Serrated Sharpening Thread!

[enduraguy]

So predictably, the sharpening thread turned into one big discussion about plain edged sharpening. What about serrated blades though?

[Slash]

Serrations need no sharpening!

[Evil D]

I'm hoping to get a video up today if I can get time.

[enduraguy]

Serrations need no sharpening!

Ah yes, silly me.

[Evil D]

Video is shot...just waiting for it to upload to You Tube.

[Surfingringo]

I use the sharpmaker with great results. Pretty similar to the technique that Sal outlines in the dvd. If you stay on top of a se knife with regular touchups it's very easy to keep it razor sharp without wearing the teeth down. Others here have lots of experience with various techniques that I'm sure work produce excellent results but the sharpmaker takes care of all my se sharpening needs.

[Johnnie1801]

I'm a noob when it comes to serrated knives but someone once told me you can use a leather shoe lace to strop the serrations.

[JD Spydo]

There is no problem sharpening Spyderedged or any other serrated knife pattern>> you just need the right sharpening tools. Now you can take the easy way out and use the Spyderco 204 Sharpmaker>> but I personally like Spyderco's older/discontinued 701 Profiles much better.

Now I'm still getting to know and learn more about my Spyderco Goldenstone which I'm told will sharpen any serration pattern Spyderco ever produced. But my complete favorite tool to date is the 701 Profile set ( medium & fine) and I wish above all things they would not only bring the 701 Profiles back into production but would also add 2 more grits ( diamond and ultra-fine).

Personally I think the company shoulld have introduced the Goldenstone with more instructions and sharpening tips so peole would have more of a clue of what the designer had in mind. But to me the 701 Profiles fit just about any scallop and spike pattern I've ever sharpened and the results are super. I've also had a few converts along the way as well

I just can't understand why the 701 Profiles never made it big with machinists and mechanics. Because I think there is truly a huge untapped market out there for them.

[bearfacedkiller]

I can sharpen serrations with my sharp maker and with my 701 profile stones but I just got a Ladybug hawkbill and the serrations are much smaller than I am used to. How do you guys sharpen them? I just used the sharp maker rods in my hand but the corners barely fit in the smallest serrations.

[JD Spydo]

I can sharpen serrations with my sharp maker and with my 701 profile stones but I just got a Ladybug hawkbill and the serrations are much smaller than I am used to. How do you guys sharpen them? I just used the sharp maker rods in my hand but the corners barely fit in the smallest serrations.

I've never owned or used one of those Super Small Spyderco serrated knives but I'm curious because more and more people are using them and they are actually becoming popular. I would suggest checking into Spyderco's set of 400F jeweler's sharpening stone set. I have a couple of those sets and they work ideal for filing on really tiny areas. Let us know what results you obtain if you check them out.

Or in any of you have used the 400F set of Spyderco ceramic files tell us about them.

[Evil D]

Here ya go.

[Evil D]

Sorry I had the video on private...it's public now.

[yablanowitz]

I do most of my SE sharpening on a byrd Duckfoot sharpener. Generally, I use SE blades for rough work where a coarse edge is beneficial, so I seldom bother breaking out the SharpMaker or even the Goldenstone to polish them up. I generally go ten to two, alternating a heel to tip stroke on the ground side with a tip to heel stroke to ensure I hit both sides of the scallops evenly. Ten strokes on the front, then a light heel to toe and toe to heel on the back with the blade leaned flat or nearly flat to the sharpener. Repeat until sharp. I've restored some very badly worn and poorly sharpened edges that way.

One thing worth noting again for those who have missed previous incarnations of this discussion: serrations are ground all at once on a shaped wheel. They are parallel to each other rather than following the curve of the blade. You need to match the pitch angle (i.e. tip to butt angle) of the blade to the sharpener so that the centerline of the scallops is parallel to the centerline of the sharpener, then keep it at that angle throughout each stroke, otherwise you'll round off the points between the scallops (go ahead, ask me how I know). I've added lines to the scallops in this picture to illustrate what I'm talking about.

[Peter1960]

Normally I don't feed trolls, but I make an exception.

Serrations need no sharpening!

Jo, and one more, personally for you - the earth is flat :p

[JD Spydo]

I do most of my SE sharpening on a byrd Duckfoot sharpener. Generally, I use SE blades for rough work where a coarse edge is beneficial, so I seldom bother breaking out the SharpMaker or even the Goldenstone to polish them up. I generally go ten to two, alternating a heel to tip stroke on the ground side with a tip to heel stroke to ensure I hit both sides of the scallops evenly.

I'm with you there YAB because I also use my Duckfoot frequently but usually only on really beat up Spyderedges or when a scallop or spike gets dinged up. Again I wish the company would give us some more info on the Goldenstone because I've been mostly experimenting with mine>> whereas I mainly find the 701 Profiles to be a lot more handy and versatile. But more grit selections would even make the 701 Profiles better yet.

I'm really baffled why the Duckfoot didn't really take off very well and they discontinued it what seemed not long after they introduced it :confused: . I'm also hoping that we may see a Doublestuff stone with diamond and ultra-fine some day. Many people overlook the fact that Spyderco also has some of the best sharpening equipment out there as far as hand sharpening tools go>> as well as being arguably the best commercial knife company out there.

[Slash]

I can't believe I'm gonna be the first to suggest sending them to spyderco. They do still offer a excellent sharpen service.
For self touchups a credit card wrapped with a cloth from an old tee shirt and wet dry sandpaper does a nice job. Just don't forget to hit the flat side on a flat stone to knock off any burrs.

[JD Spydo]

I can't believe I'm gonna be the first to suggest sending them to spyderco. They do still offer a excellent sharpen service.
For self touchups a credit card wrapped with a cloth from an old tee shirt and wet dry sandpaper does a nice job. Just don't forget to hit the flat side on a flat stone to knock off any burrs.

Spyderco does an excellent sharpening job on serrated and plain edged blades. But if you are a serious knife user or a user of any edged tool for that matter it's to your advantage to learn the skill of sharpening. It's really not rocket science but mainly common horse sense and the skill of using certain sharpening tools.

If I had to have someone else sharpen or maintain any of my edged tools it would truly bankrupt me. I've learned to enjoy the challenge of learning sharpening skills.

[Evil D]

If I lived in Golden and I could walk down to SFO and they sharpened my knife while I browsed the showroom, then I'd have them sharpen my SE knives. Otherwise the turn around is just too long even if it's within a week. I'm just too impatient and sharpening is part of the knife hobby life.

[JD Spydo]

I'm just too impatient and sharpening is part of the knife hobby life.

Thanks EVIL D you literally just jerked the words right out of my mouth :D and I too view sharpening as a productive facet of my knife hobby>> and a practical dividend it pays as well.

Look at all the farmers, tradesmen and workers of all types>> it would take a huge chunk out of their profits if they didn't maintain their own tools. For me to be dependent upon someone I didn't even know to keep my tools up to speed I would literally be screwed.

People a lot of times are afraid of what they don't understand. Serrated edges are not all that high tech and are not that hard to get sharp>> maybe just a bit time consuming. But just about anything that's done right takes time. Just use a little common sense and the right tools and most of you will be surprised at what you can do with Spyderedges. And if you get frustrated>> just use the 204 Sharpmaker and take the easy way out..

[JBE]

I'm a noob when it comes to serrated knives but someone once told me you can use a leather shoe lace to strop the serrations.

A leather boot lace loaded up with polishing compound works very well.