp Guy
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#63

Post by Sharp Guy »

TkoK83Spy wrote:
Wed Oct 03, 2018 7:42 pm
Thank you Vivi...that may be where I'm going wrong, assuming it just needs a touch up, when maybe it need to start at the beginning.

That M390 has a beautiful mirror finish right now, but just isn't as sticky sharp as when I first got it.
I'd start with brown rods. Get it back to sticky sharp with those and then go to the whites for further refinement if you'd like.

For reference, a few minutes ago I used the Sharpmaker to get an idea of what angles the edge is on my M390 P3. It's a little hard to tell because I had already touched mine up with the 40° setting but by looking at where the ink came off the bevel it looks like I probably could've used the 30° setting to touch it up. I usually use 40° to touch up factory edges. So that's what I did with this one. Lately I've been reprofiling everything to less than 30° and I've started to experiment a little with using a 30° microbevel. So far so good. The edge on this M390 P3 will get reprofiled very soon.
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TkoK83Spy
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#64

Post by TkoK83Spy »

I guess I had it all wrong from the start. I thought the fine rods are what was supposed to get it sticky sharp. I just need more patience with the browns. First time I've dulled one of my knives enough in a day that it's beyond just a touch up. I normally rotate what I carry on a daily basis to avoid the need to spend much time sharpening.

This is good to find out though, can't wait to get home from work and get it going!
15 :bug-red 's in 10 different steels
1 - Bradford Guardian 3 / Vanadis 4E Wharnie
1 - Monterey Bay Knives Slayback Flipper / ZDP 189
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31/Macassar Ebony Inlays
1 - CRK Large Inkosi Insingo/ Black Micarta Inlays
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31 Insingo/Magnacut

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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#65

Post by Crux »

The Sharpmaker is fine but I prefer the Edge Pro.
Can you find it and can it cut? :eek:
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Sharp Guy
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#66

Post by Sharp Guy »

Crux wrote:
Thu Oct 04, 2018 12:05 pm
The Sharpmaker is fine but I prefer the Edge Pro.
I like my Hapstone V7 a lot too but I really only use if for reprofiling. For basic sharpening and touch ups I find the Sharpmaker is too convenient not to use it.
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#67

Post by TkoK83Spy »

I must thank you 3 for the pointers. The past hour I have now turned my Chaparral LW and Para 3 M390 into laser beams! Surprisingly the 30° setting worked best for the Chaparral. 40° for the Para 3, though I had to hold it ever so slightly with the spine inward to really hit the apex. I also found it easier to use the flats facing inward and using an up and down motion, about 10-12 strokes per side, rotating back and forth. Rather than rotating each pass using the corners. Didn't think I'd be able to get them this sharp! Really appreciate it guys!!
15 :bug-red 's in 10 different steels
1 - Bradford Guardian 3 / Vanadis 4E Wharnie
1 - Monterey Bay Knives Slayback Flipper / ZDP 189
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31/Macassar Ebony Inlays
1 - CRK Large Inkosi Insingo/ Black Micarta Inlays
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31 Insingo/Magnacut

-Rick
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#68

Post by Crux »

Sharp Guy wrote:
Thu Oct 04, 2018 12:12 pm
Crux wrote:
Thu Oct 04, 2018 12:05 pm
The Sharpmaker is fine but I prefer the Edge Pro.
I like my Hapstone V7 a lot too but I really only use if for reprofiling. For basic sharpening and touch ups I find the Sharpmaker is too convenient not to use it.
I have a Ken Onion Work Sharp that I use for touch ups.
Can you find it and can it cut? :eek:
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#69

Post by Sharp Guy »

Crux wrote:
Sat Oct 06, 2018 4:30 pm
Sharp Guy wrote:
Thu Oct 04, 2018 12:12 pm
Crux wrote:
Thu Oct 04, 2018 12:05 pm
The Sharpmaker is fine but I prefer the Edge Pro.
I like my Hapstone V7 a lot too but I really only use if for reprofiling. For basic sharpening and touch ups I find the Sharpmaker is too convenient not to use it.
I have a Ken Onion Work Sharp that I use for touch ups.
I have no experience with the Work Sharp so I won't speak of it other than I don't think I want something that I have to buy replacement belts for. Benchmade uses the WS to sharpen customer's knives at trade shows, so I have no doubt that it works well. It's nice that we have so many good systems to maintain our knives. As long as we're all enjoying sharp knives it's all good.
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#70

Post by ZrowsN1s »

This thread inspired me to try and use the sharpmaker more. I reprofiled 2 edges to 30 inclusive. The lil native which had a factory edge, and the super blue delica.

