Spyderco Sharpmaker

[Poncho65]

I know that a lot of you guys have a Sharpmaker and I have one as well Some of you have had them much longer than me and some of you not as long.  I would like to hear any tips and/or tricks that some of you older pros have

Also I have bought some of the ultra fine rods were they worth it? I haven't gotten them yet but do any of you have them and do they make any difference and also are the diamond rods worth buying I know some of you have them and I think that may be my next purchase as far as sharpening gear goes any input will be much appreciated

[Leatherman123]

I prefer the Deluxe Lansky System myself.. The diamond rods take off more material then ceramic.

[Poncho65]

The Lansky always seemed to much trouble to setup to me Lookwise anyways The Sharpmaker just seems more natural to me (more akin to hand sharpening)

[Leatherman123]

I don't know, I just always seem to blunt the blade's tip on the Sharpmaker; I always do! If you have the base for the Lansky; it's a lot more stable..

[Poncho65]

I have found that if you slow down a bit on the Sharpmaker and don't let the edge roll off at the end of each stroke that it helps with that a lot I haven't put the Lansky out of the running I will probably eventually get one but for now I am gonna try and get good with the Sharpmaker and get the different grits of rods that go with it and see what all can be done with it

[WhichDawg]

The Sharpmaker is a really good tool, but you need practice and know a few tips.
If you plan on re-profiling a blade or you have a really dull blade/edge the diamond rods
are better at this then what comes with it, they are more aggressive.

I've gathered these tips and maybe they will help you:

Rounding tips with the Sharpmaker comes from sharpening in a hurry using the corners of the stones. Some rarely use the flats of the white stones, just finish with the corners, especially if you sharpen regularly. Stropping is also a good thing to do.

The trick with the SM is not to round the tip but to rotate your wrist forward and down as the tip nears the stick. In other words, you start with the blade basically parallel to the ground and end with it almost perpendicular
.
The tip rounding problem with the SM results from the unintended increased pressure when the tip slides off the sharpening rod. It can be avoided by ending your stroke "AT" the tip instead of PAST the tip (practice).

Paint the blade edge bevel with the magic marker and then make a dry pass with your stone. If the angle of your stone is too wide, none of the marker will be scraped away. If the angle is too narrow, you'll scrape away the marker at the top of the back bevel, but not along the edge of the blade. You want the stone to be parallel with the edge bevel, meaning it scrapes away all the marker.

Once the stone angle is correct, you can sharpen until you raise a burr on the opposite side of the edge, then keep sharpening the burr away, moving your stone from one side to the other, with ever more gentle strokes until the burr is gone. Then your knife will be sharp. You can polish the blade after that or strop it for extra sharpness. But it all starts with the correct angle.

Keep your rods clean! Some use erasers other use soap and warm water with a non-metal scrubber. Dry them good.
Practice Practice Practice buddy and all should go well and easy. Good Luck

[Flash]

This might help 

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,8912.15.html

[Poncho65]

Thanks for the tips WD I will and have been slowing down at the tips of my knife blades but it does take practice to not just go fast and run the tip past the stone I really like the marker idea and will use it as well I will take more time keeping the rods clean as well I have noticed that they do a whole lot better when they are really clean

and thanks for the link Flash I forgot about that thread

[jzmtl]

Mind you you don't need any of the special rods like diamond. Just lay a regular diamond stone or a strope on top of the sharpmaker rod and you can have any grit you want. I never bought any additional rods, just some cheap diamond stone and made a strope to use this way. And to get an angle that's more acute than 30°, put a rod under the base, if it's right under the holes you'll get 23°.

[Leatherman123]

I have found that the back of a notepad makes an excellent strop.. 

[Poncho65]

Technique is the key to stropping more than the material right? I guess technique is key in the whole sharpening process

Leather is just usually more accepted and I guess more traditional than other materials for a strop

Before I got more into sharpening I really had no idea how to strop so I researched it a bit and it seems to be a rather easy process but takes some practice to get the right technique

Also for those that do use leather would anybody recommend a strop compound cause I looked for some and there are like a bazillion choices

[jzmtl]

I just use jeweler's rouge that I picked up in a hardware store, basically any abrasive power fine enough would work. Put your strop block on top of sharpmaker rods and you don't have to worry about angle.

[Poncho65]

Thanks you sir

[Poncho65]

The DVD that comes with the SM has been a very big help to me as well Seems like everytime I watch it I learn something new or I catch something different that I hadn't caught previously about sharpening The acting is a little cheesy though Still a very good instruction video plus the book that comes with it for quick reference is nice

[Styerman]

Marking the edge with a sharpie , to see what you are actually hitting is a good idea . Shimming the edge of the base for odd serrated angles is a good idea too . I still have a very impressive scar as of a result of a failure to use the brass rods ! I like the diamond inserts , for cleaning up really crappy / neglected blades .

 I have had Spyderco Sharpeners since about 1979 or there abouts , the modern 204 is an improvement . I like the ease of backbevelling . Points require a bit of wrist action , and the slowing of the stroke .

Great tools !

Chris