Sharpening a serrated Spydy

[Jason B.]

Surfingringo,

Yes, I lightly run both sides over the edge of the wheel so it gets into all the small serrations.

Chris,

It's like sharpening a straight razor, when you lay the blade on the stone the shoulder of the hollow grind and backside of the serrated edge are at nearly the same angle. This allows for a near perfect grind angle on the serrations and typically needs very little work to raise a burr.

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

Jason,

Thanks. Sorry for repeated questions, with the method you mentioned, wouldn't it abrade the points of teeth faster than the inner curve?

 

[skwurll]

Don't know if these have been mentioned in this thread. The Lansky ceramic Spyderco sharpeners(crock stick) work well. They Are 3 sided, Medium grit, similar to the Spyderco Brown Triangle rods, but with two corners being rounded to fit Spydercos serrations. Think they're around 320-400 grit. They are affordable, packable and work well IMO.

 

[ZuluKilo]

Serrated Edge:

Fine rods in the 40 degree slots. Three passes on the serrated (left) side pulling straight down like normal. Then 2 very light passes on the back side. When working the back side, tilt the knife so it is almost flat with the rod...about 5 degrees instead of the 20 degree angle you would get if you pulled straight down. Repeat until sharp. Thats pretty much it. One tip is you want to go fairly slow and keep the pressure fairly light so that you don't "jump" the serrations. If you go too slow it doesn't work....too fast either. There is a certain speed at which the rod will smoothly enter and sharpen each of the individual serrations as you pull the knife down. It will be pretty obvious once you are doing it and have a tactile feel for it.

This^^^

Except I typically use a 10:1 ratio.

 

[Dry-cell]

Here's an old topic created by me regarding Rat Tail Sharpeners, you might want to check it out here. If you get yourself a Spyderco Sharpmaker you'll get a DVD along with it, and a manual too. It will explain in detail how to go about sharpening serrations. You can view the DVD video at Spyderco's website, or you can watch it on YouTube itself.

 

[carbonsteelfan]

Believe it or not , there was actually a time when l used to think that all Serrated knives are disposable. You would use them till they dulled and then throw it away. Two years ago , when l first joined bladeforums , The guys here told me that l can use a Spyderco Sharp maker to sharpen serrated blades. I tried it on my Harpy , and it is as good as new in 15 minutes or less.
You might also want to try using a lansky.

 

[JD Spydo]

Believe it or not , there was actually a time when l used to think that all Serrated knives are disposable. You would use them till they dulled and then throw it away. Two years ago , when l first joined bladeforums , The guys here told me that l can use a Spyderco Sharp maker to sharpen serrated blades. I tried it on my Harpy , and it is as good as new in 15 minutes or less.
You might also want to try using a lansky.

It's really interesting that you say all of that "Carbonsteelfan" because it still blows my mind how many people still have that mindset. It makes me wonder how many high quality blades have been pitched in the trash ( in the millions I would bet ).

About a year ago I had one lady tell me at a church function I was a staff member for that it's impossible to sharpen serrated edges and the sad thing was that she really believed it with all her heart I even offered to show her what I could do with my equipment and she wouldn't even give me the benefit of the doubt.

It is really sad how dumbed down many of the American comsumer public have become I admire you for being down right honest about it; albeit you did learn the truth> but I'm sad to say that most people aren't interested in the truth Even with all the knife people I've gotten to know over the years it still blows me away that so few of them are even willing to try a high quality serrated blade like Spyderco blesses us with.

That's why I believe there is such a bigoted hatred for serrated blades in general because most of the public are ill-informed and unfortunately many people prefer to stay that way Glad you saw the light BRother Now go get you a Stainless RESCUE model

 

[carbonsteelfan]

It's really interesting that you say all of that "Carbonsteelfan" because it still blows my mind how many people still have that mindset. It makes me wonder how many high quality blades have been pitched in the trash ( in the millions I would bet ).

About a year ago I had one lady tell me at a church function I was a staff member for that it's impossible to sharpen serrated edges and the sad thing was that she really believed it with all her heart I even offered to show her what I could do with my equipment and she wouldn't even give me the benefit of the doubt.

It is really sad how dumbed down many of the American comsumer public have become I admire you for being down right honest about it; albeit you did learn the truth> but I'm sad to say that most people aren't interested in the truth Even with all the knife people I've gotten to know over the years it still blows me away that so few of them are even willing to try a high quality serrated blade like Spyderco blesses us with.

