Spyderco Forums

I just purchased my 1st knife ever, a Spyderco Delica4 Lightweight FRN Flat Ground PlainEdge Knife! It's arriving Monday and I'm already thinking about how to care for/sharpen it. It won't be seeing any outdoor use, just mostly for opening boxes and plastic packages at work and light duty at home.

Do they come plenty sharp from the factory? And can anyone recommend a good link to learn how to sharpen? And what types of stones to get specifically for this knife and my intended uses?

I've looked on U tube and it's kind of everwhelming with so much info and different methods. Thank you in advance. I have a feeling this hobby might become as expensive as my flashlight hobby....so many cool looking knives

Jeffg330 wrote:I just purchased my 1st knife ever, a Spyderco Delica4 Lightweight FRN Flat Ground PlainEdge Knife! It's arriving Monday and I'm already thinking about how to care for/sharpen it. It won't be seeing any outdoor use, just mostly for opening boxes and plastic packages at work and light duty at home.

Do they come plenty sharp from the factory? And can anyone recommend a good link to learn how to sharpen? And what types of stones to get specifically for this knife and my intended uses?

I've looked on U tube and it's kind of everwhelming with so much info and different methods. Thank you in advance. I have a feeling this hobby might become as expensive as my flashlight hobby....so many cool looking knives

Hey Jeff, welcome to the forum and the world of knives. I think it's good that you are taking an interest in sharpening early. The quest for sharpness really adds another dimension to the knife hobby. You are going to want to learn the basics of how to profile an edge and create a clean apex (that's all sharpening really is) but for now you probably want to invest in a Spyderco Sharpmaker. The Delica will likely arrive with a very sharp factory edge and you will be able to maintain that for a long time with the Sharpmaker and the standard rods that come with it. If you go ahead and purchase the diamond or CBN rods for the sharpmaker then you will be able to handle most any sharpening task with that one system. The sharpmaker is one of the best tools available for maintaining an edge and though it may not be the most efficient tool for heavy reprofiling it is capable of even that with the diamond rods. It is also a good training device for freehand sharpening.

If you want your sharpening gear to be inexpensive, you can probably get away with a single say 400-800 grit stone.

There are lots of YouTube videos on sharpening freehand, with a sharpmaker, with an edge pro, with basically any sharpening method you want to learn. Maybe take a look at some of those videos to get an idea of what kind of work it is before selecting your sharpening method and gear.

You will probably have 2 weeks, 4 weeks with a relatively sharp edge for you to make a choice. The time depends on how much you cut, what you cut, and what you consider sharp. :)

To the OP
1) You are welcome to our forum.
2) Congrats for choosing Delica4 ffg as your first Spyderco.It's probably the best choise for urban edc.IT COMES VERY, VERY SHARP OTB
3) Spyderco Sharpmaker is your best bet for maintaining a very sharp edge for a long period of time. Reprofiling is another story.My advice: invest in a KME Sharpening System or, if you have two healthy kidneys, sell one and buy a Wicked Edge sharpening system :p .

Marius

Welcome to the forum.

I assume you purchased a VG10 Delica. It is a great knife to learn to maintain.

There are many great tools out there and many of us go about sharpening differently. I am a sharpmaker fan myself but it really is not a complete system without the diamond rods. You should be able to get by without them in the beginning but you will need them eventually.

You will have many questions as you learn to sharpen and we do not mind helping at all. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Thanks to everyone for the input. I checked out the sharpmaker and think it will be the best system for me. I watched the spyderco instructional video and a couple of YouTube videos and have a question.
Is stropping REALLY necessary? The guys on YouTube seemed to think so, but I didn't see the spyderco guy doing it excep on the straight razor....If I'm understanding correctly the "honing" from stropping will basically go away after the first use of the blade...is that incorrect?

Welcome to the Forum.

FFG Delica is an excellent choice for your first knife. Sharpmaker is the great idea as well. Basic set will be sufficient for you for a while and you will have plenty of time to figure out what gears you will need to bigger jobs, than just maintaining the edge.
I never stropped my knives. I have ultra fine stones, but frankly I forgot, when I used them the last time. Also find some good reading to understand sharpening process. This will help to avoid some mistakes.

+1 on the Sharpmaker (plus diamond rods, in time).

Practice on older knives first, would be my tip, perhaps any kitchen knives you can get your hands on as they're usually neglected.

Welcome Jeffg330
The Delica is a fine choice for an EDC. Sharpmaker would be a logical choice for maintaining an edge but Spyderco also offers free sharpening. Just pay for shipping.
Enjoy your stay here.

Hi Jeffg,

Welcome to our forum.

