Tips Collection

[ramlanrafie]

Hi everybody,



How about we put all the tips for using, maintenance, sharpening etc. down here for the benefit of everybody.



At the moment i have none (sorry). still practicing my sharpening method.

[The Stare]

Okay.

Don't cut towards yourself.

Stare

[sam the man..]

Apa Khabar Saudara Ramlan?
What sort of Sharpening system are you using? I recommend the Sharpmaker model 204. You'll have to pay four times as much in our local currency, but it'll be a lifetime satisfaction guaranteed!! <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle> You can check out the &quot;Edge-u-Cation&quot; link on this site for more info on metallurgy, care and maintenance as well as Spyderco's history. More value if you purchase the &quot;Spyderco Story&quot; <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle> That's a book every Spydernut must have!! <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Sam

have spydies will travel

[vampyrewolf]

I sharpen by hand, and most people don't like using flat stones(bench stones) to sharpen. Well, my Ladybug is now sharper than my Delica. Benchstones allow you to correct angles for impurities in either the blade or stone. Heavier grits are available with benchstones also.

-a 40(20+20) bevel is best for all around
-a 30(15+15) bevel is best for light-medium use
-a 20(10+10) bevel WILL remove skin when trying to shave hair off your arm. It hurt... only a small patch, about 1/4&quot; long, about 1/8-1/2&quot; across...
-a scalpel is about a 10(05+05) bevel (for comparison).

Tufram costs about 75% more to get engraved than stainless steel.
It's $5 setup+$0.20/letter for stainless
I have been told it's $8+$0.20/letter for my knife(Tufram Cricket(yes, I just read the lable on the box)).

If you get the inside of the clip engraved it's an easy ID of your knife. It's gonna cost me $12 to get a quote put on my clip.


We all start with 10 fingers. Those with Spydies have 9 to spare, Still need a thumb. Good thing I still have 8 to spare...

[ramlanrafie]

Hi Sam,

at the moment i'm using lansky sharpener with the angle guide. still practising using benchstone but can't maintain the angle (definitely not using spyderco for this practice)

by the way are u attending the 2001 show?

[stu]

Ramlanrafie,

I used the Lansky for ten years. I almost forgot about my bench stones because the Lansky seemed like such an improvement.

For the past several months I have used the Sharpmaker and can get much better results than with the Lansky or the bench stones. It is also a lot quicker and less messy.

I would reccomend the Sharpmaker to anyone.

Take care,

stu

[RLR]

Benchstones - the only way to go:
1 - you get a &quot;feel&quot; for sharpening
2 - if ever you absolutely had to sharpen in the wild, you could find a suitable stone and use a similar technique
3 - it's an art and a science all in one
4 - once perfected, you can apply it to any knife
5 - no clips, clamps, rods, poles, holes and other annoyances

NOTE - I do own a Sharpmaker (203) but I only got it for the ceramic rods. They make great hones, serration sharpeners and drill bit toucher-uppers, etc. I leave the base and brass rods in a cupboard somewhere.

Oh, and a good strop to polish 'er up...

RLR

[whosyour]

Tip #1 Serrations are sharp(past experience /applied knowledge)
#2 Always keep your knife sharp
#3 practice drawing for serious situations in which you may have to use it
#4 Turn over your sharpmaker to razor the tip,or put a white stone in the scissor slot on the side.After you're proficient use it for a few swipes to put a mirror sharp edge on your blade.
#5When sharpening serrations I've found that if you lean about 3-5 degrees toward the triangle on the stone you'll get a much sharper cut on both sides.
#6 Spyderco or throw it out the window!!!

[Jeff/1911]

whosyour,

Could you clarify two of your tips for me please...

#4 - Razoring the tip? Do you mean sharpening the tip to a very sharp point? If so, I'm interested. How do you hold the knife, and what do you mean by &quot;turn over the sharpmaker&quot;?

#5 - I'm not sure which way you suggested to lean 3-5 degrees for sharper serrations.

Thanks, Jeff/1911.