Sharpening system for the blind

[CrayzCanuck]

Hello everyone,
I have a question about knife sharpening. I am completely blind and I’m looking to find a way the easiest way to sharpen my knives. My knife collection consist mainly of folding knives including multiple Spyderco variance.
I have read a little bit about the Spyderco sharp maker and just wondering if someone out there could consider my blindness and direct me towards what day we can sit will be the most appropriate shirt making system. I’m not too worried about the price just want something that I think I can replicate a nice edge with little little room for damaging the knife.
I am really hoping someone out there with vast experience would be able to direct me in the right direction. Thank you all very much for your help.
CC

[sal]

Hi CrayzCanuck,

My wife Gail has personally taught many blind people to use our Sharpmaker with 100% success. Both in the shows we worked and in our store. It's easiest in person if you can find someone close that has some experience with the Sharpmaker.

sal

[JuPaul]

I'm sure a Sharpmaker would work very well, as Sal said. But I also think a guided system like the KME could be great since the machine controls the sharpening angle and I think the set up could pretty easily be done by feel. The only tricky part could be getting your knife into the clamp correctly, but I think you could figure out tricks for that, too.

[Ric]

I recommend the Gauntlet.

Only one angle.
The stones are easy to differentiate.

[Surfingringo]

I would definitely recommend the sharpmaker. Gravity and our body’s equilibrium give us a highly accurate interpretation of the vertical and horizontal plain, even without the aid of our eyes. If I had to put a blindfold on and use one of the two systems I would feel WAY more confident with the sharpmaker than any other system. I have a KME too but I feel like it would be MUCH more complicated to sharpen with in the dark.

I feel like I might need to test this...

[Ez556]

I am not visually impaired at all myself, however I will agree with Surfingringos statement that the design of the Sharpmaker uses our very natural ability for vertical alignment, and the Sharpmaker provides a very tactile experience during sharpening. In my own use I wrap my finger right at the base where the sharpened edge begins, whether that’s in a forward choil or not, and I simply bump my finger into the stone as the knife makes contact, and then draw downwards. If you are very picky about keeping an extremely acute tip, stopping on the stone before the tip slips off to prevent rounding it off slightly may be a bit of a challenge, but if you aren’t worried about a slightly rounded tip, simply drawing the knife down until it slips off the stone is fine. I would feel very comfortable sharpening with my eyes closed on the Sharpmaker, and I often sharpen without looking down at it anyways as I am often engaged in a conversation or something else as I am doing it.

[VWTattoo]

Hi, CrayzCanuck. As a fellow blind knife Knut, I understand your concerns about finding a sharpening system that you can feel your way through while also achieving successful sharpening. I am used to using the Sharpmaker for decades now, including when I had vision, so I know it completely. Let me tell you that the Sharpmaker is the way to go. I also have a KME system that requires extra planning to use, and while it’s great, it does have its challenges.

I think the Sharpmaker is the easier system to use because it can be felt for 30 vs. 40 degrees for the V configuration, and all other use configurations are fixed, so you know what you got. It also has guards to protect you from your mistakes, which is important for people like us. You can feel a difference in the coarse and fine stones, as well as feel when they are clogged and need a cleaning, so that’s good.

I’m sure that the Galley system would be amazing too but I don’t have one.

Best,
Scott

[CrayzCanuck]

Thank you all very much for the input. I think I will probably purchase the sharp maker. Thanks again wish me luck

[cabfrank]

Absolutely, best of luck to you! I don't think you'll need it though. You will become a proficient sharpener with the Sharpmaker. Enjoy it, and your knives!

[VWTattoo]

Congratulations on your choice, CrayzCanuck! Reply back once you’ve had some time to work with it, or contact me if you’d like to chat about techniques and such.

[VE3RWJ]

Hi. I'm reviving this old thread because I am a blind guy who just bought the Sharpmaker, mostly based on this and other recommendations.

I did very well in high school math, I have no trouble feeling and imagining various angles, I know what parallel and perpendicular mean etc. I have lots of manual dexterity and strong "spacial concepts"... but I can't for the life of me figure this thing out.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to describe in a clear, concise manner, the correct orientation of the various parts of this thing, and the actual motion I am to make with the pocket knife I'm going to try first.
What goes where? Then, where do I put my hand and which way do I orient the blade? Then, in which direction should I move it?

I figured out where the triangular rods are inserted, but I'm stuck after that. There are four tiny round holes in the top of the plastic base... is that where the brass rods are inserted, so they point straight up? Because they don't fit in those tiny holes.

I tried listening to the DVD packaged with the Sharpmaker, but it was a lot of "these go here" and "just do this". Not specific enough guys! Although, I love the chill vibe and all the knowledge. Sal seems like a great guy!

I found a PDF version of the booklet and extracted what text I coul dfrom it, but again, the pictures seem to convey all the important bits.
'
All help gratefully received!

[Michael Janich]

Dear VE3RWJ:

Welcome to the Spyderco Forum and thank you for your post.

The following text is excerpted from a rewrite I have been working on for the Sharpmaker instructions. I tried to make the copy more detailed and descriptive than the original booklet. I hope you find it useful.

To set up your Sharpmaker for use, first remove the lid, both sets of stones, and the safety rods from the base. If you look at the base closely, you will see that it has two sets of holes for the stones. One set holds the stones so they form a 40-degree “included angle” and is marked “40° Edge.” The other holds them so they form a 30° included angle and is marked “30° Back Bevel.” By “included angle,” we mean the angle between the two rods, which ultimately determines the angle of the tool’s cutting edge.

