Every machinist will tell you that the most challenging aspect of many projects is finding a way to hold the piece. As I have struggled with getting the KME to hold full flat ground (FFG) blades, I have contemplated the idea of making a special set of jaws to hold FFG blades.
For a thick blades, and blades as thick as the Spyderco Temperance, the best approach is to add tape to the blade and in effect to build up a parallel clamping surface.
My plan was to reprofile it to 20 degrees per side, and then properly sharpen it.
I began with the 50 grit "beast" and used a sharpie to mark the edge. The game was to watch for my grid to get all the way to the edge. This was taking longer than I expected and I never could seem to reach the edge. I then watched a video where a fellow reprofiled and sharpend a knife in 30 minutes total. And he began with the 140 grit stone. I knew then that something was wrong. I inspected my setup and could see that while the blade was held in a way that was centered, there was signficant wiggle allowed by the rubber in the KME jaws.
Some advice. With the 140 grit stone, and definitely with the 50 and 100, do not go all the way to the apex! The coarser stones will leave grooves and damage that will be a nuisance to clean up with finer grits. Take the 140 to the apex, but not the 100 or the 50.I took some of the advice below and added tape to my clamping setup. I verified that the blade was not wiggling in the clamp, then began again with the 140 stone. Immediately the stone was (based on Sharpie markings) working on the apex of the blade! Things go fast now. This is how it should have been all along. It doesn't take much time with the 140 to get things cleaned up. Then 300 and 600 go even more quickly. I stop at 600
The knife is amazingly sharp now. What I had expected and hoped for when I first bought the knife. There are several issues. The main one is the tip where I still see sharpie marks telling me that I never reached the edge near the tip. One one hand, I know that there are videos that specifically talk about sharpening the tip with the KME. I am holding off until I watch these to avoid doing some stupid damage to my knife. On the other hand, I know that the geometry is wrong at the tip with my seup. The edge is closer to the pivot when working on the tip -- which should make the stone steeper there. Probably I did some excess grinding there before I figured out how to properly clamp the knife. I will wait until I have more knowledge and experience to try to deal with this.
There is no substitute for experience. With experience you can tell by the sound and feel when you have done all you need to do with a given grit.
To sharpen the Spyderco Temperance on a KME system, you must account for its aggressive double distal taper, meaning the blade constantly thins out from the handle to the tip, as well as from the spine to the edge.
Because it lacks a flat ricasso (the unground flat portion near the handle) to clamp onto, standard clamping will cause the knife to tilt or wobble.
How to Tape and Clamp the Spyderco Temperance
The Stacking Tape Trick: Cut a few small, matching strips of masking or painter's tape. Stack 2 to 3 layers of tape exactly where the clamp jaws will sit near the spine. This creates a parallel shim that squares the tapered spine against the flat jaws of the KME clamp.
The Tapered Tape Technique
The goal is to add more tape layers near the tip of the blade to make the overall clamping surface perfectly parallel.
Layer 1: Apply a strip of painter's or masking tape along the spine, covering the entire length where the clamp will sit.
Layer 2: Apply a shorter strip starting from the tip and stopping about halfway down the clamping area.
Layer 3 (If severe taper): Apply a third, even shorter strip just near the tip area.
Repeat: Duplicate this exact layering on the opposite side of the blade.
Find the Sweet Spot: Open the clamp wide and slide the knife in. Center the jaws between the heel of the blade and the tip. Do not push the blade too deep into the clamp; let the jaws grip the taped area just below the spine cusp.
The "Pinch and Lock" Maneuver: Before tightening the clamp knob, use your thumb and forefinger to firmly pinch the very front tip of the clamp jaws together. While holding this tight pinch, use your other hand to reef down on the KME tightening knob. This forces the jaws to clamp flat against the flat-ground taper.
Handling the Distal Taper During Sharpening
Because the Spyderco Temperance thins out continuously towards the tip,
a standard sharpening stroke can cause the bevel to look wider or uneven at the belly.
Check the Pivot: Ensure your guide rod base is perfectly centered.
Match the Factory Edge: Color the entire edge bevel with a black sharpie marker. Take a light pass with your finest stone to see where the stone removes the ink. If it removes ink only at the shoulder or only at the apex, slightly adjust your KME angle knob until the ink is wiped away evenly from the heel all the way to the tip.
Wow! I had hardly expected all that. Then the AI interface asked me this:
Are you working on the original VG-10 fixed blade, the CPM Cru-Wear Sprint Run, or the Lil' Temperance folder? Let me know so I can suggest the best stone progression for that specific steel.
I never even knew there was a Temperance Cruwear sprint knife, but ignoring that, I answered "VG-10" and got this:
The VG-10 stainless steel on your original Spyderco Temperance is an excellent, classic Japanese steel. It is highly responsive, easy to sharpen, but prone to throwing a stubborn, gummy wire edge (burr) if you rush.
Because VG-10 doesn't require aggressive diamond stones to cut, you can achieve an incredibly sharp, toothy, or mirrored edge.
1. Target Angles
Factory Match: The original Spyderco Temperance typically features an acute factory angle.
Aim for 15 to 17 degrees per side (dps) if you want a slicing machine, or 20 dps if you plan to use it for harder outdoor tasks.
Crucial Step: Because you are using tape to shim the FFG, your digital angle cube will give a false reading relative to the blade apex. Trust the Sharpie trick over the angle cube numbers to ensure you are perfectly hitting the factory bevel.
2. KME Stone Progression for VG-10
Coarse (140 / 300 Grit Gold Diamonds): Use these only if you are repairing chips or aggressively changing the angle.
VG-10 removes quickly; coarse diamonds can leave deep scratches that are frustrating to polish out.
Medium (600 Grit Diamond or Arkansas/Ceramic): This is your main working step. Form your apex here. Light, sweeping strokes from heel to tip until you feel a consistent burr on the opposite side. Flip, and repeat.
Fine (1500 Grit Diamond or Fine Ceramic): This refines the scratch pattern. Drop your hand pressure significantly -- let the weight of the stone do the work so you don't roll the fine apex.
3. De-Burring (The Most Important Part)
VG-10 loves to form a micro-burr that flips back and forth instead of cleanly falling off.
At the very end of your finest stone, switch from a scrubbing motion to light, single,
trailing strokes (pulling the stone away from the edge, heel to tip).
Do 5 alternating strokes per side, then 4, 3, 2, and 1.
Finish on a leather strop loaded with 4-micron or 1-micron diamond emulsion (or green compound).
Pull backwards away from the edge for 5–10 passes per side to snap the burr clean off.
Wow! Pretty amazing.
Tom's Knife Info / tom@mmto.org