Broken Sharpmaker! :(

[Bud Guy]

Well, It's true, my 204mf is broken. To make matters worse, I've only had it for about a month. One of the clips that holds the stones in place while stored has snapped. :( Also, the fine stones that came with it were nicked, I figured that this would smooth out with time, but hasn't yet, will it? Is this normal? Can I get this fixed? I can't find any of my Spyderco information that came with it(Must have been pushed aside with the excitement of finally getting sharp knives). Wanna know the worst part? I haven't even really gotten good with the 204 :(

How much do you think all this will cost? Is it under warrenty for this type of thing?



Thanks in advance

Shane

[Paul D.]

Bud Guy,
I don't know what to tell you about the base breaking. I've never heard of that happening. Sal, Joyce or someone else from Spyderco are probably the only ones that can answer that question.

As far as your fine rods being chipped...if they are really chips/imperfections that are not really visible but are noticable when sharpening then the solution is simple. Sal suggests that when getting a new sharpmaker that you rub the two "stones" together lightly to smooth them out. Only do this with ceramic rods of the same type, do not do this with a medium and fine against each other. I believe Sal talks about this in the video too, but it has been quite some time since I watched mine. The video really tells you everything you need to know about effectively using the Sharpmaker. The only other thing I would say about getting a good edge is to use the burr technique. If you are having trouble with a particular blade then work on one side of that blade until you feel a burr (or "wire") develop along the edge. Keep track of how many passes it takes. After the burr is felt then switch to the other side and make the same number of passes that you made on the first side. You should feel a little bit of a burr at that point too. Now start alternating sides, using lighter and lighter pressure as you go. This should remove that burr or wire edge and leave a strong, sharp edge. I also finish with a few reverse draw passes (bottom of V to top, with the knife still in the regular position) very lightly to help refine the edge. I think Sal talks about that in the video too. I usually strop my edge a few times after that, but that's another story.

Give Spyderco customer service a call about the base, and then watch the Sharpmaker instructional video. Those two things should alleviate your problems.

Paul

[Moose]

I have a sharpmaker kit and had one of my medium rods break off, and one of them chipped. The chip is to deep to take out by rubbing them togther. I just have to avoid that part of the stone when sharpening. Thats weird you guys talk about a instructional vedio, I think I bought mine before it was offered.

[Bud Guy]

Thanks for the reply's! I actually tried rubbing the stones together, but these are the fine one's, which are really hard...it didn't work for me. I believe that in the video Sal was referencing the Medium stones? I need to go back and check, but, at any rate, it didn't work for me.

Any word on the Diamond rods? I really hate the Idea of having to send off my Sharpmaker!

Thanks guy's

[Paul D.]

Bud Guy,
It's actually usually the fine ones that need to be rubbed together. My medium ones were quite smooth from the beginning. One of my fine ones had a bump that did not rub out immediately, but it has gone away now after repeated use. I'm looking forward to the diamond rods, though I already have a set of Speedsleeves. hehehe :D

Moose,
The early 204's came without the video as it wasn't finished yet. I thought all those early ones came with a card to send in so you could receive the video when it was finished. Call customer service and see what they say about sending you a video. It's worth watching. Sal will show you how to sharpen just about anything in the video. Customer service should also be able to tell you how to buy individual replacement triangle rods. They might be available from SFO.
Paul

[Bud Guy]

Paul,
Thanks for replying! I'll have to put on some more "Elbow Grease" with those white stones to see if I can get that remedied! Does anyone have contact information for Sypderco so I can see what can be done about my base?

Thanks,
Shane

[Paul D.]

I found this under "Why Buy Spyderco" and then clicking on Care and Warranty. I would personally call them so that I could immediately find out what I wanted to know. I am impatient though. At certain times of the day the phones are busier than others though. They are always good about returning emails also.

Warranty and Repair
Fax:303-278-2229 or 303 277-1429
Phone: 800-525-7770 or 303-279-8383
20011 Golden Gate Canyon Road
Golden, Colorado 80403
Email: custsvc@spyderco.com

Good luck.
Paul




Edited by - Paul D. on 4/4/2001 1:03:42 PM

[Bud Guy]

Hey thanks Paul! That's exactaly what I was looking for, not sure how i missed that one?

Thanks again! I appreciate it.

[sal]

Hi Bad guy. Sorry for the inconvenience. There isn't much you can do with the nicks or chips in the white stone. They'll have to come back to us for replacement. Your base is the first broken one we've heard about, so we really need it back for testing. Ask Mike in Warrantee & repair to call the base to my attention.

Paul, thanx for the follow up. I've been snowed lately.

sal

[Bud Guy]

Hi Sal,
Thanks for responding. I called and spoke with Mike (nice guy). I'll be sending this out today or tomorrow with a note to bring it to your attention.

thanks again,
Shane

[Bud Guy]

Well, it's done. I sent off my 204 on Thursday, the 12th. <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle> What kind of turn around time is normal?

Thanks
Shane

[sal]

Shouldn't be more than a few days. simple replacement, no labor on repair. Mike's good about taking care of our customers.

sal