you can wash the knife when your done which is what I do after I Sharpen my knives.Knutty wrote:I wouldn't use a Sharpie on any knife that was going to be used on food. But that's me.
help with Sharpmaker
If I'm not getting a paper-cutting edge after using the brown stone corners for many strokes (like 40+ each side), does that mean it's time to use the diamond rods instead?dbcad wrote:Don't move off of the brown stones until the knife cuts paper easily. You need to make sure you have reached the edge. The fine stones are more for polishing than metal removal.
I'll reiterate my suggestion about a loupe. For $35 it has been one of the best sharpening investments I've made. It helps so much when you can clearly see what you are doing to the edge :)
"Loupe is #1 teacher"
I'll get the loupe - There are a couple that look pretty cheap on Amazon and have good reviews.
Thanks for the tip, although I have the same question as in my previous reply - if after using the brown stone corners for 40+ passes/side the knife still can't easily cut paper, does that mean it's time to move up to the diamond stones?rg02 wrote: As for knowing when to stop with the brown stones, use them until the sharpie is all gone on the micro bevel and until the knife can cut computer paper. Then do the same with the fine and ultra fine stones but switch to phone book paper. Even with just the fine stones you should be able to shave hair and cut phone book paper easily.....
I'll do that - there are some cheap loupes on Amazon that have good reviews. Is there a reason you recommend a loupe as opposed to a magnifying glass?rg02 wrote: I would also get a loupe(as many have said). Sometimes it looks like all of the sharpie is gone to the naked eye, but you may be missing it on the micro bevel.
if you can see it has a thick edge, you might need at least the diamond stones. Have you tried sharpening a different knife to see if it is something you are doing wrong, or if it is just a messed up bevel on the knife?Special K wrote:Also I think the pocket knife might be a lost cause - I noticed that if I hold the blade up to my face, I can literally see that the edge has thickness, if that makes any sense. Ideally an edge would have zero thickness, but I can actually see the thickness on this one.
i recommeneded a loupe because that is what everyone has told me to get lol.
-Ryan
-Techno, cruwear Mule, Dragonfly 2 FRN, Assist, Endura FRN ATS-55 SE, Endura SS aus-6 PE, Persistence(Wife's)
-Wicked Edge
-Techno, cruwear Mule, Dragonfly 2 FRN, Assist, Endura FRN ATS-55 SE, Endura SS aus-6 PE, Persistence(Wife's)
-Wicked Edge
I get much more agressive when I reprofile or have to repair and leave the sharpmaker for the last step of setting the very edge. I use a DMT aligner system for aggressive reprofiling going from the X coarse thru all 5 grits thru the XX fine, then I set the final egde with the SM brown, fine and ultrafine stones.
With the DMT system I put the back bevel in place at a smaller angle than the what the micro edge, or very edge will be.
I keep on mentioning magnification, preferably 10X or better because it has helped me so much in understanding what I'm doing to the edge and understanding the geometry at work :)
When I joined the forum I couldn't sharpen to save my life. I don't have too much natural, innate skill and can be a bit stubborn. If you stay with it and pay attention to the sharpening posts on the forum you will get the hang of it. It is a skill and art worth learning paraphrasing Sal. I find I appreciate my knives more knowing that I can put an edge on any of them :)
With the DMT system I put the back bevel in place at a smaller angle than the what the micro edge, or very edge will be.
I keep on mentioning magnification, preferably 10X or better because it has helped me so much in understanding what I'm doing to the edge and understanding the geometry at work :)
When I joined the forum I couldn't sharpen to save my life. I don't have too much natural, innate skill and can be a bit stubborn. If you stay with it and pay attention to the sharpening posts on the forum you will get the hang of it. It is a skill and art worth learning paraphrasing Sal. I find I appreciate my knives more knowing that I can put an edge on any of them :)
Charlie
" Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler."
[CENTER]"Integrity is being good even if no one is watching"[/CENTER]
" Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler."