That's why I believe there is such a bigoted hatred for serrated blades in general because most of the public are ill-informed and unfortunately many people prefer to stay that way Glad you saw the light BRother Now go get you a Stainless RESCUE model

JD , You have NO IDEA how many fine serrated knives l threw away thinking that they could not be re sharpened. I go Yachting , you see. Every month. So l use my serrated Harpy quite a bit. Prior to 2014 , l used to think that they are disposable and every time one of them dulled ( after around 8 months of use in Gutting fish , cutting nets and Gutting game ) l used to chuck them away and buy a new one like one would buy a disposable razor blade. Imagine how much money that cost !I live in Greece , and the sporting goods shop from where l buy my Spyderco knives normally would not stock Harpy models unless ordered. Also , I had this beautiful Serrated C-60 Ayoob model... A true gem of a knife. After it dulled , l chucked it away. I never found another knife like that again. Then , when my Grandfather gifted me a G-10 Harpy , and the ATS-55 blade dulled , l was reluctant to throw it away since l knew it was a rare model. I then joined bladeforums to find out how to Sharpen one. You can imagine how much l felt like an idiot for Chucking away all those serrated Harpies. I probably threw away 6 of them. But l deeply regret throwing away the Ayoob model. It was a true beauty of a blade.
Regarding the Rescue model , l am sure it is a good one , but l like my knives to have a sharp point

 

[Surfingringo]

JD , You have NO IDEA how many fine serrated knives l threw away thinking that they could not be re sharpened. I go Yachting , you see. Every month. So l use my serrated Harpy quite a bit. Prior to 2014 , l used to think that they are disposable and every time one of them dulled ( after around 8 months of use in Gutting fish , cutting nets and Gutting game ) l used to chuck them away and buy a new one like one would buy a disposable razor blade. Imagine how much money that cost !I live in Greece , and the sporting goods shop from where l buy my Spyderco knives normally would not stock Harpy models unless ordered. Also , I had this beautiful Serrated C-60 Ayoob model... A true gem of a knife. After it dulled , l chucked it away. I never found another knife like that again. Then , when my Grandfather gifted me a G-10 Harpy , and the ATS-55 blade dulled , l was reluctant to throw it away since l knew it was a rare model. I then joined bladeforums to find out how to Sharpen one. You can imagine how much l felt like an idiot for Chucking away all those serrated Harpies. I probably threw away 6 of them. But l deeply regret throwing away the Ayoob model. It was a true beauty of a blade.
Regarding the Rescue model , l am sure it is a good one , but l like my knives to have a sharp point

Wow, I'm not making fun, but that hurt me just to read it!! hahah. I can only imagine how much it hurts to be the one who actually threw them away!!! :foot:

--I can't wait to see what JD says about you throwing away your ayoob! He might have a heart attack! Thats his favorite!

 

[carbonsteelfan]

Wow, I'm not making fun, but that hurt me just to read it!! hahah. I can only imagine how much it hurts to be the one who actually threw them away!!! :foot:

--I can't wait to see what JD says about you throwing away your ayoob! He might have a heart attack! Thats his favorite!

It didn't hurt when l was throwing them away . It hurt when l realized that all this time l could have simply re sharpened the serrated blades with a sharp maker instead of throwing 1200 Euros ( our currency ). In my defense ( even though , what l did was inexcusable) , l have been buying Spyderco knives from that Store since 2006. And in ALL this time , they never mentioned to me once that l could re sharpen a spyderedge blade. I guess they were silently happy that l was buying a new Harpy from them at least twice a year. And yes , it pains me to realize that l gave the Ayoob away. A guy traded it with me in exchange for a Filipino handmade Balisong . I lost a great knife . And the balisong's tang pins broke after the first time l used it for wood carving.... Yes , l feel like an idiot. I swear , if l ever find an Ayoob again , it's gonna be mine !

 

[JD Spydo]

Wow, I'm not making fun, but that hurt me just to read it!! hahah. I can only imagine how much it hurts to be the one who actually threw them away!!! :foot:

--I can't wait to see what JD says about you throwing away your ayoob! He might have a heart attack! Thats his favorite!

No not a heart attack SURF but it does make me truly "heart sick" knowing how many of my knife buddies would give a healthy 3 digits for a Serrated C-60 Ayoob knife. And to believe that all those truly classic Spyderco blades are now rubbish in a landfill somewhere

Wanting to try out a knife with a very high quality serrated blade is what drew me to Spyderco initially to begin with. I had actually seen them advertised in three different knife magazines and before I bought my first one. I also contacted Spyderco and asked them if they had tools to sharpen their serrated blades with. When they told me about the 203 Sharpmaker ( 1995) I ordered one of them and then that weekend I went to local GUN Show and got my first serrated Spyder which was a Stainless handled, GIN-1 Mariner model. I was mind-blown when I seen for the first time what a good serrated blades.