One of my biggest problems with the sharpmaker is how long it takes to reprofile. After taking some pointer from Surfingringo and Deadboxhero, I found I could speed the process up a bit. I used heel to tip, tip to heel, back and forth strokes. Using the diamond stones, brown, fine, ultrafine, it took about an hour to reprofile an edge and get it to a high polish. I was pleased with the results. Time aside, the edges were every bit as nice as i get with my KME system.

On getting things shaving sharp with the brown stones.... I did. But it was a rough shave. I found that moving to the fine and ultra fine and then a little stropping produced a smooth shaving edge. Maybe some of the more experienced sharpeners can chime in here, but can you get a smooth shaving edge with just the brown stones? Did I just need to spend more time? Or refine my technique a little?

Another question I might ask is, I went from a rough shaving edge to a smooth shaving edge by moving to the fine, ultrafine, and stropping. If I had gotten a better edge off the browns initially, might I have achieved an even higher level of refinement when I moved to the finer stones? Or is my smooth shaving edge as good as it gets?
-Matt a.k.a. Lo_Que, loadedquestions135 I ❤ The P'KAL :bug-red

"The world of edges has a small doorway in, but opens into a cavern that is both wide and deep." -sal
"Ghost hunters scope the edge." -sal
vivi
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#71

Post by vivi »

ZrowsN1s wrote:
Wed Oct 17, 2018 5:33 pm
This thread inspired me to try and use the sharpmaker more. I reprofiled 2 edges to 30 inclusive. The lil native which had a factory edge, and the super blue delica.

One of my biggest problems with the sharpmaker is how long it takes to reprofile. After taking some pointer from Surfingringo and Deadboxhero, I found I could speed the process up a bit. I used heel to tip, tip to heel, back and forth strokes. Using the diamond stones, brown, fine, ultrafine, it took about an hour to reprofile an edge and get it to a high polish. I was pleased with the results. Time aside, the edges were every bit as nice as i get with my KME system.

On getting things shaving sharp with the brown stones.... I did. But it was a rough shave. I found that moving to the fine and ultra fine and then a little stropping produced a smooth shaving edge. Maybe some of the more experienced sharpeners can chime in here, but can you get a smooth shaving edge with just the brown stones? Did I just need to spend more time? Or refine my technique a little?

Another question I might ask is, I went from a rough shaving edge to a smooth shaving edge by moving to the fine, ultrafine, and stropping. If I had gotten a better edge off the browns initially, might I have achieved an even higher level of refinement when I moved to the finer stones? Or is my smooth shaving edge as good as it gets?
Yeah, that's my biggest complaint with the sharpmaker too. I adore it for maintaining edges. It is incredibly well designed to be versatile and function for an incredible variety of blade shapes and edge configurations. But a $30-50 DMT bench stone pays for itself after one or two knives, assuming you make more than minimum wage. Time is money after all.

One of these days I'll try my hand at a belt sander and do full regrinds instead of just taking the bevels down to thinner angles.

Now for the second half of your post.

I sharpen most of my EDC knives on a medium Spyderco bench stone, which is basically just a wider version of the brown SM rods.

No fine or ultrafine stones. No stropping.

The edge I get will cleanly shave. Whittle individual hairs. Pop off individual pieces of stubble without contacting the skin. Push cut circles in receipts. If I rough up my arm hair so it sticks up and run the blade half an inch above the skin, it splits every hair in half that it makes contact with.

That's one reason I've stopped stropping, and rarely use my finer stones. I don't need a higher level of sharpness than that. The time investment isn't worth it to me. A more polished edge will be a little better at push cutting for a few cuts until it dulls down to "only hair whittling sharp" but how much time am I spending to get it there? And it will slice worse, and have worse edge holding, compared to an edge finished off the mediums (at least for my particular uses).

