How to hit those little serrations?

[meng]

Hi again everybody. Last weekend I tried to perfect my sharpening skills on the Sharpmaker. Used a marker to see if I was hitting the angle and there was one thing I noticed. The big serrations get hit everytime but the littles ones don´t. More difficult to hit them and probably don´t get as sharp as the rest. I know you have to make strokes from heel to tip but isn´t it more logic to do also strokes from tip to heel? Anyone tried that with a good result?

Gr. Meng...........

[npueppke]

Yeah, I've noticed this too. I tried sharpening both ways and it didn't help a lot... the only other thing I could think of doing is slowing my stroke way down, but if I slow down too much I start to lose consistency and tend to push the knife against the stones to try to get all of the little serrations. I haven't been able to get serrations very sharp either.

[Left Hand Path]

Don't be afraid to stay in a single serration for an entire stroke. You can sharpen each serration individually on the Sharpmaker - that may help. I use the 20 degree-per-side setting. A light touch is key.

When I sharpen, I will spend extra time on certain serrations that may need extra work by staying in one serration for the entire stroke. I will then combine this with the regular 'entire-blade-per-stroke' technique as shown on the Sharpmaker DVD.

The 701 Profile stones are also great for serrations and the corners of them sometimes fit the small serrations better than the 204 Sharpmaker.

[Joshua J.]

Don't be afraid to stay in a single serration for an entire stroke.

+1
I sharpen each serration individually, that way you don't round down the points.

[yablanowitz]

My technique on the Duckfoot and SharpMaker is ricasso to tip, tip to ricasso alternating for ten strokes on the bevel side, then ricasso to tip, tip to ricasso on the back side. Very light pressure, slow strokes to let the edge follow the stone, concentration on holding the blade dead vertical. Using that method on worn and rounded serrations has restored both the sharpness of the scallops and the points of the teeth. Don't ask me why it doesn't round the teeth off, I thought it would, but instead it puts the points back on.

[The CoPilot]

My technique on the Duckfoot and SharpMaker is ricasso to tip, tip to ricasso alternating for ten strokes on the bevel side, then ricasso to tip, tip to ricasso on the back side. Very light pressure, slow strokes to let the edge follow the stone, concentration on holding the blade dead vertical. Using that method on worn and rounded serrations has restored both the sharpness of the scallops and the points of the teeth. Don't ask me why it doesn't round the teeth off, I thought it would, but instead it puts the points back on.

I'm going to have to give that a try... :)

[Left Hand Path]

My technique on the Duckfoot and SharpMaker is ricasso to tip, tip to ricasso alternating for ten strokes on the bevel side, then ricasso to tip, tip to ricasso on the back side. Very light pressure, slow strokes to let the edge follow the stone, concentration on holding the blade dead vertical. Using that method on worn and rounded serrations has restored both the sharpness of the scallops and the points of the teeth. Don't ask me why it doesn't round the teeth off, I thought it would, but instead it puts the points back on.

Thank you for that info - I have long wondered about the Sharpmakers long-term effect on the points of serrations and it is interesting to hear that this technique works on the Duckfoot too. I have to get one of those sometime...

In my experience, if a SE knife is dull I do the heavy work on each serration individually, then then the refining can be done using strokes that hit the whole blade each stroke. It sure is easier to work on SE knives before they are too dull though.

I am thinking the Duckfoot could be a good tool for restoring DULL serrations.

[Zenith]

My technique on the Duckfoot and SharpMaker is ricasso to tip, tip to ricasso alternating for ten strokes on the bevel side, then ricasso to tip, tip to ricasso on the back side. Very light pressure, slow strokes to let the edge follow the stone, concentration on holding the blade dead vertical. Using that method on worn and rounded serrations has restored both the sharpness of the scallops and the points of the teeth. Don't ask me why it doesn't round the teeth off, I thought it would, but instead it puts the points back on.

I am sorry but :confused: English is my second language and ricasso defined is the hilt or un-sharpened save guard. Please could you explain again?

[yablanowitz]

It is. I found that out very quickly after giving my girlfriend a few SE Delicas. You cannot believe what landscaping can do to a serrated blade, or how far gone they usually are when I see them and grab them for a sharpening session.

[yablanowitz]

I am sorry but :confused: English is my second language and ricasso defined is the hilt or un-sharpened save guard. Please could you explain again?

I am referring to the unsharpened area between the edge bevel and the handle as the ricasso. If you prefer, you could call the handle the heel and the tip of the blade the toe, and call the strokes I use heel to toe, toe to heel, alternating. Or you could say I pull the blade toward me on one stroke and push it away from me on the next stroke, but that might be too easy to understand. :D The objective is to sharpen both sides of each scallop, so pulling toward you on the stroke hits one side of the scallops harder, and pushing away hits the other side harder to even things out. After a total of ten strokes on the bevelled side (five push and five pull), I do one stroke each way on the back side to remove any burr that has formed.

[Dr. Snubnose]

I don't have a problem sharpening the serrations...never had to do them individually....I just stroke fairly rapidly the whole blade, light touch and keep that blade vertically aligned...my points are just a sharp as my big serrations. The ultra fine stone rods are a big plus for SE knives.....Doc :D