Steel/Sharpmaker Compatability

[spyderknut]

ZDP-189 seems to work pretty well on the Sharpmaker as do Spyderco's other current production steels. With Super Steels that remain sufficiently tough when treated to higher Rcs, has anyone found a steel that could not be sharpened with the Sharpmaker without unreasonable effort?

Has Spyderco ever chosen or rejected steels on their ablilityto be sharpened on the Sharpmaker? Was this the reason for the demise of 440V Spydies?

I know a lot of this depends on how dull a knife gets before sharpening. Just curious.

[Texas guy]

I know that ceramic is harder than steel, even high hardness steel, so the sharpmaker should work, but just much slower on the hardest steels. I am ordering a DMT diamond stone for any real steel removal that needs to be done, and there is nothing a diamond wont cut.
BTW, OT, sharping S30V is a real pita! I can get my Salt crazy sharp with ease, but S30V is picky steel, and stroping my S30V almost seems to dull it. I read somewhere that really hard steels like S30V like softer stones such has water stones, because hard stones flop the wire edge back and forth, weakening the edge. Where the water stone gives just enough to take off the wire without flopping it around. I don't know how true this is, but make sense in my mind, and through my experience. Any other comments on S30V on the Sharpmaker or other hard ceramics?

[JD Spydo]

Well Texas Guy you raise kind of strange dichotomy. Just about 3 months ago I almost said word for word exactly what you just said about S30V. But it was not S30V I was griping about. It was another blade steel made by the same company. Crucible is a steel production company that I highly respect. But their 440V is truly a monster to sharpen. S30V is heaven sent compared to 440V. Crucible also refers to 440V as S60V. According to 2 knife makers I have talked to they told me that about 440V.

Now I will admit that S30V does have some peculiar properties. But 440V is nothing short of pure punishment. Funny that Spyderknut brings that up though. I actually find ZDP-189 easier to sharpen than either one of the aforementioned.

Have I personally ever found a steel that the 204 Sharpmaker won't handle? NO is the answer. But I will say that I have a custom Hawkbill knife made with cryo-quenched D-2 and I must say that it is a bear to sharpen. The only way you can re-profile that D-2 efficiently is either with a coarse diamond benchstone. :spyder:

[HoB]

I agree, I haven't encountered as steel that was particularly difficult to SHARPEN on the sharpmaker, but REPROFILING is a different story. If your edge geometry is even close to unsuitable for use on the sharpmaker (just under to anything over 20 deg per side), sharpening any of the better blade steels in particular S30V is close to impossible. But if you start with an edge gemometry like Spyderco puts on their knifes, the Sharpmaker works very well no matter what steel.

[Axlis]

Had a bad time with a Walmart Gerber a while back. Case and Buck aren't easy either, but will sharpen/reprofile with time....lots of time!

[spyderknut]

Thanks for the input fellas!

I did have a Lum Chinese I gave up on after a while. Factory sharpening rules. :D

[spydutch]

I once tried to sharpen my G10 Navigator/SE(gin 1), what a pita :eek: .

I'd rather sharpen 5 Enduras/SE in a row :(

But I must admit that I suck on the sharpmaker and I'm not a patient man :(

[JBE]

440V....... :mad: