Anybody ever added serrations to their knife?

[ilikegunspdx]

Just bought an edc knife (no serrations) so that means my leatherman skeletool will be somewhat redundant in the knife department. I was thinking of adding serrations to the back 1/2 of it. Wondering if anyone has done DIY serrations and if you have any techniques or tips to share.

Some background: I used to have the skeletool serrated blade and the serrations were very handy for cutting rope or cardboard but the blade itself got dull in about 1.5 seconds (ha ha) due to the 420 steel used. My current skeletool is 154CM steel which is pretty good and way better than the 420. I'm thinking of cutting serrations in the 154cm blade to get that functionality back but still have better steel. I was thinking I have several beater knives I can practice making serrations on and then when I know how to do it I can do the skeletool. The skeletool is always with me so adding something that compliments and not duplicates my edc knife is kind of what I'm thinking.

Thanks for any thoughts or tips. Thx!

For reference here is what the 420 serrated blade and the 154cm plain blade look like:

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[joneb]

Yes but it wasn't pretty. Needed to cut sod so I modified a cheap kitchen knife for the task.

 

[Bobbygun]

One of the Lonesome Dove sequels, where James Garner was Woodrow Call, the gal (maybe Sissy Spacek?) had to pound serrations in his knife with a rock in order to amputate his leg. Ugh. That scene kinda made my skin crawl.

I've personally never tried doing it but do see the value of having serrations in certain situations. I won a knife at an RMEF banquet that had them on a small second blade. It was for cutting leg tendons.

 

[DunRanull]

Nope, but I'd like to put some on a CS Trailmaster, or a 1917 CS bowie.- 1.5". I don't care what some folks say, I have found serrations just in front of the guard very useful on other knives, but I havent liked the KaBars much since @1971.... Anyone know who might do this kind of work? We have a local guy who will sharpen most anything but havent approached him yet.

 

[Stomper]

Try using some round and half-round jeweler's files, I've used those to tune up the serrations on my knives in the past.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Never really cared for serrations on a knife blade...I understand the "why" for certain uses...just don't care for 'em.

In any event...the above suggestion of round and half round jeweler's files work wonders for sharpening and even making serrations on a knife blade.
Andy

 

[DunRanull]

Never really cared for serrations on a knife blade...I understand the "why" for certain uses...just don't care for 'em.

In any event...the above suggestion of round and half round jeweler's files work wonders for sharpening and even making serrations on a knife blade.
Andy

Admittedly, serrations are pretty new-fangled affectations, no mountain man was ever caught out with one!

 

[Sbarton]

It's not easy by hand, especially what you want to do, and I'm a bladesmith (semi-retired).
Your best bet, if you need a serated blade, is to buy one.
The most useful seration, in my opinion, is a long, shallow, half moon shaped seration. I did a lot of underwater work back in my twenties, cutting anchor line of off prop shafts and such, and that's the best shape i found.
Look for a jim Boye dendritic cobalt folder, hands down the best full serated blade in the world.

 

[Sbarton]

Correction, for anyone interested. It's David Boye.

 

[titsonritz]

Yeah...see the little screws? Change the blade.

 

[DunRanull]

It's not easy by hand, especially what you want to do, and I'm a bladesmith (semi-retired).
Your best bet, if you need a serated blade, is to buy one.
The most useful seration, in my opinion, is a long, shallow, half moon shaped seration. I did a lot of underwater work back in my twenties, cutting anchor line of off prop shafts and such, and that's the best shape i found.
Look for a jim Boye dendritic cobalt folder, hands down the best full serated blade in the world.

Thanks for your information! My situation is such that I want a particular knife- either a CS Trailmaster or a CS 1917 Frontier bowie, both "go to" knives. I have years of camping/outdoors experience with those knives and don't wish to get something else- in fact I havent seen any substitutionary knives available. Goes without saying any knife-smith will show me their work on something else before entrusting my favorite knives to them...

 

[Sbarton]

Thanks for your information! My situation is such that I want a particular knife- either a CS Trailmaster or a CS 1917 Frontier bowie, both "go to" knives. I have years of camping/outdoors experience with those knives and don't wish to get something else- in fact I havent seen any substitutionary knives available. Goes without saying any knife-smith will show me their work on something else before entrusting my favorite knives to them...

I wish i knew someone i could refer you to. I've tried my hand at it, without any great success.
If i wanted to offer a knife with serations I'd set up a cutter grinder, like for mill work cutters, with a custom profile. Not a simple task.

 

[officially5150]

I've done it before using a dremel and a barrel sander and then finished it with jewelers files or a peice of sandpaper rolled around a small screwdriver came out alright, it was obvious it wasn't factory but hell it worked.