Sharpening a Knife

[BobABQ]

Hi Chris,

Your Sharpmaker comes with a DVD on using the tool...

sal

Hi, Sal-

I've had my Sharpmaker for about 20 years and I don't think I received disc (would have been a CD, I think?)

I've found the 4 videos on YouTube, but haven't watched them yet. Do they contain the same information as the DVD?
Best,

Chris

I know what you mean, my sharpmaker is so old I only have one set of holes set at 30 degrees included angle. It came in a plastic bag and not a hard case.I remember buying is at a gun show in Santa Ana, California many years ago. The was a guy doing a demonstration and he sold me on it. I need to charge the battery up in my camera and get a photo of it.

[FeistyKat]

Hi Chris,

Just my opinion, but I think you will need more magnification to be effective. At least 10X- 12X. Also I think your stone is far too fine for dull knives.

sal

Yes, I thought my magnifier was more powerful than it is. A loupe it is, then.

What type of stone would you recommend for my dull knives?

Will my SharpMaker do the job? If not, would a different set of rods work for dull knives?

[Wartstein]

Hi Chris,

Just my opinion, but I think you will need more magnification to be effective. At least 10X- 12X. Also I think your stone is far too fine for dull knives.

sal

Yes, I thought my magnifier was more powerful than it is. A loupe it is, then.

What type of stone would you recommend for my dull knives?

Will my SharpMaker do the job? If not, would a different set of rods work for dull knives?

Hi Chris,

as said already in my first post here:
CBN or diamond rods would certainly work for real dull knives (even the brown rods would eventually, but it'd take a lot of time, depending on what steel you sharpen).

I can recommended the CBN rods from personal experience, never had the diamonds.

[Wartstein]

Concerning the loupe: This thread might be interesting for you

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=82628

[FeistyKat]

Hi Chris,

as said already in my first post here:
CBN or diamond rods would certainly work for real dull knives (even the brown rods would eventually, but it'd take a lot of time, depending on what steel you sharpen).

I can recommended the CBN rods from personal experience, never had the diamonds.

CBN rods on the way. I'm glad this was mentioned as I didn't realize there was a "coarse stone" option for the SM.

[Wartstein]

Hi Chris,

as said already in my first post here:
CBN or diamond rods would certainly work for real dull knives (even the brown rods would eventually, but it'd take a lot of time, depending on what steel you sharpen).

I can recommended the CBN rods from personal experience, never had the diamonds.

CBN rods on the way. I'm glad this was mentioned as I didn't realize there was a "coarse stone" option for the SM.

Good choice, you won't regret it! :)

And keep in mind: With the CBN (and diamond) rods it is even nore important to use only light pressure (the paperwork coming with the rods will say so anyway as far as I recall).

[FeistyKat]

Hi Chris,

as said already in my first post here:
CBN or diamond rods would certainly work for real dull knives (even the brown rods would eventually, but it'd take a lot of time, depending on what steel you sharpen).

I can recommended the CBN rods from personal experience, never had the diamonds.

CBN rods on the way. I'm glad this was mentioned as I didn't realize there was a "coarse stone" option for the SM.

Good choice, you won't regret it! :)

And keep in mind: With the CBN (and diamond) rods it is even nore important to use only light pressure (the paperwork coming with the rods will say so anyway as far as I recall).

Do you use a lubricant with the CBN rods?

[Wartstein]

Do you use a lubricant with the CBN rods?

No! All rods for the Sharpmaker are designed to work without any lubricant. Never, ever heard that someone would use them other than "dry".

[FeistyKat]

Do you use a lubricant with the CBN rods?

No! All rods for the Sharpmaker are designed to work without any lubricant. Never, ever heard that someone would use them other than "dry".

Cliff Stamp talks about using lube here:
viewtopic.php?t=68482

[Wartstein]

Do you use a lubricant with the CBN rods?

No! All rods for the Sharpmaker are designed to work without any lubricant. Never, ever heard that someone would use them other than "dry".

Cliff Stamp talks about using lube here:
viewtopic.php?t=68482

Thanks, did not know that!

Maybe more experienced people than I am can chime in on that.
Still, Spyderco does not recommend using lubricants with the SM, and most people use ´em dry it seems:

viewtopic.php?t=69185

[FeistyKat]

Maybe more experienced people than I am can chime in on that.
Still, Spyderco does not recommend using lubricants with the SM, and most people use ´em dry it seems:

viewtopic.php?t=69185

I'm waiting for Sal to chime in, since he's the Spyderco Sea Daddy.

[Wartstein]

Maybe more experienced people than I am can chime in on that.
Still, Spyderco does not recommend using lubricants with the SM, and most people use ´em dry it seems:

viewtopic.php?t=69185

I'm waiting for Sal to chime in, since he's the Spyderco Sea Daddy.

:) Good idea!
But I am pretty sure he won´t recommend lubricant for the SM. Would have done so on his instructional dvd already I figure

[FeistyKat]

:) Good idea!
But I am pretty sure he won´t recommend lubricant for the SM. Would have done so on his instructional dvd already I figure

I'll bet you're right.

Hopefully he will address the pros & cons of sharpening dry vs wet to give some context.

