Thread: spyderco sharpening

has anybody here ever tried to use the spyderco triangle system to hone any of their razors? I was just watching their videos and they used that system to do just that. I am reluctant to believe that it will do a really good job. I think that it could be a good starting point but just how well?? If anyone has some experience here I would appreciate so imput.

Hello Acoda,

I asked the same question in another thread. To which I received no reply... <crickets chirping>

Don't know if you actually tried this or not.

I think what I am going to do is pick up a vintage (a cheap one) at some point that doesn't have a decent edge on it. Then I'll try to use my sharpmaker to bring the edge back.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks,
WP421

OK, tell me about this system. I know that it uses the F, EF and UF hones...tell me more!

I have the triangle system for my knives. It works great for that.

I would not use it on razors for two reasons. The stones are too coarse (at least the medium (brown) and the fine (white) that come with it), and they are wayyyy too narrow. I think the medium is 600 grit, the fine is 1200 grit, and the extra fine (doesn't come with the system) is 2000 grit. These would only be good for basically setting the bevel.

Maybe an experienced hand COULD at least set the bevel on them, but it's far from the optimal sharpening system for a straight razor.

Originally Posted by pjrage

Maybe an experienced hand COULD at least set the bevel on them, but it's far from the optimal sharpening system for a straight razor.

Thanks pjrage.

The grind of the blade sets the edge angle when honing a razor edge, from what I have seen in honing videos.

When they say 'reset a bevel', are two different angles being ground, like a knife? How is this done on a straight razor?

With the sharpmaker it's obvious with the 2 different angle slots.

Originally Posted by warpigs421

Thanks pjrage.

The grind of the blade sets the edge angle when honing a razor edge, from what I have seen in honing videos.

When they say 'reset a bevel', are two different angles being ground, like a knife? How is this done on a straight razor?

With the sharpmaker it's obvious with the 2 different angle slots.

Generally speaking, you only use one angle with straight razors. Yes, the grind determines the angle, and the built in "jig" to keep the angle perfectly constant is the spine of the razor. The spine is always in contact with the hone when honing, therefore it is also being honed and ground down. This is one of the reasons that some people choose to add a layer of electrical tape - to protect the spine wear (also known as "hone wear"). Taping is a controversial topic and if you search around you can read about both sides of it.

When people refer to "setting the bevel" or "resetting the bevel" they are simply talking about honing the razor until bevel is even across it's cutting length. If you look around the wiki, there are some great diagrams that show what can happen to the bevel and why it would need to be reset. Some people do choose to use a double bevel by adding a(nother) layer of tape (or more) to the spine after setting the initial bevel. You can search around and read more about this as well.

I believe the Spyderco Ultrafine benchstone came up on the forum about a month ago and was considered a very good hone for something, but a b**ch to lap.

I love my 204, but I don't think the plastic base provides a reliable surface to keep the stones evenly flat for razor sharpening. It's plastic after all, it bends and warps easily.

Originally Posted by Zwaplat

I love my 204, but I don't think the plastic base provides a reliable surface to keep the stones evenly flat for razor sharpening. It's plastic after all, it bends and warps easily.

Yep, I would agree with that. I just received my first straight yesterday via UPS. It's a DOVO 5/8" from Vintage Blades (honed by Mr. Abrams).

The first thing I noticed is how delicate the blade is compared to a knife blade. I had a feeling that, despite the claims made in the DVD, that SpyderCo could not really do that great of a job on such a delicate blade. Good info, guess I have to shell out more gov't. cheese for a hone.

Thanks,
WP421

There are a few different opinions about the grit ratings of each of the spyderco stones. There is a piece about them on the other shaving forum which says that the medium is around 4K and the fine is around 8K (I think the UF is around 12K). I believe it says something about the grit ratings being so much lower because they are ceramic... or something like that.

Regardless, I used to hone blades using the medium, fine, and then a Swaty to finish and I got good edges that way. I only switched because I have the pocket size ones and they were way too small for the amount of honing I was doing.

PS Yes, they are all really annoying to lap. They get worse as you go up the progression, but even the fine is a real pain.

Just to clarify, the original post was with regard to the the spyderco sharpmaker system that uses the triangular stones. They are only like 1/2" wide, if that, and can't be laid flat on anything because they are triangles. You would have to hold them in your hand. It's completely impractical to hone a razor with them.

Now if you want to get into the actual spyderco bench hones, then that's a whole different story... I belive many have tried them and if you search there is some great info. The biggest things that stick out to me is how ridiculously hard they are to lap, and that there is basically zero feedback. The bottom line, I think, is that unless you already have them, you'd be better off getting something else as your first hone(s).