Mirror Edge on Serrations

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Apr 8, 2014
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291
Hi all -
I can't say enough about my Edge Pro Apex. Previously I was confident that my Spyderco Sharpmaker was all I needed. Yes, I could get very sharp edges with the Sharpmaker, but the Edge Pro really takes things to a new level. So my question deals with mirror edges and serrations.

I love doing the mirror edges. I enjoy the concentration that goes into ensuring consistent application to the edge throughout a progressing level using the stones, and finishing things out with a 1,000 grit stone and then sometimes with the 3,000 and up to the 6,000 tapes. I sometimes will finish up the edge's polish with balsa wood and a strop. The results are spectacular!

Have any of my friends here on Bladeforums tackled mirror edges on serrations? Inherently it is not easy. My initial thought was to start by using the Spyderco Sharpmaker stones all the way up through the ultrafine, being methodical as I go throughout the various grooves used for serrations. Then, I could use the Edge Pro tapes on the Shrapmaker stones to get into the narrow serrations, and keep polishing finer and finer until I get the mirror edge I'm trying to achieve. Even if there are no suggestions on how to achieve this, let me know your encouragement! I'll post some pics once I get a consensus on the best course of action, and hopefully my friends we can take our mirror polishing to another level!

Thanks as always! Navi
 
...tackled mirror edges on serrations? Inherently it is not easy. My initial thought was to start by using the Spyderco Sharpmaker stones...

I think you'd find that, the way many serrations are cut, the spyderco stones won't contact the entire serration area... they'll only contact the top and bottom of the serration. You'll probably need something with a soft backing to cover the entire area. A buffing wheel with compound would do the trick... heeding all the warnings of using one. If by hand you could polish with a soft medium first, then use the sharpmaker stones to touch up the edge for sharpness, would be my suggestion.
 
I agree with CBWX. Trying to follow the full taper and curve of serrations is a mission for either the completely obsessed, or someone who will be disappointed. It's going to be very, very hard to do with fixed stones of any shape or size.

Jason talked about his technique for serration sharpening a while back and it works really well. He also mentioned using a cotton buffing wheel with compound on the fronts of the serrations to remove the burr. I would think that with the right wheel and pressure, you could get the wheel to conform to the shape of the serrations and polish them nicely. You'd have to be a little careful about rounding over the edge, but that shouldn't be too bad.

I'll bet you can get some super scary serrations with a combination of Jason's "back sharpening" plus a cotton wheel with one or two grades of compound. I sort of wish I had a bench grinder and a cotton wheel now! :)

Brian.
 
Thanks everyone for your thoughts! Very helpful. I'm going to make it a project for this weekend. I have a BM 950 with serrations that I'm going to work on. I'll make sure to take before and after pictures. Even if it's an epic fail (certainly a possibility with me!), I'll report back and let you see my results.
 
I've thought on this my self, I have a lansky system with pretty much all the stones for it, and several strops with compound. The serrated stones are angled, but only two grits.... :(

I imagine if you stretched and glued leather over say, a used up diamond needle shaped file for serrations, and did this with several of them, and used compounds - all you would need then is a lot of time and you could have some shiny shiny serrations.
Even more time if they are the rare double sided serrations that I really love over the flat ones (for performance reasons clearly)

If you needed to bring it to a good grit before stropping, you could do the same thing, but with sand paper - and rather than glue maybe double sided tape? Idk, just a very jimmy rigged thought
 
Hi all -
I can't say enough about my Edge Pro Apex. Previously I was confident that my Spyderco Sharpmaker was all I needed. Yes, I could get very sharp edges with the Sharpmaker, but the Edge Pro really takes things to a new level. So my question deals with mirror edges and serrations.

I love doing the mirror edges. I enjoy the concentration that goes into ensuring consistent application to the edge throughout a progressing level using the stones, and finishing things out with a 1,000 grit stone and then sometimes with the 3,000 and up to the 6,000 tapes. I sometimes will finish up the edge's polish with balsa wood and a strop. The results are spectacular!

Have any of my friends here on Bladeforums tackled mirror edges on serrations? Inherently it is not easy. My initial thought was to start by using the Spyderco Sharpmaker stones all the way up through the ultrafine, being methodical as I go throughout the various grooves used for

Interesting thread and one that personally chanllenges me to take my skills to a higher level. I'm a devout Spyderco fan and I also am a big fan of their unique serrations better known as the "Spyderedge". Now Spyderco does have an array of different serration patterns on many different models. Their Japan made models have very different serrations than do their Golden, Colorado USA Earth made models do.

I first started out using one of their Sharpmakers for sharpening all my Spyderedged knives. But I checked out a sharpening tool they were selling at the time which has unfortunately been discontinued and I'm speaking of the Spyderco 701 Profile kit. They are a very unique ceramic sharpening file that has radii on both corner/sides and between the angles of those two degrees of radii I can usually fit them into any serration scallop and get them razor sharp. They are a time consuming tool but the results are worth it to me. The thing I like about the 701 Profiles the most is that they keep the serration pattern just like they were when they were brand new from the factory.