Knives are a very deep hobby in their offerings (Design, materials, shapes, history, geography, functions, varieties, etc.) Sharpening too can suck you in. A Sharpmaker will maintain your knives well, with little learning curve, but if you choose to get more involved in edges, a loupe (10X-12X works well) and some basic flat stones to learn the new skill. As mentioned, better to practice on less expensive blades.

sal

Welcome to the forum! :)

If you buy and use a SharpMaker to maintain your edge wth a 30deg primary bevel and a 40deg micro bevel you won't need to strop.

As others have said I too think it's a good idea to practice on cheap no frills knives before you attack your new Delica. An inexpensive way to go is to buy a couple of $2 paring knives and practice on them till you develop a consistent technique and feel. You'll likely find it does take a little practice to hold the blade consistently perpendicular and grind all the way to the tip and when it all comes together you'll be glad you preserved.

As Darby said ask all the questions you need and the only silly question is the one you didn't ask.

The best time saving advice I have for someone starting out is get good with rough grits first.
Don’t even use higher grits at all until you’re good at starpening with lower grits (e.g. 100-400 grit) because it’s way too tempting to spend half an hour polishing a dull edge that actually needed another 10 minutes on the rough stone.

Forgot to mention few things:
1. Use search function. This forum has a lot of information about sharpening
2. Do not apply a lot of pressure on the blade during sharpening, especially when you are using corners of triangular rods on sharpmaker. Only light pressure. Let stones to do their job.
3. Learn sharpie trick: mark the edge with sharpie, so you will see, if you removing material from the edge or shoulders.
4. Like Sal said, you need 10x eye louple.

Welcome to the forum Jeffg. Congratulations on your first knife and for choosing to join the community here. Like Lance and some of the others have said already, the Sharpmaker is one of the most versatile and economic sharpening systems on the market. I would recommend it to any new knife person (or veteran looking to find a better way to sharpen). Enjoy your newfound tool and hobby.

I don't think you can go wrong with buying a Sharpmaker. In the years I've been doing this now (which is basically my entire life) I've gone from freehand sharpening (average at best) to owning and using a Lansky (decent but flawed in many ways), to buying an expensive Edge Pro (hands down best device out there for reprofiling edges) to now using the Sharpmaker for keeping my knives sharp. For the casual or entry level knife person, it's the best way to start out IMO. Having the ability to keep your knife sharp makes using them much more enjoyable when you're not worried about losing the edge. I went several years using disposable blade knives because I was tired of struggling with sharpening, and I really wish I knew then what I know now.

Another vote for the Sharpmaker. I’d suggest forgetting about stropping until you’ve mastered the Sharpmaker. The important skill to develop is attaining and maintaining a clean edge apex. The Sharpmaker will help you to do that; it’ll take you very far if you’re diligent.

I need a hint for the right angle on small thin knives like the ARK or the Perrin Neck Bowie. I think I could sharpen them with the 40angle but cause this kind of knives are so thin I would tend to start with the 30angle or I am wrong?

Zen wrote:I need a hint for the right angle on small thin knives like the ARK or the Perrin Neck Bowie. I think I could sharpen them with the 40angle but cause this kind of knives are so thin I would tend to start with the 30angle or I am wrong?

There's nothing wrong with using the 30 slot, it will just be a thinner edge. Depending on the steel and use it may be beneficial to use a thicker edge but I tend to sharpen all my bevels to 30ish and the micro bevels at 40. It's a good compromise for an all around edge.

The most informative thread I always recommend newcomer to sharpening:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/wha ... s.1014274/

Stropping is another realm of debate:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/tri ... g.1525861/

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/str ... re.750008/

Jeffg330 wrote:Thanks to everyone for the input. I checked out the sharpmaker and think it will be the best system for me. I watched the spyderco instructional video and a couple of YouTube videos and have a question.
Is stropping REALLY necessary? The guys on YouTube seemed to think so, but I didn't see the spyderco guy doing it excep on the straight razor....If I'm understanding correctly the "honing" from stropping will basically go away after the first use of the blade...is that incorrect?

Stropping helps achieve the sharpest possible edge but it is by no means required.

The stones that come with a sharpmaker are very high quality. I can sharpen my VG10 flat ground knives with a sharpmaker and nothing else, and easily get them sharp enough to shave with. :)

Zen wrote:I need a hint for the right angle on small thin knives like the ARK or the Perrin Neck Bowie. I think I could sharpen them with the 40angle but cause this kind of knives are so thin I would tend to start with the 30angle or I am wrong?

I run my Ark at about 8 degrees per side with a 15 degree per side microbevel and I have fantastic results. No issues carving through knotty hard wood. On knives that small I see no reason to keep the edge as thick as something like a Military or Manix XL. 30 degrees would be plenty strong, 40 degrees would be overkill unless you cut very damaging media with the knife.