Sharpening the Spyder-Edge

[dirtpig67]

I have been using a Mariner Salt now for almost two years a work knife and has done a wonderful job of surviving a couple of wildland fire seasons in Alaska and nearly daily companion. It has been heavily used and have been sharpening it on the Sharpmaker as well as a profile stone with good success.

I have no problem sharpening it to a very usable edge. However, I am finding it hard to reproduce that insanely sharp edge that it came with from the factory. I have no issues with PE knives in obtaining a hair-popping edge when I sharpen, but can't seem to figure out how to finish off a SE in the same manner.

Does anyone have any suggestions or techniques they use on a SE to bring it back to that razor edge it once had?

[The General]

Run the serrated face side down slowly on the white corners of the Sharpmaker stones at the 40 degree setting.

Once you form a burr on the back side of the edge.

pass that side of the blade over the white corner 3 or 4 times, gently. Do this until the burr has gone.

Then do 4 passes on the face and then 1 gently on the back side of the blade.

You will get the scary sharp edge back that way.

The edge is done once the burr on the back is gone.

You can repoint the tips of the serrations by hand, one at a time if you want to. Just look at the angles and keep them as they are. Then remove the burr off the other side.

Spyderco serrations are easy to sharpen.

[ChapmanPreferred]

You can sharpen SE in a couple of ways that are covered in the SM video instructions. Depending on the knife and how hard I'm using it or how damaged it was when I bought it second/third/or fourth hand I will do a "3 to 1" or a "1 to 1" ratio with the strokes.

I often do multiple strokes on the side of the serration that has the grind and then one stroke on the other side to knock off the burr. This will maintain the factory edge and will feel very sharp.

Another way is to just alternate strokes just like a PE knife to set the 40 degree bevel which would be more durable but might not feel as sharp.

I have taken both of these ways of sharpening serration to the 30 degree setting also and have come up with some outstanding results for sharpness, but they do not have the same durability as when performed on the 40 degree setting.

If you are choosing to create a burr and then remove it, I have read a few times that you could then take a leather boot lace and rub some rouge on it to use as a SE strop. Sounds interesting, but I have not tried it yet.

[dirtpig67]

Well I have the Sharpmaker out on the table and putting these suggestions to work. Based on what is said so far, I think part of the problem is that I am not taking off the burr by hitting the opposite side of the serration enough to completely remove it. I have been under the impression if you sharpen that opposite side too much it could mess up the grind so I have not hitting that side very much.

Has anyone used the Ultra-fine rods for the Sharpmaker? If so, was there a big difference in the results you obtained (both PE and SE) with them over just the Fine rods that are included?

I have considered getting them, but am not entirely convinced they are necessary or will yield anything much better than I am getting currently with the fine rods as I can put a pretty scary edge on a PE knife with just the fine rods and a few strokes on a loaded leather strop.

:spyder: Oh, and the Mariner Salt is probably one of the most underrated Spydies out there. By far my favorite. I will probably end up buying a spare to have in case anything ever happened to my current one and they were no longer in production :spyder:

[ChapmanPreferred]

If you are looking for a more polished/next level edge, they are worth the expense. If you ever want to shave your face with the knife, or sharpen a straight razor, it is much more comfortable on your skin. :)

[dirtpig67]

If you are looking for a more polished/next level edge, they are worth the expense. If you ever want to shave your face with the knife, or sharpen a straight razor, it is much more comfortable on your skin. :)

How dramatic is the difference compared to the fine rods? I notice a big difference in results with the medium vs fine rods. Is the difference between the fine vs. ultra fine as dramatic?

I think not taking off the burr on the opposite side was my main mistake. Just working on it for a couple minutes just now has yielded quite a bit of improvement. Going with a 4:1 stroke ratio seems to be doing the job as opposed to what I was doing before which was barely hitting that opposite side at all. Already drew blood, while testing the edge :D

[SaturnNyne]

How dramatic is the difference compared to the fine rods? I notice a big difference in results with the medium vs fine rods. Is the difference between the fine vs. ultra fine as dramatic?

I have a UF rod (yes, just one) and have never noticed a dramatic difference. I use it sometimes when I want a finer edge, and I guess it seems to help, but I feel like the results I get from careful use of the fine rods aren't that far behind. I'm sure others do get more dramatic results from them, but I've only seen minor improvements in my uses. (Disclaimer: I'm only a passable sharpener.)

[Nifty_Nives]

Does anyone have any suggestions or techniques they use on a SE to bring it back to that razor edge it once had?

Please correct me if i'm wrong in any way shape or form but:

Doesn't spyderco offer to sharpen your blade for free as long as you pay S&H? If this isn't the case, then i am confused. Easy, effective, and then you know just how useful the customer service over here is.

Thanks,

-Drew

[dirtpig67]

Please correct me if i'm wrong in any way shape or form but:

Doesn't spyderco offer to sharpen your blade for free as long as you pay S&H? If this isn't the case, then i am confused. Easy, effective, and then you know just how useful the customer service over here is.

Thanks,

-Drew

They do but sending a knife to the factory every month is not very practical. I use mine a lot and if I did not sharpen myself then this would be the required frequency.

Plus every man should now how to sharpen his knives. Its a "man skill" like changing a tire :D

[whkento]

Plus every man should now how to sharpen his knives. Its a "man skill" like changing a tire :D

Wow--that's a quote worthy of a sig line. :D