Thread: UUGGHH!!! Stubborn blade!

Your sequence of use should be
1. Spyderco Med
2. Spyderco fine
3. 2000 grit sandpaper
4. rouge strop held taut or better yet laid flat on a counter top.
You should stay at each step until there is a noticeable change in sharpness. Then move on to the next step.

The final step is the plain leather hanging strop. That is to be used just before each shave. Just before, not the night before.


Hope this helps,

Your mousepad technique is great for knives but will give you fits on a straight. I have not found convex edges to be the most user-friendly.

Thanks you guys.

I've having better success now, but I've basically ignored the sandpaper and mousepad and started playing with the deliberately "cross-hatching" the scratches to compensate, what little I can, for not having finer grit hones. Results are surprisingly good. I'm getting both blades sharper than I had previously. (And the last shave I had with the Van-Camp was a solid "decent" lol)

The 2000grit paper is finer than the Spyderco Fine!? I will certainly try it as I'm needing something a little more between the fine and rouge.

I'm not using the mousepad anymore since I've "learned" the leather strops now, but I had used very very very light pressure....basically was using it since I didn't feel confident of my desktops "flatness" for the stropping level. Hadn't used if for the Sandpaper as I *thought* they were both at a coarse enough stage to not get completely anal about flatness.


Thank you guys......I'm now saving for some DMT and Shaptons....I think....unless I change my mind again....who know...I love this stuff

The 2000 grit sandpaper is roughly equivalent to a 4000 grit measured on the Japanese grit scale. So yes it is finer than the Spyderco Fine. But...It is not finer than the Spyderco Ultrafine hone. Make sure you know which one you own. Both are white in color.

To use the sandpaper what I do is to cut the sandpaper to fit on top of the hone , wet both the hone and the sandpaper then lay the sandpaper on top of the hone. Carefully start honing, edge first. This requires practice but it can be done.

Geez, no wonder some have gone to the micron system. Too many different grits!! So, 2000 paper is equivalent to 4000 on Norton waterstones or just the more traditional "japanese" waterstones?

My hones are definately just the fine. I only have the iddy-biddy "triangular rods" that come with the sharpmaker systerm. I can get ultra-fine rods though. Does anyone know what grit/micron they would be.

It's not as bad as it sounds...if you lay ONE rod in the "storage" position the flat side is up and will rock/yaw with the blade making it much easier to work on 1/2" wide hone than one would ever think possible.

Again, Thanks.

The Ultrafine is regarded as approx 8000+ grit in its effect. Ceramic is not measured the same as other abrasives that are a mix of binder and abrasive grain.