Spyderco Forums

since the post on the sharpmaker rods, got me thinking of something i noticed myself...and i decided to get info for ya'll, the experts.

the base is abs plastic, correct? i noticed when i first got it the brown and white rods, they fit tight and snug. i then after months of use added the diamond rods and they were slightly bigger and i had to really force them in the base. now i noticed, after using the diamond and the white and browns over more months.... the white and brown rods are loose in the base. they seem to work fine, but on serrated knives they tend, while using the corners, to rattle allot,a nd shift side to side allot in the base.

is it normal for the base to get stretched out for a lack of a better word, over time. can one buy just a new base and not a whole new set? not a big deal as the set isn't a huge amount of money, right now anyways, but if i could get a new base for allot less, it is a bad economy and all and every dollar saved is a good thing. thanks in advance....

That's a great question, I don't know the answer, but I would be interested as well. I have a tendency to break things that aren't steel.

could you "shim" it, with toothpicks, maybe??

mattman wrote:could you "shim" it, with toothpicks, maybe??

sure. i haven't pulled out the protractor to see if the angles are even off by the looseness, and they may not be? i have been tempted to do exactly what you described, i didn't think of toothpicks though as the medium, thanks for the suggestion, to get a little tighter than 40 degree on the 40 side.

i am curuious if anyone has noticed theirs loosening up over the years or failing so that shims or something was needed to keep the angles intact, at some point?

still though it would be nice to buy just the base for allot less than the kit...i know, i know put it on my wish list.... :)

Mine's a bit loose, but it still works ok.

When the slots in my base became too enlarged, I added a small piece of plastic tape to one of the flats on each stone. This helped tighten up the fit between the stone and the base and eliminated most of the "wooble".

The last time I visited SFO, I inquired about purchasing a base, but was told they weren't available separately.

I don't have them, but I thought the diamond rods were sleeves and that you were suppose to just slide them over the white or brown rods, not insert them into the base.

I don't remember if mine were that tight in the beginning, but at least now, after four years, the rods do move a bit. It's not really a problem (in my case) as such, as the stones are steady in use. What i find a little awkward is that the 40 deg angle is in reality 46 deg incl. On the other hand, I do not use those slots nearly at all, so it doesn't make much difference.

I would wish for a base with adjustable, exact angles for the sharpmaker stones.

This is really interesting because I've never really given thought to the fact that the collars could possibly loosen over time. Maybe the collars should have metal sleeves to prevent such a thing from happening.

However I must say that this is the first I've heard of one getting loose. It's something to think about though because angle is critical in the sharpening process.

i think mine also developped some play but when the blade passes on it, it stays in place.

The Deacon wrote:I don't have them, but I thought the diamond rods were sleeves and that you were suppose to just slide them over the white or brown rods, not insert them into the base.

they're not sleeves they're just hollow Paul.

For sure mine have more play then when new. I put some rubber bands on top of them to pull them closer. Works for me.

Shims do the job well. Toothpicks, match sticks or anything that will close the gap. I have a home made base made out of a 2x4. Using a 9/16 drill and an adjustable drill press you can easily come up with multiple angles. A 9/16 dia. hole will fit the Sharpmaker rods snugly.

The Deacon wrote:I don't have them, but I thought the diamond rods were sleeves and that you were suppose to just slide them over the white or brown rods, not insert them into the base.

had not heard that. of course when i got mine they came with no directions other than a small piece of paper that said, and i am paraphrasing badly, but you'll get the point...don't push hard it will knock the diamonds out of the nickel plating.

Senate wrote:they're not sleeves they're just hollow Paul.

thank you Sir for the follow up on the sleeve possibility.

Spider bite wrote:For sure mine have more play then when new. I put some rubber bands on top of them to pull them closer. Works for me.

i have seen the rubberbands in a picture maybe on this forum, can't remember? seems like a good idea, but i like the shim idea a little better.

thanks to everyone for your feedback/info/insight, greatly aprpeciated as always.

The Deacon wrote:I don't have them, but I thought the diamond rods were sleeves and that you were suppose to just slide them over the white or brown rods, not insert them into the base.

The first ones they put out were sleeves, I have a set of those. The ones I bought this past year are the full triangle-shaped rods.

bowarrow2000 wrote:I have a home made base made out of a 2x4. Using a 9/16 drill and an adjustable drill press you can easily come up with multiple angles. A 9/16 dia. hole will fit the Sharpmaker rods snugly.

I have been considering this idea, as well... Does the round hole still hold the stones snug enough to keep the flats aligned?

Mattman, the 9/16 hole is a close fit, mine is a bit tight but you can turn the rods easily to use corners or the flats. You can always ream the holes a bit if necessary. If you should get them a bit loose you can always use a shim to adjust. Chop sticks work well. It makes for a cheap base with a lot of possibilities.

bowarrow2000 wrote:Mattman, the 9/16 hole is a close fit, mine is a bit tight but you can turn the rods easily to use corners or the flats. You can always ream the holes a bit if necessary. If you should get them a bit loose you can always use a shim to adjust. Chop sticks work well. It makes for a cheap base with a lot of possibilities.

Thanks! I will be on this project soon...

[url]http://s1096.photobu[img]s1096photobucket.com/albums/g340/maddog604/[/img]ket.com/albums/g340/maddog604/

Here is a pic of the 2x4 base.

http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g34 ... 04/006.jpg

Here is a picture such as it is.

When I first got my SharpMaker the white rods fit in nice but the brown rods were very tight. That was about 2 years ago. Now the white rods flop around and the brown rods are a good fit. I measured the angle of the white rods and they are sitting at 15.8º for the left and 17.0º for the right one. I tried the elastic band but it just made the angles go too much the other way. The brown rods are almost 15º on both sides so I'm thinking of getting another SM just for the white rods.