Just got my new style serrated Military today!

General,

I tried your "step 4" advice. That really works! Man those points are sharp now.

What technique do you do to sharpen the plain edged tip on your serrated blades? Do you find they get acceptably sharp during the serrated sharpening process, or do you do something extra for them. The one on my Police model is so short that it's difficult to make good, consistent strokes on the sharpmaker rods with that part.

Jeff/1911.
 
It is quite difficult to get the tip just right. Take my Endura for example, the method for sharpening the serrations always leaves the tip 1cm or so of plain edge blunt or uneaven. My only recourse was to use one of the Pro-Files and hone it by hand, equaly the triangle white stone free hand works almost as well. However this never 'quite' gave me the perfect 20 degree angle. This is what I now do...

Once the serrated part of the knife is perfect, I choke up on the front of the knife (BE V E R Y careful;) ) I use my finger as a guide on the last serration peak near the plain edge (place finger on the flat side of the edge assuming you keep the chisel grind, it aught to be safe if you are careful). I then make sure the tip and only the plain edge tip area goes straight down thw white flat step 4 stone. You have to be VERY careful not to round off the tip. The way to avoid this is to ensure the angle stays the same when you finish the downwards stroke and the tip passes over the stone in an even manner.

Here is a 'tip';) do it slowly, I am talking about 2cm a second at most!:p . I do this three or four times and then once on the other side once I feel a 'burr' form. Make sure you examine for a 'burr' each time and be light and slow. Looking at the plain edge under the lightbulb shows once the edge is sharp and it is a simple matter to feel the 'burr' form on the other side. You want to go slow for obvious reasons but mainly because if the flat step four is allowed to run across those 'perfect' serrations you will have to go back and finish them again:rolleyes: ! I tried doing the tip first, but doing the serrations ruins the work, so I advise you do it last.

The best way to think of it is if you had a 1-2cm plain edge blade to sharpen and every other part of the knife is the handle. I even tried wrapping the edge in a cloth to protect my fingers, but it made it harder to control, you could tape it up and it would be done in a couple of mins rather than 10 or so my way. However I dislike taping a knife blade up as the sticky resedue is a pain to remove and the time spent putting it on and taking it off work out about the same. However I suppose it would make doing the job more simple and certainly be safer!:) . Saftey not being a high priority for me;) !

Let me know if it helps or if you have any other questions.

Peace
 
General,

I certainly appreciate your effort in describing these various sharpening techniques to me. It is reassuring to know that you too end up during your serrated sharpening process with a rather dull plain edged portion.

I tried sharpening this pe'd portion last evening in the usual sort of way (steps 1-4 w/ 204) and trying to be careful not to hit the last serration...and did reasonably well. I will see how I can improve upon this edge by employing your technique.

Thanks again, Jeff/1911.
 
No problem! BTW I used a leather belt with Chrome polish on it as a strop last night on my Starmate. The results were quite good:D! This puppy now shaves with ease at 40 degrees per side and still cuts very aggressivly! :cool:

IMHO its the way to sharpen this steel.
 
General & Jeff/1911,
Last evening I tried the strop idea on my Military plain CPM440V, it brought back a fantastic edge. The knife had original factory edge with about 3-4 months easy use however, it was not very impressive and needed resharpening.

I used about 10 passes on each side and restorred the edge very quickly. A note on my strop, I was shown this idea by an old time woodcarving freind. Oak board and very thin pigskin leather, the leather is about 1/32 (or 0.9 MM for the General) thick. Abrasive is a very soft Aluminum Oxide powder. The soft powder breaks down and polishes very agressively (starts as pink/yellow color and quickly turns black with removed steel particles). It will give 1095 or ATS34 a mirror polished finish if desired. Commercially available from woodcarving supply sites as "Herb's Yellowstone", manufactured by Herb Dunkle from Virginia. I have a 3 year EDC BM 812 with ATS34 that has never seen a stone, weekly touch up on strop keeps it sharp.

Strop on serrated edge is also easy with this technique, get a piece of leather shoe sole from your cobbler, the thick soles are very hard and ideal for mounting to a piece of wood with edge extended about 1/2 inch. Form a rounded edge with utility knife or inside edge of gouge, about 5-6 inches long is fine. Charge the edge with abrasive compound and strop the serrations one at a time.

Regards,
FK
 
FK,

Thank you very much for the detailed instructions describing your technique. Clearly, you've achieved remarkable results using the strop to prolong life of an edge. The example of your EDC 812 is nothing short of astounding.

I will definitely make this part of my blade care regimen right away!

Thanks, Jeff/1911.
 
Back
Top