That's another big reason I became such a huge Spyderco fan>> because their sharpening equipment is just as high quality as the great knives they sell IMO. When you think about it I can't name very many knife companies that also sell decent quality sharpening equipment. BUCK is one of the few names I could throw out there. I still own a lot of the older BUCK sharpening tools I've had since the 70s and 80s. Other than them and Spyderco I can't think of any. I just won't buy any tool I can't maintain. Please "CARBONSTEELFAN" send to me to sharpen before throwing them away

 

[carbonsteelfan]

No not a heart attack SURF but it does make me truly "heart sick" knowing how many of my knife buddies would give a healthy 3 digits for a Serrated C-60 Ayoob knife. And to believe that all those truly classic Spyderco blades are now rubbish in a landfill somewhere

Wanting to try out a knife with a very high quality serrated blade is what drew me to Spyderco initially to begin with. I had actually seen them advertised in three different knife magazines and before I bought my first one. I also contacted Spyderco and asked them if they had tools to sharpen their serrated blades with. When they told me about the 203 Sharpmaker ( 1995) I ordered one of them and then that weekend I went to local GUN Show and got my first serrated Spyder which was a Stainless handled, GIN-1 Mariner model. I was mind-blown when I seen for the first time what a good serrated blades.

That's another big reason I became such a huge Spyderco fan>> because their sharpening equipment is just as high quality as the great knives they sell IMO. When you think about it I can't name very many knife companies that also sell decent quality sharpening equipment. BUCK is one of the few names I could throw out there. I still own a lot of the older BUCK sharpening tools I've had since the 70s and 80s. Other than them and Spyderco I can't think of any. I just won't buy any tool I can't maintain. Please "CARBONSTEELFAN" send to me to sharpen before throwing them away

Trust me , JD these days l can sharpen anything as long as it isn't ZDP-189. That Steel is a Nightmare ! I have an Endura in said steel and 2 hours of sharpening couldn't bring it back.

 

[JD Spydo]

Trust me , JD these days l can sharpen anything as long as it isn't ZDP-189. That Steel is a Nightmare ! I have an Endura in said steel and 2 hours of sharpening couldn't bring it back.

Oh I've actually got a blade steel worse than ZDP-189 if you can believe it or not And unfortunately it's one of my very favorite steels for Spyderedged blades. I'm speaking of CPM 440V>> you remember it was one of the very first CPM blade steels that Spyderco used during the mid to late 90s. I'm normally not a man giving to using a lot of curse words but sharpening any blade with 440V is truly a type of punishment that should be reserved for people who have committed heinous crimes

However when you get 440V finally sharp it's a great blade steel >>and in Spyderedges it's one of the best IMO. But trust me it's even worse than ZDP.

But I am glad you saw the light so to speak and learned to sharpen Spyderedges. But it does make me sad to think there is a Harpy and C-60 Ayoob model corroding away in some horrible landfill

 

[carbonsteelfan]

Oh I've actually got a blade steel worse than ZDP-189 if you can believe it or not And unfortunately it's one of my very favorite steels for Spyderedged blades. I'm speaking of CPM 440V>> you remember it was one of the very first CPM blade steels that Spyderco used during the mid to late 90s. I'm normally not a man giving to using a lot of curse words but sharpening any blade with 440V is truly a type of punishment that should be reserved for people who have committed heinous crimes

However when you get 440V finally sharp it's a great blade steel >>and in Spyderedges it's one of the best IMO. But trust me it's even worse than ZDP.

But I am glad you saw the light so to speak and learned to sharpen Spyderedges. But it does make me sad to think there is a Harpy and C-60 Ayoob model corroding away in some horrible landfill

I know that this is a stupid question ( given how l used to throw away dull serrated blades) but ZDP-189 Isn't disposable , right ?

 

[JD Spydo]

I know that this is a stupid question ( given how l used to throw away dull serrated blades) but ZDP-189 Isn't disposable , right ?

Oh take heart my friend if worse comes to worse then I'll be more than willing to trade my VG-10 or other standard issue Spyders for your ZDP and other hard to sharpen blade steels Just know that you always have an open door if the sharpening becomes too much of a chore

But if it's that big of a sharpening burden then try using diamond stones and files to do the worst of it with then do your finishing with Spyderco's ceramic stones.

No ZDP-189 is not only not to be disposed of but it just might cut the hell out of your beloved trash man So yeah I would take the option of sharpening them rather than putting them in your curb-side trash

But Brother maybe you should just go the VG-10 or H-1 type of blades. Because I've never had a lot of trouble with either one of them. But if you hate working with ZDP-189 then I highly advise you to stay completely away from 440v or M390>> otherwise you'll be learning new curse words I can assure you