[CENTER]"Integrity is being good even if no one is watching"[/CENTER]
I have a kitchen knife that I have also been unable to get paper-cutting sharp using more than 20 swipes per side on the brown stones.rg02 wrote:if you can see it has a thick edge, you might need at least the diamond stones. Have you tried sharpening a different knife to see if it is something you are doing wrong, or if it is just a messed up bevel on the knife?
i recommeneded a loupe because that is what everyone has told me to get lol.
It seems one of the following must be true:
1. I need the diamond stones due to how dull my knives are
2. I'm not using the right technique
3. The brown stones are fine but I just need to use them for much longer
Also 2 questions I was hoping someone could answer:
1. Are you still forming burrs on knives with the Sharpmaker if you alternate strokes on each side?
2. If I start with the diamond stones, how do I know when to move to the brown stones?
No, you will not get a burr, due to the alternating strokes.
I believe you can just keep going on the browns until you get an edge. If you do not want to dish out for the diamonds yet, you could try to wrap the stones with some rather coarse sandpaper to speed things up.
I think you can reprofile an edge with a fine stone. It will only take much longer.
Do not get to obsessed with the 20 strokes. Ir is only a guideline for edges in good condition. Yours will need many more strokes.
I move to the next step when i get a consistent cut in paper.
Good luck!
I believe you can just keep going on the browns until you get an edge. If you do not want to dish out for the diamonds yet, you could try to wrap the stones with some rather coarse sandpaper to speed things up.
I think you can reprofile an edge with a fine stone. It will only take much longer.
Do not get to obsessed with the 20 strokes. Ir is only a guideline for edges in good condition. Yours will need many more strokes.
I move to the next step when i get a consistent cut in paper.
Good luck!
Good tip :)Goeri wrote:No, you will not get a burr, due to the alternating strokes.
I believe you can just keep going on the browns until you get an edge. If you do not want to dish out for the diamonds yet, you could try to wrap the stones with some rather coarse sandpaper to speed things up.
I think you can reprofile an edge with a fine stone. It will only take much longer.
Do not get to obsessed with the 20 strokes. Ir is only a guideline for edges in good condition. Yours will need many more strokes.
I move to the next step when i get a consistent cut in paper.
Good luck!
Charlie
" Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler."
[CENTER]"Integrity is being good even if no one is watching"[/CENTER]
" Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler."
[CENTER]"Integrity is being good even if no one is watching"[/CENTER]
Hey everyone,
I got my diamond stones and an illuminated loupe today. The diamond stones work much faster than the coarse stones that come with the Sharpmaker. Unfortunately I have been sharpening the same side for 1.5 hours and although I can definitely see and feel an edge forming, I still haven't formed a burr yet (i.e. I haven't felt/seen the edge turn over to the other side yet.) I have tried the sharpie trick and have verified that metal is being removed right where I want it to be. Do I just need to keep at it?
Is there anything I can use that is even coarser than the diamond stones that isn't terribly expensive? I have seen suggestions of propping a separate coarse bench stone up against the sharpmaker stones or wrapping one of the sharpmaker rods in a coarse sandpaper. Would either of those work? If so, what grit/type would I be looking for?
Also, for anyone thinking of buying a loupe, I would highly recommend getting one of the illuminated ones unless you have a very bright desk lamp to work under. Normal room lighting just isn't going to provide the proper lighting to see all the details of the edge. Here's the one I got:
http://www.amazon.com/SE-Illuminated-Lo ... 314&sr=8-6
It's working fine so far.
I got my diamond stones and an illuminated loupe today. The diamond stones work much faster than the coarse stones that come with the Sharpmaker. Unfortunately I have been sharpening the same side for 1.5 hours and although I can definitely see and feel an edge forming, I still haven't formed a burr yet (i.e. I haven't felt/seen the edge turn over to the other side yet.) I have tried the sharpie trick and have verified that metal is being removed right where I want it to be. Do I just need to keep at it?
Is there anything I can use that is even coarser than the diamond stones that isn't terribly expensive? I have seen suggestions of propping a separate coarse bench stone up against the sharpmaker stones or wrapping one of the sharpmaker rods in a coarse sandpaper. Would either of those work? If so, what grit/type would I be looking for?
