Sharpening serrations?

[Mora2013]

Just picked up a triangular medium grit lansky dogbone ceramic rod to sharpen serrations.

Do you guys do each serration individually, or do you draw the knife across the rod in one motion?

 

[bucketstove]

Just picked up a triangular medium grit lansky dogbone ceramic rod to sharpen serrations.

Do you guys do each serration individually, or do you draw the knife across the rod in one motion?

Hi,
I used sandpaper over pen a bunch of times,
my best success with this version is keeping the blade on edge of a table for stability
(clamp or hold)
and doing the individual serrations
its kinda tedious but it should keep the serrations living "forever"

The quick way (and easy/preferred) is strop the backside FLAT on a stone until raise burr,
then cut the burr off on the other side using
flexible or narrow abrasive
I've used sandpaper over pen (narrow, like dogbone),
andpaper over thumb (flexible)
and edge-of-stack-of-papers-strop (end-grain-strop) with free coarse grit from my stone


even with this method it will take a couple of dozen sharpenings before the serrations would start to get a bit shallow, as long as you avoid grinding the serration points of on the stone (it took me about 1 pass)


Some of these ideas presented over here Serrations using modded DMT tapered rods

 

[Bugs57]

Sharpmaker

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I usually just draw the edge across the edge of a square-edged stone. In particular, on hollow-ground primary grinds I like to use a scythe stone to cut the burr because it can hug the hollow.

[video=youtube;JO9uGrpW390]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO9uGrpW390&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Just picked up a triangular medium grit lansky dogbone ceramic rod to sharpen serrations.

Do you guys do each serration individually, or do you draw the knife across the rod in one motion?

Either, or a little of both, depending on how much work is needed to restore the apex to crispness.

If the serrations are pretty blunt/dull, they'll sometimes need individual attention, drawing the rod's edge through each serration. Maybe even using something a little more aggressive than the ceramic, like an equivalent diamond rod/hone, if much metal needs to come off to reset the edges within the serrations. Once that's accomplished, I usually follow with the other mentioned method, as described below.

If the serrations are just lightly dulled, burred or rolled, I've found drawing the edge across the rod VERY, VERY lightly, and at the shallowest angle possible, to be pretty effective in restoring sharpness. There's a very light 'zipper' feel & sound to doing it this way, with the edge of the hone very lightly making contact into, through, and out of each serration. If the 'zipper' feel & sound gets too bumpy or noisy, that's a cue to ease up on the pressure and (likely) reduce the held angle to something shallower; trust what you feel through your fingertips, as you hold the blade (lightly). I usually try to do this only from the back side or 'flat' side of the serrations, when possible. It's a little trickier doing it from the 'front' side of the serrations, as the angle used needs to be somewhat more obtuse, to make contact with the apex from that side. If the serrated edge is maintained regularly and kept reasonably sharp all the time, this method of drawing the edge across the rod is usually all that's needed.


David

 

[GotSteel]

I do both; draw across for maintenance sharpening and then individual serrations once in a while since the ribs between the scallops get filed down a bit from the drawing action, it also is sharper (not that it doesn't get sharp from drawing, it does) after individual sharpening but after I do individual scallop sharpening I run it over the ceramic Sharpmaker rods lightly because it makes the points much sharper and they tend to stick into whatever I'm trying to cut if I don't go back and hit them.

 

[SOLEIL]

Lansky makes a product known as "dog bones". They are short diamond or ceramic rods and some of them are made for specific types of serrations. They are inexpensive, last for decades, and very easy to use. IMO the diamond ones are faster and more efficient than the ceramic ones. An oval diamond rod works very well also.

 

[JD Spydo]

Just picked up a triangular medium grit lansky dogbone ceramic rod to sharpen serrations.

Do you guys do each serration individually, or do you draw the knife across the rod in one motion?

Good question "Mora" because I'm always trying to find new and better ways to get my serrations surgically sharp. One sharpening tool I've had great results with is Spyderco's discontinued 701 Profiles. You have to use them manually one scallop or one spike at a time. But the 701 Profiles have radii for the scallops and they have excellent corners for the spike part of the serration pattern.

Now don't get me wrong because I have a lot of respect for the Lansky company and I do own some of their stuff but overall I haven't yet found anything that matches up with Spyderco's 701 Profiles. Now their relatively newer tool called the GOLDENSTONE is supposed to have the same capabilities as the 701 Profiles>> but for right now they only offer it in one grit ( fine) and I'm ashamed to say that I've yet to master the use of the GOLDENSTONE but I'm sure once I learn most of the tricks to using the tool it will be a great tool as well. They are supposedly close to releasing a CBN version of the GOLDENSTONE before too long.

 

[pjwoolw]

The Veff tool is really a nice item and fills the bill nicely for most serrations.

 

[JD Spydo]

The Veff tool is really a nice item and fills the bill nicely for most serrations.

Thanks for the info on the Veff Tool That is an extremely interesting looking sharpening tool to say the least. I'm always looking for better and more efficient methods of making my Spyderedged folders sharper. I'm definitely going to get one of these soon. The only knock I've got against it as I do many other sharpening tools is that it's only available in one grit selection from what I can tell.

