Am I the only one with a BB and edge polished L Sebenza?

dinokay

dinokay

Joined
Feb 9, 2007
Messages
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I picked this large Sebenza up in 1994 at a NYC knife show from Chris Reeve himself and have never seen another like it. I put the question to (the awesome) DallasSTB and he's never seen one and says it could have been one of Mr. Reeves experiments, way back when.
So I'm putting the question to you guys, is there anyone else out there with one of CRK BB/polished edge Large Sebenza's?

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Nice knife...color me jealous!
Not the expert on Sebenza's but I can't say that I've seen so much as a picture of one.
 
I added the birthday card and some more pictures. There's gotta be a sibling out there somewhere.
 
i noticed it doesnt even have an insert for a clip...what other sebbies have this feature?
 
That's a cool wee thing. I'v not seen one of those before either.
 
Love the knife, never seen one..How can I get that done to one of my sebenzas???
 
After consulting with one of our more esteemed colleagues (whose amazing collection is featured on the CR DVD), I still think this is one of Chris' experiments with blade finishes. As we all know, we now have the standard "stonewashed" finish that you see on plain and micarta Sebenza's. Until it is confirmed by CRK, I can imagine that Chris was searching for methods to mask some of the wear and tear that show up more easily on the polished blades. Being a smaller production operation also lends to this idea - the public is often the testbed for these little tweaks and experiments.

Until I find otherwise, I think that this is a very rare piece that should be preserved if possible. Very cool.
 
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I would definitley keep that knife and papers locked up nice and safe. Who knows, you may have one of a kind.
 
I have never seen another P Sebenza without a polished blade, considering the description on the card I would agree with Steve's assessment.
 
I don't like having safe queens, but as sure as tea makes you p that knife would be placed in a sterile air tight box and placed on a mantle in my man cave :D

If you haven't used it yet, put it away somewhere safe and either take it to the grave or sell it in 20 years as retirement money :p
 
I have used it over a 16 yr period, on and off, I didn't know it was so rare. If there is a place where people can view some of Chris Reeve early work then that's where it will end up one day.
 
First I'd like to say I love Chris Reeve Knives and all the people working there especially Anne Reeve. Ever since I discovered I had a rare Sebenza in my possession, I contacted Anne Reeve and asked her to shed some light on my predicament. This is the email she sent me.



Hello Dino

Sorry for the late response - there never seem to be enough hours in a day!

There were very few knives finished the same way yours has been. As best I
can remember we did it in response to some requests from customers who were
looking for a finish less shiny than the satin finish we were using at the
time (that would be before we started stonewashing the blades!). We found,
however, that the surface was more susceptible to mild corrosion because the
surface of the steel is opened up and the carbon exposed to the air. When
the blade is polished, whether satin finished (i.e. all the lines going in
the same direction) or stonewashed (the lines going every which way) the
surface is "closed" and less vulnerable to corrosion.

Enjoy your piece of history!!

Best wishes
Anne




Thank You Anne

Dino
 
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Well, there you go! A nice little bit of CR trivia to add to the pile. This is probably how the stonewash finish came to pass, starting with these customer requests and then Chris starting thinking and tinkering.....

Oh, and keep a copy of Anne's email with the knife. With vintage stuff in general, the more documentation the better. She's a real gem, isn't she?
 
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