Community Sharpening Journal

[Steeltoez83]

Doing some edge retention trials lately with 13 degree microbevels. So far 15V is the overall winner in this block of testing. K390 stretch 2 with about a 9/10 edge bevel on a 400 super vit diamond stone. 5 passes per side to set the micro with a 1k super vit. Should be interesting to see how the k390 stacks up.

[Josh Crutchley]

Anyone have or use a Nano Hone? If so how does it compare to stropping on leather or balsa? Is it a direct replacement for stropping with compound/spray?

Edit: For some reason I seen the 1 micron size and thought stropping. It's clearly a diamond stone and not a strop.

[Erich]

Just wanted to show appreciation for Spyderco's "Double Stuff." This is a great ceramic abrasive. I used a Lansky rod for years and it is obvious to me now that not all ceramics are equal. I don't know what goes into the process of manufacturing this stuff but the Lansky wears out fairly quickly and doesn't cut as well as the Double Stuff. Gatco was another one I tried and it was about the same as the Lansky. Both were medium ceramics. I also tried Lansky's jig system that included the fine ceramic and no offense to anyone but it is garbage. The Edge Pro I bought and the Double Stuff are miles ahead. I'm glad I can finally get a true V angle edge and then use the Double Stuff for a few passes whenever some blunting happens.

I am interested in trying stropping to finally get some hair carving going on, I almost got it the other day with the double stuff and a k390 Delica. Actually I was able to slice cut a free hanging hair, I just didn't have that extra edge for the carving. I have some vegetable leather but bare leather doesn't seem to have much of an effect on the hyper wear resistance steels we are using. However I tried using 0.50 micron DMT spray on the same leather and my edge gets cut off/dulled every time no matter what I do. I may just have junk leather. I was going to buy the KnivesShipFree strop with some of the Bark River compound but I don't want to potentially waste the money. Has anyone tried the Bark River stropping compounds?

[Josh Crutchley]

Just picked up a Worksharp Precision Adjust today and was wondering if anyone had tips on clamping Spydercos?

[Erich]

Just picked up a Worksharp Precision Adjust today and was wondering if anyone had tips on clamping Spydercos?

Clamp them like any other knife. You want the blade positioned so that the abrasive doesn't contact the clamp itself. Also just clamp the blade itself, don't try to use tape or something else on the blade for protection.

I had one of these. You need to get the stabilizing post for it to be useful. Otherwise there's a bunch of slack in the clamp arm. In the end I sold it and got an Edge Pro. You can get a pretty decent edge off the Worksharp but you're limited to their abrasives. I tried using a universal stone holder but that just throws your angle off every time you change stones depending on the size of the stone you're throwing into the universal holder. The problem with the Worksharp abrasives is the abrasive itself is not flush with the holder, so you can't reach into the rear section of the edge on some knives like the Endura because the holder rams into the choil.

[Josh Crutchley]

Clamp them like any other knife. You want the blade positioned so that the abrasive doesn't contact the clamp itself. Also just clamp the blade itself, don't try to use tape or something else on the blade for protection.

It's kinda weird clamping a Para 3 so I was curious how others do it. Might modify one side of the clamp to give more room for the thumb ramp.

I had one of these. You need to get the stabilizing post for it to be useful. Otherwise there's a bunch of slack in the clamp arm.

I think I've seen these in the past, looks like a machinist jack right? There does seem to be some play in just about every part of it.

In the end I sold it and got an Edge Pro. You can get a pretty decent edge off the Worksharp but you're limited to their abrasives.

I already have an Edge Pro type system with some decent stones mostly higher grits. I needed something for reprofiling and wanted to try a cheaper clamp system.

I tried using a universal stone holder but that just throws your angle off every time you change stones depending on the size of the stone you're throwing into the universal holder. The problem with the Worksharp abrasives is the abrasive itself is not flush with the holder, so you can't reach into the rear section of the edge on some knives like the Endura because the holder rams into the choil.

