Will Spyderco ever update the Sharpmaker?

[marlinspike]

Blade steels have changed a lot in the past 5 years. Does Spyerco have any plans to update the sharpmaker to angles that make better use of the characteristics of the newer steels?

[toomzz]

I can't find any CQI-arguments....It still works, even on harder steel like ZDP

:D

[chuck_roxas45]

I can't find any CQI-arguments....It still works, even on harder steel like ZDP

:D

I think marlinspike is thinking about lower bevel angles that a lot of newer steels are capable of, toomz.

[phaust]

I agree that it would be nice to see 25*/30* or 20*/25* (inclusive) bases available for purchase.

[defenestrate]

agreed with this, or perhaps an adjustable base. It would be cool to have a base that you could loosen a bolt, rotate the holes for the rods slightly (kept balanced by an isometric stabilizer of some sort) tighten it up, and sharpen. I could draw up a rudimentary idea of what I'd like to see but it wouldn't surprise me if the fine folks at spyderco had already considered this and perhaps not made it because there wasn't a strong enough "bleeding edge" afi crowd to make it profitable..

[unit]

Personally, I think the Sharpmaker is the tool for the masses...best to leave a best selling device as is!

BUT it might not be a terrible idea to make a new device that is a bit more geared to the darksiders among us...

The question is, how many intermediate steps do we want before simply pulling out the free hand stones (that Spyderco already makes) that allow for an infinite continuum of angles?

[N. Brian Huegel]

Any idea how much it would cost to have a new plastic injection mold made. I've heard figures of $10,000 - $40,000. Then consider the cost of material (FRN), manufacturing time (labor), transportation costs to deliver the new base to Golden, etc. How many specialty bases would Spyderco have to sell just to break even? 100,000? 200,000? How many do you think Spyderco could possibly sell? Even if every member of this forum bought one.

I believe that there is a much greater possibility that Sal, Eric, Peter, and Tom will re-design the SharpMaker (Model 5) with an adjustable angle system that would allow the user to dial-in a given series of angles, i.e., 10, 12.5, 15, 20, etc. But then again the sales would have to justify the cost. If it ain’t broke …

[The Deacon]

If angles are your only concern, simplest solution is to make a block to fit under one end of the Sharpmaker base. If you want to get fancy, you could even have it engage the holes in the base. By raising one end, you make the angle of the rod nearest that end more acute and the angle on the other rod more obtuse by an equal amount. Sure, you have to pay a bit more attention, and turn the base 180º when you want to sharpen the other side, but it ain't rocket science, just a bit of rudimentary plane geometry.

Heck, perhaps someone with the equipment and time could make a bunch of them and sell them.

[bh49]

I always wanted to to set backbevel at something more acute than 30, so later I would be able to microbevel with 30* setting. Somebody on this forum gave me an idea: use strong rubber band over top of the rods to make angle smaller.


(picture is mine. Sorry for quality)


this is about 24*. Works like a charm. After I tried this I love my Persian even more

[mongatu]

Don't the rubber bands get in the way of stroking on the rods and what grit are those red rods? :confused:

[Creepo]

If people want lower angles we have to keep in mind that the Sharpmaker isn't exactly meant for reprofiling, so knives would have to have that lower angle from the start.
Or you would have to invest in another system to allow reprofiling.
I would however like to see some coarser rods (preferably diamonds) so that you could REALLY change the bevel on the harder steels.

[mongatu]

The Sharpmaker optional diamond rods make it fine for re-profiling. They are about 400 grit and cut reasonably fast.

[bh49]

Don't the rubber bands get in the way of stroking on the rods and what grit are those red rods? :confused:

Of cause I will be better to set-up sharpmaker @ 24* without rubber band, but I didn't have a problem to use with band. They are not that expensive you can try and see how this is for you. This pair of red rods are 80 grit.

[mongatu]

Thanks for answering. Where do you get those very coarse rods and how well do they fit into the sharpmaker slots?

[bh49]

Congress tool
http://www.congresstools.com/congressto ... &parent=72

This company makes variety of polishing stones. Almost any shape, size and grit. I use them for few years now. They make 1/2" triangular, which you saw on my pictures. In theory this is the size of sharpmaker rods, in real life manufacturing tolerances for congress rods are quite wide. You can buy few stones and some of them will not fit the slot, some of them can be too loose, some of the fairly OK. If you get a pair, but each stone fits differently, edge would be uneven, also angles would be slightly different than with sharpmaker rods. Lately I decided to use 1/8" thick flat stones, clamped to sharpmaker rods with binder clip, instead of congress triage stones. One of our members tried this recently and looks like he is satisfied as well

http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46317

The best part that I paid only $20 for three pairs in 120, 240, and 400 grit.
I bought moldmaster, they are silicon carbide, which is harder than aluminum oxide.

[phaust]

If people want lower angles we have to keep in mind that the Sharpmaker isn't exactly meant for reprofiling, so knives would have to have that lower angle from the start.
Or you would have to invest in another system to allow reprofiling.
I would however like to see some coarser rods (preferably diamonds) so that you could REALLY change the bevel on the harder steels.

I use a DMT stone for reprofiling but a Sharpmaker for a microbevel, and I'd rather have a smaller angle (i.e., under 30* inclusive) for the microbevel on some knives :)

[mongatu]

That's great info. Thanks. I like the idea of clamping flat stones to the SM rods.

[Water Bug]

I actually like the Spyderco Sharpmaker as it currently is.

I still have an older model of the Sharpmaker that's set at only 40 degrees, and that model met all of my needs for years. It came with a heavy duty nylon case with slots for all of the Sharpmaker's components to fit in; however, I was always concerned about the case striking against something hard and breaking the Spyderco Triangle Stones.

I mainly bought the current Sharpmaker because the design allows me to store the Triangle Stones and brass rods all within a heavy duty plastic case that doubles nicely as an excellent base and hand hold. And, with both 30 and 40 degree slots in the current design, as well as purchasing the Spyderco Diamond and Ultra Fine Triangle Stones, I have everything I need for my sharpening needs.

[AKWolf]

Advanced SM or some lower grit AO triangles .

I have an EdgePro which is fine for going through all my kitchen, pocket, etc knives. But hey I want to do it while reading the forums sitting down :eek:

I also have the diamond tri's and they work fine but , it seems like a 220 or lower AO rod would help . :spyder:

[marlinspike]

I always wanted to to set backbevel at something more acute than 30, so later I would be able to microbevel with 30* setting. Somebody on this forum gave me an idea: use strong rubber band over top of the rods to make angle smaller.


(picture is mine. Sorry for quality)


this is about 24*. Works like a charm. After I tried this I love my Persian even more

When I tried that, the tension of the rubber band (and I wasn't even using a very strong one) broke the base.