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I recently got a Spyderco Sharpmaker, and after doing lots of internet reading and watching youtube videos, I was able to sharpen a couple of really dull knives. I decided to post this thread to consolidate some of the tips I learned that really helped me get these dull knives to a really sharp edge.
1) Take your time and go slow and carefully.
2) Use a sharpie marker and magnifying glass. Use the marker to mark the edge of the knife. Then, after a few strokes on the Sharpmaker, you can look at the edge of the knife under magnification. If there is still black on the very edge, you aren't sharpening yet. This means you probably need to either change the angle on the Sharpmaker, or you need to reprofile the edge.
3) Sandpaper. The coarse brown stone that comes with the Sharpmaker is not all that coarse. If you need to do edge profiling, it really wont do the job very well. Take some 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper (I cut strips that were 2" by 6") and wrap it around the rods, using a couple of binder clips to keep it secured and tight (you can google sharpmaker sandpaper for some images). Then you can reprofile the edge with the sandpaper before going to the coarse stone. Alternatively, I've seen posts where people use a diamond stone attached to the Sharpmaker rods with a rubber band. If you have some stones lying around, it's easy enough to do, otherwise, sandpaper works just fine.
4) Get comfortable. I started using mine on the kitchen counter, and it was a little high for me. Wound up going to my garage workbench which was a little lower and more comfortable.
5) Make sure you keep the knife perpendicular to the ground. Sort of goes with the above. If you are not comfortable, you may find that you are not holding the knife as straight as you can. That's what happened to me initially at the kitchen counter. I was perpendicular on the left side, but when I went to the right side, I was holding the knife slightly at an angle. I discovered this thanks to the Sharpie tip above.
That's basically it.
I used the sandpaper attached to the rods and did 20 strokes on each side. Then, I took the sandpaper off, and did 20 strokes on the coarse rod corners, then 20 strokes on the sides, per the instructions. Switched to the fine rods, and again, 20 strokes on the corners, 20 strokes on the sides. By the time I was finished, the knife was cutting hairs on my arm.
It's a really nice system. And, using tip #3 above, you really don't need to spend big $$ on their diamond rods.
Hope this helps.
1) Take your time and go slow and carefully.
2) Use a sharpie marker and magnifying glass. Use the marker to mark the edge of the knife. Then, after a few strokes on the Sharpmaker, you can look at the edge of the knife under magnification. If there is still black on the very edge, you aren't sharpening yet. This means you probably need to either change the angle on the Sharpmaker, or you need to reprofile the edge.
3) Sandpaper. The coarse brown stone that comes with the Sharpmaker is not all that coarse. If you need to do edge profiling, it really wont do the job very well. Take some 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper (I cut strips that were 2" by 6") and wrap it around the rods, using a couple of binder clips to keep it secured and tight (you can google sharpmaker sandpaper for some images). Then you can reprofile the edge with the sandpaper before going to the coarse stone. Alternatively, I've seen posts where people use a diamond stone attached to the Sharpmaker rods with a rubber band. If you have some stones lying around, it's easy enough to do, otherwise, sandpaper works just fine.
4) Get comfortable. I started using mine on the kitchen counter, and it was a little high for me. Wound up going to my garage workbench which was a little lower and more comfortable.
5) Make sure you keep the knife perpendicular to the ground. Sort of goes with the above. If you are not comfortable, you may find that you are not holding the knife as straight as you can. That's what happened to me initially at the kitchen counter. I was perpendicular on the left side, but when I went to the right side, I was holding the knife slightly at an angle. I discovered this thanks to the Sharpie tip above.
That's basically it.
I used the sandpaper attached to the rods and did 20 strokes on each side. Then, I took the sandpaper off, and did 20 strokes on the coarse rod corners, then 20 strokes on the sides, per the instructions. Switched to the fine rods, and again, 20 strokes on the corners, 20 strokes on the sides. By the time I was finished, the knife was cutting hairs on my arm.
It's a really nice system. And, using tip #3 above, you really don't need to spend big $$ on their diamond rods.
Hope this helps.
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