Yeah I'm already working on my own stone holder. Might try and split some Venev stones to make them thin enough for a triangle holder.

[TkoK83Spy]

Para 3 is a bit different with the Precision Adjust. You can't fully clamp the blade, but I did mine a few months back like this with no issue and turned out really nice and even. Light pressure is key. No movement, even with it half-assed clamped in.

[Josh Crutchley]

Para 3 is a bit different with the Precision Adjust. You can't fully clamp the blade, but I did mine a few months back like this with no issue and turned out really nice and even. Light pressure is key. No movement, even with it half-assed clamped in.

That's pretty close to the way I clamped mine. So far I've sharpened a 20cv Para 3 and a PMA11 Mule with good results. Ive been wanting to play with some lower grits so I only used the coarse 320 on the 20cv. The Mule I took to 600 and both were stopped with 1 micron paste on balsa. Very aggressive compared to the 10 micron CGSW I typically finish with.

[TkoK83Spy]

Para 3 is a bit different with the Precision Adjust. You can't fully clamp the blade, but I did mine a few months back like this with no issue and turned out really nice and even. Light pressure is key. No movement, even with it half-assed clamped in.

That's pretty close to the way I clamped mine. So far I've sharpened a 20cv Para 3 and a PMA11 Mule with good results. Ive been wanting to play with some lower grits so I only used the coarse 320 on the 20cv. The Mule I took to 600 and both were stopped with 1 micron paste on balsa. Very aggressive compared to the 10 micron CGSW I typically finish with.

I grabbed the upgrade kit, the 220 grit makes quite a difference over the 320. You can buy individual grits for around $7 I believe? Create your own grit progression!

[Josh Crutchley]

Anyone try Hapstone Start CBN? Seems like a good deal.
https://hapstone.pro/diamond-and-cbn?product_id=376

I grabbed the upgrade kit, the 220 grit makes quite a difference over the 320. You can buy individual grits for around $7 I believe? Create your own grit progression!

Yeah I seen the 220 when I was looking for additional holders might try it out. I've already split a Venev Dog stone to try and make my own upgrades. It's close to the right size just a little wider and shorter.

[kennethsime]

This took two nights, but then again I’m recovering from COVID. Buddy brought me his Shun that had 4-5 chips in it from cutting up frozen meat + being knocked around in a drawer.

Took it down to 15° DPS with the 325 grit Diamond on the Work Sharp, then took it over to the Sharpmaker and set a 20° DPS microbevel. Started with the CBN rods, then moved through medium, fine, and ultra fine with 30-50 strokes per side at each stage.

It’s going home with a new Shun saya, and is cleanly slicing standing paper. Pretty stoked on this!

[TkoK83Spy]

Nice! I sharpened a few kitchen knives on mine as well and they turned out great. Filet knives are a bit difficult as their pretty thin and want to bend a bit, even with very light pressure. That knife you have there is a larger than any I've sharpened on the PA though. Nice to see it cam handle them!

[Strauss95]

The Shun looks HUGE when clamped into the "small" WSPA! I don't have the Precision Adjust, but I do have the Work Sharp Ken Onion with blade grinding attachment, it's my go-to for sharpening friends low quality kitchen knives and or other soft stainless steel knives. (not saying the Shun is low quality btw)

[kennethsime]

Nice! I sharpened a few kitchen knives on mine as well and they turned out great. Filet knives are a bit difficult as their pretty thin and want to bend a bit, even with very light pressure. That knife you have there is a larger than any I've sharpened on the PA though. Nice to see it cam handle them!

This is just an 8" Chef's, but the pic does make it look more like a 10".

I had to work it sections - split the blade into two, and then blended it a bit, if you will. Came out pretty well!

The Shun looks HUGE when clamped into the "small" WSPA! I don't have the Precision Adjust, but I do have the Work Sharp Ken Onion with blade grinding attachment, it's my go-to for sharpening friends low quality kitchen knives and or other soft stainless steel knives. (not saying the Shun is low quality btw)

I considered buying the Elite Sharpener (the Ken Onion plus the Blade Grinder) just for this job. I'd really love to get one, but haven't had enough of a need yet.