Some general tips:

- Always ensure you're hitting the apex.

- Finish with light pressure. If you can't do your finishing strokes one handed without making the sharpmaker base slide around, you're pressing too hard.

- Clean your stones. If there is visible steel build up on the stones, they will produce an inferior edge. Not a big deal if you're just going for working sharp on a beater, but if you want the best edge you can achieve, freshly cleaned stones are ideal.

- 1:1 strokes, always. One on the left, one on the right, repeat.

- Consistent strokes / angle. On the SM, this means you need to make sure you're always holding the knife as straight as you can, and that you're hitting the stones so as to grind along the middle of it, rather than having the knife angled a bit so it's only hitting the corner part.

- Follow the curve of the blade consistently. I still struggle with this part a bit when I'm reprofiling a blade with a lot of belly. I've always felt Spydercos blades with their flowing curved cutting edges (Police, Endura, Calypso, Military) were easier to sharpen than the majority of knife blades that are straight edged for 2-2.5", then a dramatic curve before the tip (Think Benchmade's standard blade shape)

- Consider finishing free-hand. I get the best results from my bench stone, better than using the SM as intended. But if you don't have one, you can use the SM like one, like this. Worth trying if you're comfortable with free hand techniques.

My sharpest edges, like my Ronin 2 I take up to the UF, are sharper than razor blades. I've measured them side by side, comparing how much force it took to cut fishing line with a push cut.
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ZrowsN1s
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#72

Post by ZrowsN1s »

Vivi wrote:
Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:12 pm
.....
.......
The edge I get will cleanly shave. Whittle individual hairs. Pop off individual pieces of stubble without contacting the skin. Push cut circles in receipts. If I rough up my arm hair so it sticks up and run the blade half an inch above the skin, it splits every hair in half that it makes contact with.
.........

Some general tips:

- Always ensure you're hitting the apex.

- Finish with light pressure. If you can't do your finishing strokes one handed without making the sharpmaker base slide around, you're pressing too hard.

- Clean your stones. If there is visible steel build up on the stones, they will produce an inferior edge. Not a big deal if you're just going for working sharp on a beater, but if you want the best edge you can achieve, freshly cleaned stones are ideal.

- 1:1 strokes, always. One on the left, one on the right, repeat.

- Consistent strokes / angle. On the SM, this means you need to make sure you're always holding the knife as straight as you can, and that you're hitting the stones so as to grind along the middle of it, rather than having the knife angled a bit so it's only hitting the corner part.

- Follow the curve of the blade consistently. I still struggle with this part a bit when I'm reprofiling a blade with a lot of belly. I've always felt Spydercos blades with their flowing curved cutting edges (Police, Endura, Calypso, Military) were easier to sharpen than the majority of knife blades that are straight edged for 2-2.5", then a dramatic curve before the tip (Think Benchmade's standard blade shape)

- Consider finishing free-hand. I get the best results from my bench stone, better than using the SM as intended. But if you don't have one, you can use the SM like one, like this. Worth trying if you're comfortable with free hand techniques.

My sharpest edges, like my Ronin 2 I take up to the UF, are sharper than razor blades. I've measured them side by side, comparing how much force it took to cut fishing line with a push cut.
Thanks for the tips Vivi. I'm happy with my high polished edges for the most part, but I've been wanting to get better at low grit sharpness.
When you say follow the curve of the blade, do you mean lift the handle a little as the blade curves?
Also do you finish with edge leading or edge trailing strokes?
-Matt a.k.a. Lo_Que, loadedquestions135 I ❤ The P'KAL :bug-red

"The world of edges has a small doorway in, but opens into a cavern that is both wide and deep." -sal
"Ghost hunters scope the edge." -sal
vivi
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#73

Post by vivi »

Yep, I'm talking about precisely that. Sharpening a Military on the sharpmaker, you gradually tilt the tip of the knife down towards the floor so the edge remains perpendicular to the stone.

I use edge leading strokes for everything except stropping. In my experience it produces much less bur, which is why I switched to it from edge trailing. I'd experiment with it a bit and see if it does anything for you. Just give yourself time to get used to the motion if you exclusively use edge trailing.

