How often do you alternate on the Sharpmaker stones?

[Bolster]

Do you usually alternate passes between the two stones on your Sharpmaker? By which I mean, you move the blade from the left stone to the right and back again, on alternate passes?

Or do you sometimes (or frequently) sharpen several passes on just one stone, then move to the other stone and do the same?

[Coastal]

I make up-and-down passes on one stone without lifting the blade from the stone (except to rest) until I barely raise a burr, then switch to the other side. I note progress with a Sharpie and iPhone camera. Once I raise a burr on both sides I alternate gentle down-only passes to refine the edge. Then I progress to a finer grit and repeat. Or not -- I most often just keep it coarse.

[Bill1170]

Like Coastal, I will do many passes on one rod at a time in the early phases of sharpening a dull knife. Once the apex is reached I move to alternating strokes on both sides.

[Peter1960]

I'm in the same boat. After using the Sharpmaker for more than 20 years, I've found that I get better results if I don't alternate sides every time, but rather stay on one side for several up-and-down passes. Only at the very end I use the stones alternately ... just like the manufacturer recommends. (Note: this only applies to plain edges).

[Evil D]

I always go left/right unless I'm sharpening serrations, then I do several swipes on the front side and one or two on the back.

You're going to reach an apex regardless of how you go at it, the difference will just be how much burr you created to get there, and in the long run if you favor one side more than the other your bevel will become larger on that side and your edge will push off center.

[bearfacedkiller]

Starting at 30 degrees with the diamond rods I do one side until I have a bur and then the other till I have a bur. Then I go to 40 with the brown rods and debur with alternating passes. I like that edge finish. I’ll then do touch ups with alternating passes on the browns at 40. If touchups start taking too many passes or if the microbevel gets too visable I go back to the diamonds at 30 and reset everything.

I have kept the diamond rods and brown rods in my sharpmaker for years now. Hardly ever use the fine or ultra fine. If I want to refine more I have a double sided strop with 6 micron diamond emulsion on one side and 1 micron on the other. I think the sharpmaker is far more useful and should probably be sold with the diamond/brown rods instead.

[Coastal]

I learned I could go much faster, say 5-10X, by leaving the blade on the stone and simply working up and down, rather than lifting the blade. This also makes it less likely that I round the tip. It's a method that works especially well for reprofiling. I think maybe David or Vivi reported using this technique, or maybe I arrived at it myself, I can't remember. Anyway, once I discovered it I have never considered doing single strokes, on one side or both, until I've reached the point of refining the edge.

[BeggarSo]

I would like to see more refined CBN rods for the sharpmaker both the CBN and Diamond have always been to coarse.

As for use I am un the up and down camp 6 times one side then 6 times the next not coming off the rod and reversing the motion.

When doing serrations a circular up and down motion in the larger scallops and reversing that as well straight up and down in the small scallops followed by full length blending up and down reversing the play from draw to push and cutting the bur every 6 times on the scallops full length.

Side to side on PE as finishing.

[yablanowitz]

Don't want to skew the poll results with a vote, since the only thing I use the SharpMaker for is serrations, and I run about 40:1 on the ground side. PE gets freehanded.

[Brock O Lee]

I don't use the Sharpmaker often anymore, but when I do it is usually just to maintain a micro bevel. I then like to alternate strokes, to minimise burr formation.

When I notice that I have to do a few strokes per side to apex, then it is usually a sign that the the micro bevel is becoming too wide for my liking. In those cases I usually switch to the Edge Pro, cut the old edge off, and cut a fresh new bevel.

Edit: spelling

[Wowbagger]

Contrary to what I evangelize about "ALWAYS use a sharpening jig if you want a seriously well formed edge geometry " . . . the Sharp Maker (or the triangle rods ) is where I fall off the wagon.