[ncrockclimb]

Today I sharpened my Rex45 Native for the first time. In my opinion, Spyderco’s Rex45 is just amazing! It works well with a high-grit polish or a low-grit toothy edge.

On this knife, I re-profiled the edge to 13.5 dps with f80 Venev. I took the time to get a good burr, remove it, then reform it on the other side with the f80.

I then finished the edge with the f150 Venev. I made sure to remove the f80 scratch pattern, and create a fully apexed edge with a burr. I then removed the burr and repeated the process on the other side. To remove the burr, I use a dowl to bend up the burr, then remove it with light edge-leading strokes.

I finished by refining the edge with 10 very light-pressure edge leading strokes, then remove the burr, then repeat on the other side. I repeat the process with 9 strokes… I work my way down to one stroke on each side. All of the strokes in this phase are SUPER light pressure. My final step it to drag the edge through a pice of soft pine and then a felt cube. The result is a SUPER refined and toothy edge that will both slice and shave hair, and last for a long time.

YMMV, but I find a well refined toothy edge to be a beast that does everything I want and significantly outlasts a polished edge.

[TkoK83Spy]

Looks good!!

[WyoJon]

Like the norton india combo for general sharpening. Have several thousand dollars worth of bench stones. The sharp maker works well for most people. I finish a lot of jnives on the sharp maker stones, even ones that i started on other stones. Deffinitely the fastest stones for finishing blades.

[Steeltoez83]

Reground my maxamet pm2 yesterday. I only spent a little over an hour on it. Without an apex it cuts papertowel based on blade geometry. I haven't set an apex yet. Still deciding if I want to go thinner.

[Strauss95]

Today I sharpened my Rex45 Native for the first time. In my opinion, Spyderco’s Rex45 is just amazing! It works well with a high-grit polish or a low-grit toothy edge.

On this knife, I re-profiled the edge to 13.5 dps with f80 Venev. I took the time to get a good burr, remove it, then reform it on the other side with the f80.

I then finished the edge with the f150 Venev. I made sure to remove the f80 scratch pattern, and create a fully apexed edge with a burr. I then removed the burr and repeated the process on the other side. To remove the burr, I use a dowl to bend up the burr, then remove it with light edge-leading strokes.

I finished by refining the edge with 10 very light-pressure edge leading strokes, then remove the burr, then repeat on the other side. I repeat the process with 9 strokes… I work my way down to one stroke on each side. All of the strokes in this phase are SUPER light pressure. My final step it to drag the edge through a pice of soft pine and then a felt cube. The result is a SUPER refined and toothy edge that will both slice and shave hair, and last for a long time.

YMMV, but I find a well refined toothy edge to be a beast that does everything I want and significantly outlasts a polished edge.

How do you like the F80 Venev? I have the F80+F150 stone but have only used the F150 side since it removed metal VERY quickly for me, even on my 15V Manix 2. I've yet to try/need the F80 but have been curious about it since I've seen a few people comment that the F150 seems to work better than the coarser F80.

And nice work on the sharpening job! The Venev's leave such a better edge than conventional diamond plates, so when looking for the aggressive toothy edge I find I need to finish with a coarser stone compared to a DMT etc. Coarest I've finished is the F240 and your post has made we want to try ending on the F150 next, but I've got some Edge Pro diamond matrix stones on the way to try out first.

[ncrockclimb]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Venev stones.

Before I purchased the Venev set, I used the KME. To be clear, the KME diamonds are really nice. However, the Venev bonded diamonds are on another level. This is somewhat subjective, but I find the edge to be more refined vs. the same grit on KME or DMT.

I used the f240 as my final stone a few times. It is great, but I like more tooth. The f150 does that. I find that the super light edge leading strokes combined with multiple burr removals makes a huge difference in the quality of the edge. I spend a TON of time doing this.

I am considering trying to finish an edge on the f80...