How to Sharpen a Serger Blade
Sergers are fantastic for tailoring, fashion, upholstery, and everything in between. Sergers may be similar to sewing machines, but they have more components and capabilities.
One of these differences is the knife or the blade, which a serger has, but a sewing machine does not. These knives or blades are essential for overlock stitching and similar purposes.
That said, those blades or knives will wear out over time. Likewise, using a serger with blades that aren’t sharp may ruin the garments or fabric you are working on.
This article will discuss whether or not it is possible to sharpen a serger blade. Once that issue has been addressed, we’ll then talk about sharpening a serger blade.
Can You Sharpen a Serger Blade? Should You?
Many people question whether or not sharpening a serger blade is possible. Moreover, they might then wonder if it’s not easier to just replace the blade.
Sergers have two blades – the top and bottom, which can be costly. Depending on the model, a single blade can cost up to $50; replacing two blades is not cheap. This is the main reason many prefer sharpening over replacing.
Sure, you can save money by doing your own serger blade sharpening. However, sharpening a serger blade is not easy. For one, you need the proper tools, including a small screwdriver to remove the blades from the machine. You will also need a sharpening stone. Generally speaking, a whetstone with a grit of 3000 or 4000 should do. Even with the right tools, the job itself is not easy.
Remember that serger blades act like scissors, so those two blades need to fit together perfectly. In other words, with your sharpening stone ready, you use the correct technique to sharpen them.
If you do it wrong, you’ll end up totally destroying them, which will warrant a replacement. Also, if the two blades don’t correctly fit together anymore, they won’t work right.
The bottom line is that sharpening a serger blade is possible with the right tools and techniques. However, many people take their serger blades to professionals for sharpening. It’s not rocket science, but it does take a bit of practice. You may very well ruin a blade or two before you get it right.
Remember: You can sharpen a dull blade, but if the blade is damaged, warped, or has nicks in it, it will need to be replaced.
How to Sharpen a Serger Blade: Step-by-Step
Although sharpening serger blades might seem daunting, it is doable. This is particularly true if you practice a bit.
Let’s go through a serger blade sharpening tutorial. Our goal is to make the process as easy as possible for you.
Make sure that you have all of your tools ready. Once again, you will need a small screwdriver and a sharpening stone.
- Open up the serger case to get to the inside. You will see a front panel you can open; you may or may not have to unscrew this panel. With this panel removed, you should now see the blades.
- You will now have to use that little screwdriver to unscrew the blades from their housings. Make sure to examine exactly how and where they are attached. If you don’t take note of this, you might have trouble reattaching them once they have been sharpened.
- With the blades removed, lay them down on a hard and flat surface.
- With the blades flat, hold your sharpening stone in your hand. Ensure the sharpening stone, and the blades are parallel to one another. This is not like a kitchen knife where you have to grind an angle into the blade; you need both the stone and the blade to be perfectly flat.
- Take your sharpening stone and run it along the top and bottoms of the blades until the edges are sharp.
- Once you have sharpened both blades, insert them back into their housings and screw them back into place. Ensure that the screws are tight and secure; you don’t want the blades to come loose during operation.
- With the blades back in place, it is good to take them for a test run to ensure the sharpening process was successful.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to sharpen serger blades, you should be able to save a good deal of money in the long run.