How do I add serrations to blades?

timcsaw

timcsaw

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Sep 25, 2007
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Yelow...

I just bought a SOG Twitch II with no serrations. I NEED at least a half inch of serrations!!! C'mon? A knife with NO serrations??? Is that Legal???

Is there an "approved method" to add serrations? OK how about some Un-approved methods? (I've tried Whacking an axe blade repeatedly against the cutting edge, but it's really not a very good set of serrations:D)

Perhaps a thread about this already exists??? Point me... Someone tell me where to go. (watch-it!!!!):)

Thanks
 
I do stuff like this all the time.

Lock your knife in a vise with soft jaws, and put on some good leather work gloves and safety glasses. Use a dremel tool with a chainsaw sharpening insert (three sizes are available at any Home Depot, or most hardware stores), and grind your serrations right over the existing edge. Go slow so you don't overheat the steel and ruin the temper. A light touch is preferred as a heavy hand may cause the dremel tool to want to jump around. A wet rag or sponge can help control the steel's temp. Stop grinding and cool the steel now and then.

Complete each serration to full depth before moving on to the next. Align them so the edge of your stone just touches the previous serration when its at full depth (a practice piece, or trying this on a POS knife first may be a good idea to get a feel for the proper tooth spacing and angle).

There will be a burr on the back side of the blade directly behind each serration. Use a Spyderco Sharpmaker stone (assuming you have a sharpmaker) or like stone to remove this burr and clean up both the front and back of each serration (I do this freehand).

There may be small, ultra thin jagged flakes of metal that drop out of the edge of the serration during cleanup. It looks ugly at first, but don't let this freak you out, as the serrations will clean up just fine with the Sharpmaker stone. There is little need to sharpen the serrations after cleanup. A few passes down the Sharpmaker rods installed in the base should do the trick

Good luck!
Scott
 
Tanguay Custom Knives said:
I do stuff like this all the time.

Lock your knife in a vise with soft jaws, and put on some good leather work gloves and safety glasses. Use a dremel tool with a chainsaw sharpening insert (three sizes are available at any Home Depot, or most hardware stores), and grind your serrations right over the existing edge. Go slow so you don't overheat the steel and ruin the temper. A light touch is preferred as a heavy hand may cause the dremel tool to want to jump around. A wet rag or sponge can help control the steel's temp. Stop grinding and cool the steel now and then.

Complete each serration to full depth before moving on to the next. Align them so the edge of your stone just touches the previous serration when its at full depth (a practice piece, or trying this on a POS knife first may be a good idea to get a feel for the proper tooth spacing and angle).

There will be a burr on the back side of the blade directly behind each serration. Use a Spyderco Sharpmaker stone (assuming you have a sharpmaker) or like stone to remove this burr and clean up both the front and back of each serration (I do this freehand).

There may be small, ultra thin jagged flakes of metal that drop out of the edge of the serration during cleanup. It looks ugly at first, but don't let this freak you out, as the serrations will clean up just fine with the Sharpmaker stone. There is little need to sharpen the serrations after cleanup. A few passes down the Sharpmaker rods installed in the base should do the trick

Good luck!
Scott
Click to expand...

Thanks... I'll try it. Slow and light to avoid heat eh? Quench to be safe??
 
timcsaw said:
Yelow...

I just bought a SOG Twitch II with no serrations. I NEED at least a half inch of serrations!!! C'mon? A knife with NO serrations??? Is that Legal???

Is there an "approved method" to add serrations? OK how about some Un-approved methods? (I've tried Whacking an axe blade repeatedly against the cutting edge, but it's really not a very good set of serrations:D)

Perhaps a thread about this already exists??? Point me... Someone tell me where to go. (watch-it!!!!):)

Thanks
Click to expand...

Why did you buy the knife without them if you so definately and unequivecably need them?
 
Ben Dover said:
:confused: Why on EARTH would you want to??:barf::barf:
Click to expand...
because its his knife ;)


I've put victorinox style scalloped serrations on cheap buck 110 knockoffs with a chainsaw file. Time consuming, but they work. I've never tried Scott's method with the dremel since I dont have a vise, but I bet it would work better on more premium steel than the "surgical" they used on my sheffield folding lockback hunter.
 
Pete1977 said:
because its his knife ;)


I've put victorinox style scalloped serrations on cheap buck 110 knockoffs with a chainsaw file. Time consuming, but they work. I've never tried Scott's method with the dremel since I dont have a vise, but I bet it would work better on more premium steel than the "surgical" they used on my sheffield folding lockback hunter.
Click to expand...

Yea, I'm only adding about a 3/4 inch of serrations and I'm not sure which way to try. The "manual" method eliminates heat concerns, but it'll sure be quicker if I go with the Dremel. As Scott says... light and slow should avoid the heat (no need to quench). I may quench anywhoo. I'd hate to ruin the temper of a $5 knife!:D
 
I personally hate serrated knives, but IF I ever wanted or needed them on a blade, there's a trick I learned here from Stacy Apelt I believe it was. (bladsmith on these forums)

The idea is to take a small round file, and tape it adjacently to a smooth metal rod of the same diameter. Cut the first serration with the file, then when you're done with the first one, lay the smooth metal rod into the cut you just made and cut the second serration and so forth.

Let the smooth rod ride into the groove you previously cut, and you should end up with evenly spaced perfect serrations.
 
psycho78 said:
I personally hate serrated knives, but IF I ever wanted or needed them on a blade, there's a trick I learned here from Stacy Apelt I believe it was. (bladsmith on these forums)

The idea is to take a small round file, and tape it adjacently to a smooth metal rod of the same diameter. Cut the first serration with the file, then when you're done with the first one, lay the smooth metal rod into the cut you just made and cut the second serration and so forth.

Let the smooth rod ride into the groove you previously cut, and you should end up with evenly spaced perfect serrations.
Click to expand...

What an OUTSTANDING tip! I wondered how I was going to maintain any kind of uniformity... Now I know!

Thanks bunches!
 
Oh yeah man I know...it's a genius little trick and it's so simple.

Glad I could pass along the info. Thats what I love about these forums and knifemakers in general. Super nice guys willing to share little tips like that so everybody can be successful.
 
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