Note that the shape of both sets of holes allows the triangular stones to fit into them with either the edge of the stone or the flat side of the stone facing toward the other stone. Between the two sets of holes for the stones there are also four small, round holes. These hold the Sharpmaker’s safety rods to protect your hand while sharpening. You’ll also notice a groove in the center of the Sharpmaker base. This groove accepts either end of the Sharpmaker lid, allowing it to be used as a “handle” while sharpening.

To set up the Sharpmaker for use, place the appropriate stones in the proper holes in the base for the specific step of the sharpening process you wish to perform. Make sure the edges or flats of the stones are properly oriented for that step. Insert the safety rods into the round holes closest to the base of the stones and insert one end of the Sharpmaker’s lid into the groove in the center of the base. You are now ready to sharpen.

KNIFE SHARPENING

Remember:

• Always install and use both safety rods and keep your hand behind and below the rods.
• Be sure that the Sharpmaker and the tool to be sharpened are both clean before you begin (for instructions on how to clean your Sharpmaker, please see the section titled "Cleaning Your Tri-Angle Sharpmaker'').


SHARPENING PLAIN-EDGED BLADES TO A UTILITY EDGE
(40° ANGLE, STEP #1 AND STEP #2)

STEP #1
• Place the medium-grit stones in the 40° angle slots in the base with the corners of the stones facing each other.
• Use your non-dominant hand to hold the Sharpmaker firmly to a solid surface, keeping your hand below and behind the safety rods.
• Hold the knife with your thumb on the top of the handle and the plane of the blade vertical.
Place the “heel” of the edge (the part of the edge closest to the handle) against the edge of one of the stones near the top.
• Keeping the plane of the blade vertical, draw the knife down the edge of the stone as you simultaneously pull it toward you.
• Apply enough pressure to remove steel, but do not press too hard. Excessive pressure will not improve performance.
• Place the heel of the edge on the opposite side of the blade against the other stone and repeat the process, drawing the edge down the stone from heel to tip as you pull back toward you.
• Repeat this process for 40 total strokes—20 per side—and then examine the edge to see if you have succeeded in achieving a uniform bevel. If so, move on to step #2. If not, repeat the process as necessary until you achieve a uniform bevel on both sides of the cutting edge.
• Knives that are being sharpened for the first time will often require a greater number of sharpening strokes.
• If, during this step, the edges of the stones become clogged with steel, remove the stones and rotate them to present a clean edge.

STEP #2
• Place the medium-grit stones in the 40° angle slots in the base with the flats of the stones facing each other.
• Using the same technique described in Step #1, sharpen your edge on the flats of the medium-grit stones. The larger surface area of the flats will refine the bevels of the cutting edge and make them even more accurate and consistent.
• Make sure to keep the plane of the blade vertical and sharpen from heel to tip for a total of 40 strokes—20 per side. Then examine your edge for sharpness. Repeat as necessary.
• If the stones become loaded with steel, remove them and rotate them to present a clean side.
• This step will produce a sharp, utility edge that is suitable for most cutting chores.

SHARPENING PLAIN-EDGED BLADES TO A HONED OR RAZOR-SHARP EDGE
(40° ANGLE, STEP #3 AND STEP #4)

STEP #3
• Place the white fine-grit stones in the 40° angle slots in the base with the edges of the stones facing each other.
• Using the same technique described in Step #1, sharpen your edge on the edges of the fine-grit stones. The finer abrasive grit of these stones will create a finer scratch pattern on the bevels of the cutting edge and make it less “toothy” than the utility edge produced by the medium-grit stones.
• Make sure to keep the plane of the blade vertical and sharpen from heel to tip for a total of 40 strokes—20 per side. Then examine your edge for sharpness. Repeat as necessary.
• If the edges of the stones become loaded with steel, remove them and rotate them to present a clean edge.
• This step will produce a honed edge that is extremely sharp and long wearing.

STEP #4
• Place the white fine-grit stones in the 40° angle slots in the base with the flats of the stones facing each other.
• Using the same technique described in Step #1, sharpen your edge on the flats of the fine-grit stones. The fine abrasive grit and larger surface area will further refine and polish the bevels of the cutting edge.
• Make sure to keep the plane of the blade vertical and sharpen from heel to tip for a total of 40 strokes—20 per side. Then examine your edge for sharpness. Repeat as necessary.
• If the stones become loaded with steel, remove them and rotate them to present a clean side.
• This step will produce a true razor edge that is exceptionally sharp.

Stay safe,

Mike

[yablanowitz]

I would add that the brass or aluminum safety rods do indeed fit into the small round holes, but not perpendicular to the base. They go at about 45° from perpendicular and about 45° from the centerline of the base.

The lid is made to fit over half of the base to cover the holes not in use and give the off hand a larger and safer grip area. Put that cover in place first when setting up since the safety rods slant out over it low enough to prevent it from being removed or installed while they are in place. So the set up order is lid, safety rods, then sharpening stones.

I hope that helps, and welcome to the forum.

[VE3RWJ]

I've since figured out a little more.
I managed to get the safety rods inserted at the correct angle.

Now, I have one important question I hope someone can answer.

With the base in front of me, long side facing me, and the end hole for scissors at my left, what degree angle are the pair of holes to the left of the narrow slit in the middle, and what degree angle are the pair of holes to the right?

When the instructions mention 15° or 20° is that measured from the vertical? That would mean the holes on the left are 20° because the rods lean more when inserted there.

[yablanowitz]

With the scissor hole on the right, the holes on the right are 40° inclusive, each rod being 20° off vertical. The holes on the left are 30° inclusive, each rod being 15° off vertical.

With the scissor hole on the left, the 40° degree holes on the left and the 30° holes on on the right.
Which is what you asked and I didn't answer.