How to sharpen Spyderco serrations?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

What is your advice everyone to someone who has an Endura or Delica with FULL SERRATIONS or combo edge and has ZERO sharpening knowledge beyond using pull through devices and trial and error stone sharpening...and they want that dull serrated edge razor sharp?

[Wartstein]

Hey SEF,

easy question

See this post/thread by Vivi and also the video that is linked there

viewtopic.php?p=1349519#p1349519



Imo SE is easier and quicker to sharpen than PE

[zhyla]

What is your advice … ZERO sharpening knowledge

Easy. Mail it back to Spyderco for factory sharpening.

Sharpening is not for people with zero knowledge.

[mikey177]

I follow the technique Sal showed in the video below when sharpening a serrated knife using a Sharpmaker. It is easy to follow, even if one has limited sharpening experience.

[kobold]

You don't need a sharpmaker, just use the corner of any sharpening stone you already have.
Use it on the serrated/scalloped side of the bevel until you can detect a fine burr forming on the "flat" side.
Then just use a couple of light stroking moves to remove that burr. Then you can strop on leather to remove the burr completely just how you would do with a plane edge blade.

[kobold]

double tap

[SpyderEdgeForever]

What is your advice … ZERO sharpening knowledge

Easy. Mail it back to Spyderco for factory sharpening.

Sharpening is not for people with zero knowledge.

Will they sharpen it if its an Endura from years ago? Also if I have one with a broken tip will they remake a pointy tip?

[zhyla]

Will they sharpen it if it’s an Endura from years ago?

Absolutely. I think it costs $5 or something like that. Does not matter how old it is.

Also if I have one with a broken tip will they remake a pointy tip?

Probably not.

[Wartstein]

...
Sharpening is not for people with zero knowledge.

...
Will they sharpen it if its an Endura from years ago? Also if I have one with a broken tip will they remake a pointy tip?

SEF, even with "zero knowledge":

After reading Vivis post and watching the vid I linked in my first post here, you WILL have enough knowlegde to give it a try.. At least with a Sharpmaker sharpening SE is really super easy - you can actually perfectly "feel" the right angle (and the Sharpmaker does not even require that), don´t have to follow an edge curve and have to sharpen only one side (other side: Just removing the burr)

And remake a tip, as long as you are not too picky concerning the optics, can also easily be done with just a metal file (and in further steps you could make the result "smoother and prettier" with sandpaper, sharpening plates or stones....)

[Wartstein]

You don't need a sharpmaker, just use the corner of any sharpening stone you already have.
Use it on the serrated/scalloped side of the bevel until you can detect a fine burr forming on the "flat" side.
Then just use a couple of light stroking moves to remove that burr. Then you can strop on leather to remove the burr completely just how you would do with a plane edge blade.

This.

"SE is hard to sharpen" is one of those persisiting "knife myths" I really don´t understand.

Differently to PE, where it can be a challenge and requires much more of a learning curve to find and maintain the right sharpening angle, with the method you describe feeling the right angle of the high SE scallops on the edge of a sharpening stone is much easier (kind of "clicks into place" as Vivi puts it in his vid I linked in my first post).

[kobold]

Stropping can be also done on the corner of the strop, whether it is covered by leather or it is bare wood or a little bit of both, it will reach into the scallops and do the job..

[PaloArt]

This.

"SE is hard to sharpen" is one of those persisiting "knife myths" I really don´t understand.

Differently to PE, where it can be a challenge and requires much more of a learning curve to find and maintain the right sharpening angle, with the method you describe feeling the right angle of the high SE scallops on the edge of a sharpening stone is much easier (kind of "clicks into place" as Vivi puts it in his vid I linked in my first post).

Myth indeed, sharpening SE is fairly easy and with Sharpmaker 100%. I always recommend buying SM with new Spyderco and people are happy. Combine with basic WS Precision adjust and you are set for many many years. SM is great travel companion as well.

I have SM for 15 years, updated with diamond rods and new set of brown stones. This setup is keeping my knives and of my family and friends sharp as ****. For heavily damaged blades I have CBN bench stone and for outdoors backpack I carry double stuff 2. Needless to say SM would be enough with additional CBN or diamond rods.


Watching video from Sal on how to use SM is big help and follow up with video from Vivi and Surfinggringo (Lance) will make anyone proficient SM user in no time.

[Windward]

As others have mentioned, sharpmaker. Its really easy. Just watch sals intstructional video. If i really need to clean up a serration (or im doing a comboedge) ill use the round rod on my worksharp guided system, but 90% of the time a few minutes on the sharpmaker its back to even better than factory sharp.

[zhyla]

Agree 100% with the above, SE is trivial to sharpen. It takes some tricks to really get it crazy sharp, but basic level of sharp is easy.

But for people who can’t figure out how to use a sharpmaker on their own the best option is to send it in.