Now I have obtained some really well honed, shiny edges with those 701 Profiles>> I'm not sure that the Profiles will obtain the optimal results you are looking for>> but you might want to check them out. Now Spyderco claims that their GOLDENSTONE sharpening tool will obtain similar edges that the 701 Profiles can get. However I personally don't agree with that because the GOLDENSTONE only comes in one grit at this time>> hopefully they will eventually offer it up in more grits. I do like some aspects about the GOLDENSTONE and it is a great sharpening tool to take traveling or on outdoor ventures. But in my opinion they need it in more grits before I'm going to take the tool very seriously.

Now Spyderco has a new sharpening kit about to hit the open market called the GAUNTLET. I have no idea what it consists of but I've heard good things about it and I'm anxiously awaiting it's release. I even have three C-notes put back just to get a GAUNTLET sharpening kit when it's finally released. But at this time now the 701 Profiles are still my favorite sharpening tool for Spyderedges ( or just about any other serrated edge knife). I'm all ears and I love to experiment with sharpening tools and I'm willing to try anything that any of you believe does a better job.
 
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I have coarse and fine tapered DMT rods for doing serrations. If they're in good shape I do them per Jason by slightly beveling the backside and buffing the front. If hammered on I'll go ahead and do the ground side.

I have removed the tapered rods from the folding handles and mounted them to 1/2" fiberglass dowels so I can spin/roll them more easily and accurately. As a mod, I cannot recommend this enough - the tapered rods are tapped at the bottom, and once unscrewed (padded vice) they can be remounted to any dowel that has a threaded rod inset. This is really how they should come, since DMT advocates rolling them in the serration as you go and the folding handles are a terrible shape for that sort of action.

I do not go beyond the fine rods normally, but did make a widget out of heavy card stock to apply polishing compound to the ground side while sparing the tips of the serrations.

Basically a stack of cards, every third one cut 1/16" shorter. Apply compound along the edges, and when you run it across serrations the high points force the cards apart - the low areas get polished and the tips don't wind up getting partially melted.

I've come very close to a mirror polish on a handful of knives, but found it didn't really improve cutting or longevity. Is tough to get there without softening the edges of the ground areas where they transition into the tips, something that I believe results in lowered performance. This makes the tapered rods the best tool, especially if repair is needed. I haven't found any better way to fix them, tho is time consuming.

The standard Benchmade ones are a good fit for the outside edges on one of my Washboards and I have done a number of them that way as well.

DMT does make an EF tapered rod that I'll probably pick up some day to complete my set. Some slip stones would likely work very well and these can be had up to a hard Arkansas as well as some brands of waterstone.

Martin

Edit to add some pics of the serration - stropper
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000_00011_zps0dlqchvo.jpg
 
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I have coarse and fine tapered DMT rods for doing serrations. If they're in good shape I do them per Jason by slightly beveling the backside and buffing the front. If hammered on I'll go ahead and do the ground side.

I have removed the tapered rods from the folding handles and mounted them to 1/2" fiberglass dowels so I can spin/roll them more easily and accurately. As a mod, I cannot recommend this enough - the tapered rods are tapped at the bottom, and once unscrewed (padded vice) they can be remounted to any dowel that has a threaded rod inset. This is really how they should come, since DMT advocates rolling them in the serration as you go and the folding handles are a terrible shape for that sort of action.

DMT does make an EF tapered rod that I'll probably pick up some day to complete my set. Some slip stones would likely work very well and these can be had up to a hard Arkansas as well as some brands of waterstone.

I also have a set of those DMT conical/tapered rods you're talking about. Now the only time I use those is if the serrations really get beat up or dinged up really bad. Now I did also get DMT's ceramic conical/tapered rod too and I've had some interesting results with that tool. When you said "EF" I assume you meant "extra-fine"? Because if you did then I already have that one. I bought every one of the Diamond DMT conical rods they had at the time. But I do wish they would also make several grades of those ceramic conical rods as well.

That trick with the cards does look interesting and I think I'll try that some weekend. I'm also wanting to try "Jason B's" method of sharpening serrations from the back side. It just makes perfect sense to me because even when I use my Spyderco 701 Profiles I always hit the back side about every 10 to 12 strokes just to keep a burr from forming. I'm just really ticked off that Spyderco quit making those 701 Profiles because I believe that if they made those in multiple grits including diamond and CBN I truly believe that is one of their better overal sharpening tools IMO.

I believe machinists, dentists, watchmakers, jewelers and several other tradesmen could truly benefit from a set of 701 Profiles in at least 5 to 7 different grits. Because the GOLDENSTONE to me just isn't as versatile as those 701 Profiles are. I got 3 extra sets of those when they discontinued them and I dearly miss them from their product selection.
 
Thanks gents - some excellent ideas you shared. How different are the 701 stones compared to the Sharpmaker triangle tips? I've never had a problem with getting scary sharp serrations, but polishing them to a bright or mirror finish is another level I'd love to achieve!
 
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