[Cambertree]

I'll be using the whetstones on my kitchen knives & maybe finish up with the SM. I have a few beater knives in the kitchen drawer that were my mom's or mother-in-law's. I'll start with those, then move on to the Henckels. They probably aren't anything special, a set my wife & I bought for $200 at Costco almost THIRTY years ago. Wow. They have a lot of sentimental value though. They also have a lack of tips thanks to my kids. I guess I'll be learning how to put a new tip on a knife...

Cool. Funnily enough, it's those knives with a lot of memories on them that have the highest value to me - regardless of their 'actual' value. I have a Victorinox Recruit my brothers gave me for a birthday in my teens, which I carried for years and recently retired because of the sentimental value if I lost it.

Soon enough those beaters and Henckels knives will be sharper than they've ever been, and you'll be looking around the house for more things to sharpen!

Read a bit, practice a lot, and we'll be here if you have any questions along the way. :)

[Cambertree]

Regarding the Sharpmaker, I generally use a light mist of water from a spray bottle on the ceramic rods, and a little bit of liquid dish soap on the diamond rods.

If I'm in a hurry I'll use them dry - and yes, they're designed to be used dry. The reason I use water is it acts as a slight lubricant, it slows loading of the surface a little, but most importantly it damps down the steel dust that is generated from sharpening, which I prefer not to inhale into my lungs.

[Wartstein]

Regarding the Sharpmaker, I generally use a light mist of water from a spray bottle on the ceramic rods, and a little bit of liquid dish soap on the diamond rods.

If I'm in a hurry I'll use them dry - and yes, they're designed to be used dry. The reason I use water is it acts as a slight lubricant, it slows loading of the surface a little, but most importantly it damps down the steel dust that is generated from sharpening, which I prefer not to inhale into my lungs.

interesting, I'll have to try that (though I am perfectly happy with my rods used "dry").
/ You'd never use oil though with the SM rods, would you?

[Cambertree]

Regarding the Sharpmaker, I generally use a light mist of water from a spray bottle on the ceramic rods, and a little bit of liquid dish soap on the diamond rods.

If I'm in a hurry I'll use them dry - and yes, they're designed to be used dry. The reason I use water is it acts as a slight lubricant, it slows loading of the surface a little, but most importantly it damps down the steel dust that is generated from sharpening, which I prefer not to inhale into my lungs.

interesting, I'll have to try that (though I am perfectly happy with my rods used "dry").
/ You'd never use oil though with the SM rods, would you?

No I wouldn't use oil Wartstein - but only because it's messier to clean up, and can stain other surfaces it comes into contact with. A light machine oil like the Victorinox oil you have would still work fine.

I think using a little water on the rods gives a slightly better feedback feel as well.

[Bloke]

Regarding the Sharpmaker, I generally use a light mist of water from a spray bottle on the ceramic rods, and a little bit of liquid dish soap on the diamond rods.

If I'm in a hurry I'll use them dry - and yes, they're designed to be used dry. The reason I use water is it acts as a slight lubricant, it slows loading of the surface a little, but most importantly it damps down the steel dust that is generated from sharpening, which I prefer not to inhale into my lungs.

Hey Camber, although it’s a little messy like water, Windex applied to the stones with a half inch artist’s brush keeps them near spotless. Applied to the white fine stones you can see the swarf run down the face in black streaks and you get excellent feedback.

That said I’m fairly idle and use the stones dry but Windex does make a noticeable difference and works just as well on diamonds. :)

[FeistyKat]

That said I’m fairly idle and use the stones dry but Windex does make a noticeable difference and works just as well on diamonds. :)

I'm with Cambertree, I'm not keen on inhaling steel dust, so I may try both water & Windex to see how I like them.

Is your avatar photo real? Do kangaroos hop around on the beach? I always thought they were more inland.

And do they make good pets? We were watching "cute animal" videos on YouTube the other night and someone was bottle feeding two rather large roos in their kitchen. There was discussion about their large feet being formidable weapons and we decided they probably aren't the best choice for a pet, even if we could locate one.

I'm still holding out for a coatimundi. They're sort of indigenous to us.

[Cambertree]

Hey Camber, although it’s a little messy like water, Windex applied to the stones with a half inch artist’s brush keeps them near spotless. Applied to the white fine stones you can see the swarf run down the face in black streaks and you get excellent feedback.

That said I’m fairly idle and use the stones dry but Windex does make a noticeable difference and works just as well on diamonds. :)

Hey Bloke, yeah I remember you recommending that, and I've just pulled out an old artists brush to use next time I have the Sharpmaker out. I do use Windex to clean my Sharpmaker ceramics and stones, as you recommended and it's been great. :)

I'm with Cambertree, I'm not keen on inhaling steel dust, so I may try both water & Windex to see how I like them.

Is your avatar photo real? Do kangaroos hop around on the beach? I always thought they were more inland.

And do they make good pets? We were watching "cute animal" videos on YouTube the other night and someone was bottle feeding two rather large roos in their kitchen. There was discussion about their large feet being formidable weapons and we decided they probably aren't the best choice for a pet, even if we could locate one.

I'm still holding out for a coatimundi. They're sort of indigenous to us.

Oh no, don't get Bloke started on his pet roos that he rides to work, lol. :D

This is a clip from a Saturday morning kids show from the '80s. I still remember watching this at the time with my sister and laughing til we almost cried at the mayhem that Rags the Red Kangaroo caused in the TV studio: :D

https://youtu.be/SYaIDupJXcs

There's a place just up the road from me where a couple live who raise roos and wallabies, whose mothers were killed in road accidents.