Anyone can sharpen my Civilian?

[SpyderClaw]

Hello! I recently bought a used Civilian from a friend whom now is into more practical knives. Since I love the reverse S shape and I always wanted to own one, I jumped on it. I have other knives I'm using for everyday tasks but want to keep my "new" Civilian sharper than sharp as I believe that's the only way this knife should be kept.
This friend whom sold it to me told me he had used it only a handful of times to open a few cardboard boxes etc (cringe). The serration and the tip is in pristine condition and it still rips paper pretty well but I feel like it could be a tad sharper.

I'm not planning on using it ever but it would be great if someone here on the board with exceptional sharpening skills wouldn't mind making my Civilian razor sharp or more. Who's in? :D

[D-Roc]

For the time and cost of shipping to a board member, it would be just as cost effective to send to spyderco...unless you found someone in the same area as you.

[SpyderClaw]

I'm in LA and I'm aware Spyderco does it for free (plus $5 for returning it) but not sure they would go to the extent of making it razor sharp.

[Knivesinedc]

but not sure they would go to the extent of making it razor sharp.

Spyderco does an excellent sharpening job. I just sent in my tenacious SE and Native I SE and they both came back able to slice and push cut paper. believe me, it'll be plenty sharp :) Welcome to the forums, my friend.

[SpyderClaw]

Spyderco does an excellent sharpening job. I just sent in my tenacious SE and Native I SE and they both came back able to slice and push cut paper. believe me, it'll be plenty sharp :) Welcome to the forums, my friend.

Thank you for the warm welcome! Since I've had this Civilian I can't look at other brands, there's really something quite special about Spydies..

[Knivesinedc]

Thank you for the warm welcome! Since I've had this Civilian I can't look at other brands, there's really something quite special about Spydies..

There really is. Your Civilian is a gateway to the magical realm of spydies. And you've only scratched the surface :rolleyes: Good luck holding on to your paycheck! :D -Jake-

[sal]

Hi SpyderClaw,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[JD Spydo]

Hey SpyderClaw I also want to welcome you to the Forum :) Spyderco used to make a sharpening tool that I love for all my serrated blades. I'm speaking of the Spyderco 701 Profile kit. It's not hard to learn but it does take some time to do it efficiently. I made up my mind quite a few years ago that my knives were only as good as they were sharp. A dull knife to me is about the most useless tool on the planet.

But knife sharpening ( serrated or plain edge) is not nuclear physics but it is a skill that does take a little time to master. But once you do it you'll be very happy that you did. Most knives in most homes here in the USA and probably most other countries are terribly dull. Since I've had this hobby I've noticed how terrible most people take care of their knives and to me it's shameful.

Now with a Reverse S blade like the Spyderco Civilian or Matriarch for that matter are a bit more tricky to get right than most serrated edges but if you sharpen each individual scallop and peak by hand with the 701 Profiles the results are impressive. It can be done with Spyderco's 204 Sharpmaker kit as well but I prefer to do it by hand.

Spyderco can do you a great job for sure. But wouldn't you like to know how to do it yourself so you can always have a super sharp knife on hand?

[xinam]

I'd second what JD said... I don't own a 701 profile set like he has but I do have a golden stone... I've found that with a little practice you can fine tune a single serration in under a minute. Yeah, it takes some time and practice but it sure is rewarding :) Welcome to the forum !

[Surfingringo]

If you own a sharpmaker you can put a hairsplitting edge back on that knife in 2-3 minutes.

[SpyderClaw]

Wow this seems like a great community! And yes, I usually take an interest in getting familiar on all aspect of something I like. I'm an advocate of teach them to fish rather than give them fish I just felt reluctant in investing $60+ for a sharpening kit and possibly screwing up my favorite knife.
I found a good compromise and bought a couple of these spyderco ceramic tear-drop rods:

And after watching some youtube videos I'm pretty sure I can tackle the task myself. Am I good to go just with these ceramic rods considering this Civilian is already pretty sharp and just needs a better edge?

Also what's the best way to go at it? I've seen people "dragging" the whole serrated part at once and others doing groves one by one.. Hairsplitting edge is what I'm going for. :D

Thanks everyone for the support!

[JD Spydo]

Wow this seems like a great community! And yes, I usually take an interest in getting familiar on all aspect of something I like. I'm an advocate of teach them to fish rather than give them fish I just felt reluctant in investing $60+ for a sharpening kit and possibly screwing up my favorite knife.
I found a good compromise and bought a couple of these spyderco ceramic tear-drop rods: after watching some youtube videos I'm pretty sure I can tackle the task myself. Am I good to go just with these ceramic rods considering this Civilian is already pretty sharp and just needs a better edge?

Also what's the best way to go at it? I've seen people "dragging" the whole serrated part at once and others doing groves one by one.. Hairsplitting edge is what I'm going for. :D

Thats one of the rods out of the 401F Spyderco file set. They are fine grit and are made for jewelers and dentists and anyone who does fine metalworking. I don't know if that radii on that particular sharpening rod will fit all of your serration patterns like the two radii on the 701 Profiles or Goldenstone will but it's worth a try>> but do keep in mind that it's a fine grit and sometimes you need a medium grit to get out the excessive dings. I've used that particular rod on other company's serration patterns with some success.

I forgot that they even sold that rod separately>> I thought it was only sold in that 401F kit. I had a really good buddy of mine who used to post here a lot tell me that he used the narrow end of the Spyderco Slipstone to do the peaks/spike parts of the serrations and have really decent luck with it. But I've yet to find any of the Spyderco sharpening tools give me the results I get from the 701 Profiles.

The one Brother mentioned the GOLDENSTONE and I own one of those myself>> but again it's only available in "FINE" grit>> but he isn't the only one here that have had great success with it. I know that the GOLDENSTONE is a great tool but I have a bit to learn about it yet. But I do hope others chime in because to tell you all the truth I've only sharpened my Matriarch maybe three times ever because I don't use them that much. I had to hold mine in a vice to get the results I wanted. Because that big of a Reverse S blade is hard to hold solid otherwise I've found.

[NotWellKnown]

Sending it in is probably the best way to go, especially if you aren't used to sharpening serrations. However, if you want to try it, I would highly recommend the Goldenstone. It works great for serrations and has handled dozens of sharpenings on my SE Tenacious, Tasman, and Pacific Salt. That, and it has a nice amount of flat area for any PE knives you have.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Welcome to the forum, SpyderClaw. Great name choice and enjoy the Civilian. That's a great knife.

[SpyderClaw]

I just received the rods and even a flat stone in the mail! I followed this video: https://youtu.be/Bk_4FAdrizs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I put really light to no pressure and in three minutes or less my Bug (yes I used this to test it for the first times) was razor sharp, three minutes later my Civilian was just perfect!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome! Stoked!!