Sharpmaker can't hit the tip

[Frapiscide]

Whenever I've sharpened using the sharpmaker's holes, I can't seem to hit the tip. The primary part of the edge is sharp, but the tip is pretty blunt (sharp for non knife people :p ). What I mean by tip is the front 1" - 1.25" edge.

[chuck_roxas45]

Try lifting the handle upwards when you get towards the tip. Also, aim to hit the middle part of the stone as you lift.

[araneae]

The sharpmaker will get the tip, you just need to refine your technique. Practice and patience are key.

[Ed Schempp]

Be careful not to run the tip of the blade off the stone. This will round and blunt the tip. I usually sharpen the tip separate from the rest of the blade to maintain the point...Take Care...Ed

[Creepo]

Lift the angle of the handle a little bit so the tip portion is flat against the stone, and try not to roll off the stone with the tip, this will only dull and round it further.

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: Give the stones a good hard inward kick and they'll reset at the proper angle. Haha, no don't do that, that was just fun to type. I always finish up my tips on the curved ProFile stones, less rounding of the tip over time that way. :spyder:

[mongatu]

I think it helps to work on the tip area a bit separately from the rest of the blade. Also to be aware of what part of the bevel is actually making contact with the stone (rod). I find it helps me to see the contact area if I can look down from above as I sharpen on the Sharpmaker. This helps me to see and adjust the horizontal angle of the blade (not talking about the vertical 90 degree angle) in relation to the stone (rod) to make better contact, especially near the tip.

[defenestrate]

I get very close to the tip on the SM rods/stones, but I usually just use the flats for the very tip - and while I don't always get the tips 100% as factory (whereas most of the blade I can readily get as sharp or sharper), they usually get quite sharp enough for my purposes. Most blades that I use regularly end up getting a little bit rounded near the tip anyway, so it's hard to keep them perfect in comparison.

[defenestrate]

I also like to look vertically down on the SM for most work on flats unless I have a perfectly flat edge which my muscle memory is pretty steady with.

[CubistHamster]

Most of my knives that haven't been reprofiled have some variation in the grind angle along the length of the blade. As a general rule, I've found that they tend to get more obtuse the closer you get to the tip, and the more curvature there is in the blade, the worse this gets.

As an example, last night I spent about 3 hours on an Endura 4 wave. The straight portion of the blade averaged about 25 degrees per side, while the belly and the tip were closer to 35.

[angusW]

I have to agree that getting the tip sharp is the trickiest part of sharpening. I've really been working on it lately and like a couple have said above, working on the tip separately seems to do the trick especially if it's a longer knife like a Military or Endura. For me it has taken a lot practice to not pull the tip off of the rods but just concentrating on the last couple inches of the blade, only sharpening one side of the blade at a time and doing the same movement over and over has finally paid off.

[Water Bug]

For me when I'm sharpening any knife (whether it be a :spyder: or another brand) on a Spyderco Sharpmaker and I find that the tip is not getting sharpened, I'll start with the front quarter of the blade (the portion not getting sharpened) at the top of the Sharpmaker rod and specifically work that portion of the tip of the knife along the entire length of the stone.

It can take a lot of time and a lot of work, and I've eventually have gotten the knife's edge sharpened from end to end.

There's also a feeling of pride when you finally make it work.

[Joao]

Lift the angle of the handle a little bit so the tip portion is flat against the stone, and try not to roll off the stone with the tip, this will only dull and round it further.

I was sharpening my ladybug 3 h1 in my sharpmaker and I got frustrated trying to shave enough metal to remove a dull spot, and started doing it faster and faster. eventually i was rolling off the stone with the tip. now its really round and dull. how can i resharpen the very tip to make it pointy again?

thanks for helping this noob

[Creepo]

I was sharpening my ladybug 3 h1 in my sharpmaker and I got frustrated trying to shave enough metal to remove a dull spot, and started doing it faster and faster. eventually i was rolling off the stone with the tip. now its really round and dull. how can i resharpen the very tip to make it pointy again?

thanks for helping this noob

There aren't really too many options other than sharpening it the right way till the tip is straightened out.

[dsmegst]

I was sharpening my ladybug 3 h1 in my sharpmaker and I got frustrated trying to shave enough metal to remove a dull spot, and started doing it faster and faster. eventually i was rolling off the stone with the tip. now its really round and dull. how can i resharpen the very tip to make it pointy again?

thanks for helping this noob

There are 2 options to fix a blunt tip. You can remove metal from the spine of the blade or sharpen away enough metal from the sides of the tip portion to create a new sharp tip. Either way requires a lot of grinding. Sorry, but there are no easy fixes.

[BAL]

There are 2 options to fix a blunt tip. You can remove metal from the spine of the blade or sharpen away enough metal from the sides of the tip portion to create a new sharp tip. Either way requires a lot of grinding. Sorry, but there are no easy fixes.

Nice Tip.

[mongatu]

I was sharpening my ladybug 3 h1 in my sharpmaker and I got frustrated trying to shave enough metal to remove a dull spot, and started doing it faster and faster. eventually i was rolling off the stone with the tip. now its really round and dull. how can i resharpen the very tip to make it pointy again?

thanks for helping this noob

You learned the hard way that allowing the tip to slip off the rods rounds the tip. Just read the posts in this thread above your post for the answer. Basically, it is just work on the tip on the flats of the rods separately from the rest of the blade until you get it back in shape. Then, if necessary, take some longer strokes to blend everything smoothly together.

Since I also sharpen freehand, this is probably something I would correct on my bench stones that cut a lot faster than the ceramic rods so it wouldn't take very long to fix.

Also, although they are not particularly good for just working on the tip, if you want some faster cutting rods for the Sharpmaker, consider getting the optional Sharpmaker diamond rods. They are at least 2 or 3 times as fast as the brown rods so they reduce the frustration that is often involved with sharpening with the Sharpmaker when a lot of metal has to be removed. Although they are not cheap, they were available on Amazon for a good price with free shipping last time I checked.

[cckw]

One thing to control the tip on the rods is start at the tip rather then end you stroke at the tip. As someone already mentioned tip work seems to be more accurate when you are watching it from above.. and use the flat not the corner of the rod

[Joao]

thank you all. you've been really great trying to help me! as you may have noticed I'm new on the forum and what a way of being welcomed!
the blunt tip isn't really that bad. it'll get fixed over time. i'll just do as suggested by creepo. And mongatu, I've thought about buying the diamond rods as well as the ultra fine ones for even better finishing than with the fine rods (I don't have any strops nor have I had any success with a leather belt, so I dont think I'll get the hang of it..) but I'm still thinking about it as they are not cheap. I could buy a knife instead. but thanks for all the tips you guys!!

[mongatu]

Believe it or not, I've spent more money on stones than I have on my folders up to this point! But for me sharpening is a serious hobby and great stones are really enjoyable to sharpen on (aside from making it easier to get great results). The stones I like best have a great "feel" as one is sharpening. Diamond stones (at least the one's I have which are all fairly coarse) have a terrible feel but they cut fast so it is worth it.