Also, for anyone thinking of buying a loupe, I would highly recommend getting one of the illuminated ones unless you have a very bright desk lamp to work under. Normal room lighting just isn't going to provide the proper lighting to see all the details of the edge. Here's the one I got:
http://www.amazon.com/SE-Illuminated-Lo ... 314&sr=8-6
It's working fine so far.
If you are in fact removing the sharply right up to the very edge of the knife then a burr should be forming. Don't do one side too long or you will get eneven bevels on either side.
The burr can be very subtle. Lightly draw a Q- tip across the edge and you should see cotton fibers pull off if a burr is present. If you aren't creating a burr then you are not actually sharpening the edge of the knife.
Use the 15 degree slots and your diamond rods until you have completely profiled to 30 degrees inclusive. Make sure you are holding that blade vertical and use light pressure.
Once you set that bevel to the edge, switch to the 20 degree slots and go through all the rods at 20 strokes per side. It should be shaving sharp after that process if you are doing it correct.
The biggest mistake is sharpening a knife with an obtuse or uneven angle thinking you are hitting the very edge because you see sharply being removed but you really aren't hitting the edge all the way but sharpening the shoulders. The loupe should show you what's going on.
The burr can be very subtle. Lightly draw a Q- tip across the edge and you should see cotton fibers pull off if a burr is present. If you aren't creating a burr then you are not actually sharpening the edge of the knife.
Use the 15 degree slots and your diamond rods until you have completely profiled to 30 degrees inclusive. Make sure you are holding that blade vertical and use light pressure.
Once you set that bevel to the edge, switch to the 20 degree slots and go through all the rods at 20 strokes per side. It should be shaving sharp after that process if you are doing it correct.
The biggest mistake is sharpening a knife with an obtuse or uneven angle thinking you are hitting the very edge because you see sharply being removed but you really aren't hitting the edge all the way but sharpening the shoulders. The loupe should show you what's going on.
I got some 100 grit sandpaper today and zip tied it to the fine rods. It seems to remove metal faster than the diamond rods based on the scratch pattern, but even after a few hundred passes on one side I still haven't been able to form a burr on this pocket knife. I did the sharpie test on both sides of the knife and verified that I am in fact hitting just the edge. I'm not sure what to try next, other than a coarser grit sandpaper. I think 60 grit was the lowest I saw there. Someone also suggested a cheap aluminum oxide benchstone propped up against the Sharpmaker stones. Would that help? Would an aluminum oxide stone be coarser than the diamond rods I already have?
Another strange thing I noticed about this knife is that the bevel on one side of the knife is taller than the bevel on the other side. I'm not sure if that's important or not, as both sides still passed the sharpie test. The marker was being removed right on the bevel.
Another strange thing I noticed about this knife is that the bevel on one side of the knife is taller than the bevel on the other side. I'm not sure if that's important or not, as both sides still passed the sharpie test. The marker was being removed right on the bevel.
I got some 100 grit sandpaper today and zip tied it to the fine rods. It seems to remove metal faster than the diamond rods based on the scratch pattern, but even after a few hundred passes on one side I still haven't been able to form a burr on this pocket knife. I did the sharpie test on both sides of the knife and verified that I am in fact hitting just the edge. I'm not sure what to try next, other than a coarser grit sandpaper. I think 60 grit was the lowest I saw there. Someone also suggested a cheap aluminum oxide benchstone propped up against the Sharpmaker stones. Would that help? Would an aluminum oxide stone be coarser than the diamond rods I already have?
Another strange thing I noticed about this knife is that the bevel on one side of the knife is taller than the bevel on the other side. I'm not sure if that's important or not, as both sides still passed the sharpie test. The marker was being removed right on the bevel.
Another strange thing I noticed about this knife is that the bevel on one side of the knife is taller than the bevel on the other side. I'm not sure if that's important or not, as both sides still passed the sharpie test. The marker was being removed right on the bevel.