Maybe someday soon I can do a Sharpmaker tips video for PE.
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#74

Post by ZrowsN1s »

Vivi wrote:
Wed Oct 17, 2018 7:20 pm
Yep, I'm talking about precisely that. ...... I use edge leading strokes for everything except stropping.
Ok cool, thanks. I'll play around with that.
-Matt a.k.a. Lo_Que, loadedquestions135 I ❤ The P'KAL :bug-red

"The world of edges has a small doorway in, but opens into a cavern that is both wide and deep." -sal
"Ghost hunters scope the edge." -sal
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#75

Post by Sumdumguy »

I swapped my Edgepro for a set of Diamond triangles. A Sharpmaker and a set of diamond stones are pretty hard to beat.

The Edgepro will be finding a new home soon.
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TkoK83Spy
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#76

Post by TkoK83Spy »

Awesome thread, yet even more tips to try!
15 :bug-red 's in 10 different steels
1 - Bradford Guardian 3 / Vanadis 4E Wharnie
1 - Monterey Bay Knives Slayback Flipper / ZDP 189
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31/Macassar Ebony Inlays
1 - CRK Large Inkosi Insingo/ Black Micarta Inlays
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31 Insingo/Magnacut

-Rick
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TkoK83Spy
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#77

Post by TkoK83Spy »

So I've noticed, I tend to get my tip to about half of the blade, regardless which knife I'm sharpening to hair shaving sharp...yet towards the back half, heel...its not nearly as sharp. I feel like I'm using the same amount of pressure and following the flow while sharpening. Is this common, any ideas why this is happening? I'm also following the curve of the blade with say, the PM2...raising the heel of the handle a bit when getting towards the tip of the blade.
15 :bug-red 's in 10 different steels
1 - Bradford Guardian 3 / Vanadis 4E Wharnie
1 - Monterey Bay Knives Slayback Flipper / ZDP 189
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31/Macassar Ebony Inlays
1 - CRK Large Inkosi Insingo/ Black Micarta Inlays
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31 Insingo/Magnacut

-Rick
vivi
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#78

Post by vivi »

TkoK83Spy wrote:
Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:34 pm
So I've noticed, I tend to get my tip to about half of the blade, regardless which knife I'm sharpening to hair shaving sharp...yet towards the back half, heel...its not nearly as sharp. I feel like I'm using the same amount of pressure and following the flow while sharpening. Is this common, any ideas why this is happening? I'm also following the curve of the blade with say, the PM2...raising the heel of the handle a bit when getting towards the tip of the blade.
I've noticed when watching videos on people using their sharpmaker that they often don't nove it downwards at a constant rate. They start pulling the knife more towards them, then use more of a downward motion once it gets started. So make sure you start with a downward motion, and that you're holding the blade so that the full width of the rods contacts the edge and not just the corner.
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#79

Post by Cscottsss »

I own a SM but don't use it exclusively. I have a KME I use primarily for sharpening and reprofiling.
I bought the SM for touch ups and maintenance but really haven't had the time to sit down and get proficient with it. The few times I've tried it I haven't gotten the best results, but haven't put a lot of time into the procedure. I hope this winter I'll have more time to sit down and really master it. There are some great tips in many threads on this forum. I really need to go through and print some of them out and make a cheat guide for myself.
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TkoK83Spy
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Re: Who uses Sharpmaker exclusively?

#80

Post by TkoK83Spy »

The past week now, when touching up a moderately used knife, I'm finding it easier and quicker for me to use a medium grit bench stone insteas of the brown rods. Then follow up with the fine stones on the Sharpmaker and ultra fines if I feel like doing so. Is that weird, does anybody else do a combo of freehand sharpening and using the Sharpmaker at the same time?
15 :bug-red 's in 10 different steels
1 - Bradford Guardian 3 / Vanadis 4E Wharnie
1 - Monterey Bay Knives Slayback Flipper / ZDP 189
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31/Macassar Ebony Inlays
1 - CRK Large Inkosi Insingo/ Black Micarta Inlays
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31 Insingo/Magnacut

-Rick
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