I have two sets of Triangle Rods (one set at work and one set at home ) . . . where I fall is I NEVER use the Sharp Maker holder .
Mostly for quick touch up or very mild reprofiling I put on a 10X Jeweler's visor , shine a light on the edge so I can see when a bur just barely starts to show . I then hold the knife stationary with the blade flat / parallel to the floor in one hand and hold a Triangle stone in the other below the blade and less steep than my sharpeing angle so I am at first running on the shoulder of the edge. I take back and forth strokes with the stone and steepen my angle until I can see I am at my sharpening angle ; usually some micro debris of one kind or another comes off the stone and onto the edge . I then make enough passes both edge leading and edge trailing to just barely get the slightest hint of a bur .

I then hold the Triangle stone above the blade at too shallow of an angle and I start to abrade the sholder but not the edge / bur yet and make the lightest edge leading passes now and start to steepen my angle until I am just barely cutting off the bur . Sure it folds somewhat to the other side , mostly with stainless alloys ,

I THEN FLIP THE BLADE OVER and do the same on that side until I have a bur all along the edge ; then cut it off with edge leading / stone on top .

ANSWER TO THE QUIESTION: I alternate when I plainly see it is time to alternate .

First like this until I can just see a hint of a bur .

[Wowbagger]

Then like this until I just cut off the bur

[Fastidiotus]

When I was young I would use my dad's sharp maker on everything. I would be very strict about only down strokes and alternating every pass. It's was great for a time before there was videos online to teach you things you didn't know. Anymore I have stones for plain edge and have basically relegated my own sharp maker to the role it really excels at, serrated sharpening. If I do use it to touch up a plain edge for nostalgia now I just hammer one side with up and down strokes then hammer the other side. Then I'll finish with Iight alternating down strokes.

[Wowbagger]

Here is a little thing I discovered years ago . I haven't used it much but here goes nothing :

Since the Edge Pro Apex was brought up . . . one caaaaannnn put the Spyderco Sharpmaker Triangle Rods in the Edge Pro . Probably best to just sharpen with the corner of the stones unless you are adventurous .

Here is a Triangle stone in the Edge Pro and in position to sharpen serrations. ((I am not actually sharpening here I just did a quick and dirty set up for the Image )).

Next image is with the stone and holder flipped over so you can see the stone in the Edge Pro holder better .

[Wowbagger]

As promised .
To do this one must remove the brass spacer tube . The Manbug Salt is pointing at the removed brass tube .

[BeggarSo]

I see you get good results from the edge pro. Personaly I hate it and the ones that mimicked it.

You might, just Maybe IDK try a newer Hapstone or TSPROF , not the Kadet had it hated it, talking the big boys. These seem to be top of the game these days in guided angle sharpeners, I am sure you would love them.

Cool idea I was thinking of giving this a try today funny you should post it.

[Coastal]

You might, just Maybe IDK try a newer Hapstone

Agree. The Hapstone is all I use for plain edge anymore, reserving the Sharpmaker for serrations only. Being essentially lazy, I'm always looking for shortcuts, so: 1) Sharpmaker used as shown in Sal's video, 2) Sharpmaker used as described in my posts above, 3) WorkSharp Precision Adjust, 4) WorkSharp Precision Adjust elite, 5) Hapstone for PE, Sharpmaker for serrations. That was my evolution.

[Danke]

How to video.

[BeggarSo]

OK I just got it to work I was able to get the Hapstone to hold the Sharpmaker Rod.

Here is the surprise the scallops on my S30V Bodacious are around 25 Degrees according to my TSPROF AXICUBE at the edge the tip was a bit greater. I just brought the tip down.

I am using a sharpie marker next step dropping to 23 degrees will snap some pics.

If this works once I find the exact angl I am reprofiling these scallops using my sharpmaker CBN rods.

Currently

[BeggarSo]

After several changes it takes 16 degrees to hit scallops edge to flats so 16 degrees it is going foreward.

The tip is around 25 degrees gonna bust out a CBN Stone for that.

Next idea getting rid of the snags.