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stropping a fully serrated edge
- Thread starter TTpower
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Not the same way you'd strop a plain edge. You have to strop as you'd sharpen - hit each "scallop" separately. The back side can be done all on one relatively flat surface. You can apply compound to a string, small dowel, bamboo skewer etc to do a bit of stropping. Rounding the transition area at the peaks will change how it cuts, not for the better though it will still work OK. Normally I just try to get rid of the burr as best I can with a DMT tapered rod and call it a day, but I don't do a lot of serrated edges either.
David Martin
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Yes, the coarse or fine DMT rods work in the serrations, use a light touch and these can minimize or eliminate a burr. Then strop on the back side of the blade. A lot of kitchen knives require work on the serrations from time to time. A correctly fitting slip stone can be used as well. DM
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Don't you find that rounds over the teeth somewhat?
I strop serrations frequently. For me, it makes the same kind of difference that it makes on plain edges: Smooths out the edge and makes it cut finer.
I have some thick leather I made a strop out of, and I cut a 1.5" x 4" piece off of it. I call it my pocket strop. Since it's thick, I can apply compound to the edge of the strop as well as the face. I use the edge to strop serrations; the corner really, as it fits into the serrations the best. You can use it on each individual serration if you want. Or you can use it more like the sharpmaker and let the strop corner ride in and out of the scallops while pulling the knife both down and across.
I've had success with both methods, using the "one serration at a time" when I think they need more attention. I think it's also very important to strop the back FLAT side of a serrated knife as well, as stropping the serrations is almost guaranteed to raise a small burr on the back side. A few back and forth strokes (serrated side and then flat side) should allow you to eliminate the burr entirely.
Using this method has made a huge difference for me. I go from sharp edges that catch phonebook paper and tear it, to sharp edges that cleanly glide through phonebook paper. These same edges will shave arm hair, but not cleanly, as the points of the serrations dig into the skin. I'm "new" to serrated sharpening and this is a level of serrated sharpness that I didn't know existed 2 years ago.
Strop your serrations for sure! It makes a wonderful difference.
Brian.
I have some thick leather I made a strop out of, and I cut a 1.5" x 4" piece off of it. I call it my pocket strop. Since it's thick, I can apply compound to the edge of the strop as well as the face. I use the edge to strop serrations; the corner really, as it fits into the serrations the best. You can use it on each individual serration if you want. Or you can use it more like the sharpmaker and let the strop corner ride in and out of the scallops while pulling the knife both down and across.
I've had success with both methods, using the "one serration at a time" when I think they need more attention. I think it's also very important to strop the back FLAT side of a serrated knife as well, as stropping the serrations is almost guaranteed to raise a small burr on the back side. A few back and forth strokes (serrated side and then flat side) should allow you to eliminate the burr entirely.
Using this method has made a huge difference for me. I go from sharp edges that catch phonebook paper and tear it, to sharp edges that cleanly glide through phonebook paper. These same edges will shave arm hair, but not cleanly, as the points of the serrations dig into the skin. I'm "new" to serrated sharpening and this is a level of serrated sharpness that I didn't know existed 2 years ago.
Strop your serrations for sure! It makes a wonderful difference.
Brian.
David Martin
Moderator
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- Apr 7, 2008
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Ofcourse it would.
gentry, Very good. I'm going to do that with a spare piece of leather I have. Great idea. DM
I would have said that you don't strop a serrated edge, just use successively finer grade rods and finish with a smooth ceramic rod, which is what I do now with my combo blades and the few kitchen knives with serrations. After reading this post I have to admit it sounds easy and reasonable, and I will definitely try it out next time.
While the cutting effort of a serrated blade rests on the "teeth" or sharp tips, the concave part of the serrations do play an important part when cutting material such as rope. I'm sure the extra smoothness provided by the additional stropping step makes a big difference for this usage. Furthermore, this technique can also be applied to the convex "serrations" available on some knives.
Serrations work by reducing the point of contact of the cutting surface and increasing the power transmitted to that cutting surface. Surface drag is reduced by the sharp teeth, but increased by the additional surface area of the concave (or convex) edge when working with material that is not cut by the initial contact with the "teeth".
Jason B.
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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- Jun 13, 2007
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Tight sown cotton buffing wheels not so much. Like with any stropping though the wrong approach angle can make for bad results.
I've used a variation on the buffing wheel. I cut a piece of leather into a disc that fits the arbor. Load with buffing compound, and you've got a power strop that will sharpen and strop any normally sized serration in record time. Since the leather is pretty thin, perhaps about 1/16" thick, it can get the valleys of most serrations with nothing more than the usual care necessary using power tools, and rounding over the peaks is minimized.
I've used a small, thin cardboard disc, loaded with buffing compound, on a Dremel arbor to get some tiny serrations, like those on Cold Steel knives, with success. It'll work with larger serrations, too, though the cardboard wears much faster than the leather disc. Clamp down the knife or the Dremel, so that you can use both hands controlling the process.
I've used a small, thin cardboard disc, loaded with buffing compound, on a Dremel arbor to get some tiny serrations, like those on Cold Steel knives, with success. It'll work with larger serrations, too, though the cardboard wears much faster than the leather disc. Clamp down the knife or the Dremel, so that you can use both hands controlling the process.