But with that aside I'm still going to get one because I see how it would enhance a guy's set of sharpening tools

 

[HeavyHanded]

Thanks for the info on the Veff Tool That is an extremely interesting looking sharpening tool to say the least. I'm always looking for better and more efficient methods of making my Spyderedged folders sharper. I'm definitely going to get one of these soon. The only knock I've got against it as I do many other sharpening tools is that it's only available in one grit selection from what I can tell.

But with that aside I'm still going to get one because I see how it would enhance a guy's set of sharpening tools

That does look like a nice tool. I'm inclined to get one and combine with my round stock handle method - should be even easier than the tapered rods.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1399877-Serrations-using-modded-DMT-tapered-rods

The single grit doesn't bother me, most serrations will cut great just from being reformed nicely. I seldom go higher than the coarse DMT rod. With a nice enough guide, I guess one could apply a microbevel to their serration and that would be an easy way to finish them off too. Freehand I don't think that would be practical.

 

[NelsonIII]

I draw it across the the rod. I find it much easier and it works similar to the Sharpmaker, you are just doing it freehand.

 

[JD Spydo]

Serration patterns are so varied but truly when you get into the high quality serrated blades most serration patterns are easily capable of being sharpened with the tools that are currently available. This VEFF TOOL that the good Brother shared with us is very interesting to say the least.

I've got one COLD Steel serrated blade from back in the Carbon V era and frankly I don't know how you would sharpen it

But the Spyderco, Benchmade, and even J.A. Henckels stuff seems to be all capable of being properly sharpened.

Please guys don't misunderstand me because I'm in no way trying to derail this thread. I guess the point I,m trying to make is>> there really isn't one universal sharpening tool or method that will cover all serration patterns.

But hey if I'm wrong I will be glad to hear why

 

[REK Knives]

I'm curious... what if someone could make a zero ground serration, i.e. the entire width of a sabre primary grind, you guys think it would be durable and easy to sharpen? I had this though the other day =)

 

[AF]

I've got one COLD Steel serrated blade from back in the Carbon V era and frankly I don't know how you would sharpen it

Lansky makes a ceramic rod with grooves specifically made to fit Cold Steel's serration pattern. Your older Carbon V knife may have a different pattern though.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I'm curious... what if someone could make a zero ground serration, i.e. the entire width of a sabre primary grind, you guys think it would be durable and easy to sharpen? I had this though the other day =)

Probably easier to sharpen (thinner is always easier ). But, I'd worry about the points of the serrations folding too easily, or breaking off, depending on hardness. I've always sort of assumed the asymmetric grind of serrations, with a secondary bevel on one side (effectively widening the apex angle), was, in part, intended to make the 'points' a little broader and more durable. I guess it'd come down to how wide the primary grind angle is.

Every time I've tried to thin the edges of serrations a little too much, the points have usually suffered for it, as they get ground so fine as to make them too fragile and prone to folding or bending over. And in that instance, the upkeep and resharpening really isn't easier anymore, if the points are in constant need of straightening or reshaping.


David

 

[REK Knives]

Probably easier to sharpen (thinner is always easier ). But, I'd worry about the points of the serrations folding too easily, or breaking off, depending on hardness. I've always sort of assumed the asymmetric grind of serrations, with a secondary bevel on one side (effectively widening the apex angle), was, in part, intended to make the 'points' a little broader and more durable. I guess it'd come down to how wide the primary grind angle is.

Every time I've tried to thin the edges of serrations a little too much, the points have usually suffered for it, as they get ground so fine as to make them too fragile and prone to folding or bending over. And in that instance, the upkeep and resharpening really isn't easier anymore, if the points are in constant need of straightening or reshaping.


David

Very good points David!! Thanks for the great thoughts

 

[HeavyHanded]

I used to own one of these:

IIRC the packaging claimed you could just sharpen the serrated portion on a flat stone along with the rest of the edge. It worked OK but the serrations weren't as effective as the traditional arrangement.

 

[JD Spydo]

I used to own one of these:

IIRC the packaging claimed you could just sharpen the serrated portion on a flat stone along with the rest of the edge. It worked OK but the serrations weren't as effective as the traditional arrangement.

That is a most interesting set of serrations. As much as I've checked out many of the serration patterns on the open market I've got to admit that I had never seen those before. And I've actually had one of COLT's knives ( United Cutlery) and I still use a United Cutlery fillet knife that I've had for years>> which is fair to good quality IMO. I guess I still like it because I can sharpen it so quickly when doing big food jobs and so forth.

Truly I believe that even Spyderco and other knife companies who have spearheaded the development of high quality serrated blades>> actually I think they've only scratched the surface. I may just see if I can find one of those folders "used" and do some testing with it and see how it sharpens.

But so far in all my studying and checking out all the different serration patterns on the open market I'm still finding that for the most part the rounded/wavy type serrations seem to have a slight edge.