BM 950-1001 Rift

Mike, I sanded the coating off with some wet/dry sanding paper and it worked fine. I did read however that the same result can be achieved with a scorchbrite pad and some soap.
 
Thanks, RxEnergy. I did hear re heat treating would burn most of the coating off anyway, that would just clean it up that last bit. The steel would still be discolored, but an extra 4-5 RC points would make this Rift a top notch performer. It may be rare, but I value performance over all else.

Mike
 
gunmike1 said:
Thanks, RxEnergy. I did hear re heat treating would burn most of the coating off anyway, that would just clean it up that last bit. The steel would still be discolored, but an extra 4-5 RC points would make this Rift a top notch performer. It may be rare, but I value performance over all else.

Mike
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That is pretty hard. I also like performance, and chipping aint part of performance that I enjoy...
 
I love the elegant look of BM folders, I just find that ,with a handful of exceptions, they make them too damn small. I do have the Rukus and if they hadn't discontinued the Skirmish I'd have that one as well.

I don't how to begin my own thread so I'm piggybacking on to this one and if that's inappropriate I guess the moderator will boot it off. I just wanted to let non-snob knife buyers know that I bought 2 Desperados for 50 bucks from CS's Christmas sale. As you may know this knife has been discontinued but apparently CS had some left in a warehouse.
I now have 3 Desperados because, in my view, despite the 420 steel, they are among the coolest, scariest and most effective slashers and stabbers I've ever seen.

My only caveat with my recent purchase is that it looks like the handle just below the Kraton grip became tarnished while in storage and CS was a little rough cleaning it off [ this is just a guess on my part] However the blades are perfect and razor sharp. If you're not a pussy you'll want this knife. [I don't know how to do the smiley face]
 
Thalestin said:
That is pretty hard. I also like performance, and chipping aint part of performance that I enjoy...
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Well, there are plenty of non chippy 65-66 RC M2 knives out there, so the finer grained CPM M4 should handle it better. After cutting bones off of a pig at 62.5 RC I know CPM M4 has plenty of room to go before it becomes chippy, as 59 RC S30V or VG-10 would have blown out there edges cutting up that pig where CPM M4 didn't even chip. CPM M4 should easily handle EDC knife chores at 65 RC based on my experience and from the word of a person I trust. I guess we'll see.

Mike
 
Larry Turko said:
I love the elegant look of BM folders, I just find that ,with a handful of exceptions, they make them too damn small. I do have the Rukus and if they hadn't discontinued the Skirmish I'd have that one as well.

I don't how to begin my own thread so I'm piggybacking on to this one and if that's inappropriate I guess the moderator will boot it off. I just wanted to let non-snob knife buyers know that I bought 2 Desperados for 50 bucks from CS's Christmas sale. As you may know this knife has been discontinued but apparently CS had some left in a warehouse.
I now have 3 Desperados because, in my view, despite the 420 steel, they are among the coolest, scariest and most effective slashers and stabbers I've ever seen.

My only caveat with my recent purchase is that it looks like the handle just below the Kraton grip became tarnished while in storage and CS was a little rough cleaning it off [ this is just a guess on my part] However the blades are perfect and razor sharp. If you're not a pussy you'll want this knife. [I don't know how to do the smiley face]
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Larry, Larry, Larry............how do I say this.........I DO NOT want this knife, and I'm not a pussy, as you so eloquently put it. Since you are new here, maybe you should read a little more and talk a little less.:rolleyes:
 
Damn I am late to this party. I LOVE the Rift and I LOVE M4. I've used M2 and M4 with no complaints here at all. I've used my Ritter Grips in M2 for chopping and batoning and have not had any chipping issues whatsoever. If anyone has a spare, sell or trade it to me!!!! PLEASE!
 
I missed out on this one too Zac. I just didn't have the money. Still, there's the Gayle Bradley RIL (framelock) CF/CPM M4 coming out from Spyderco sometime soon, according to Sal. There will also be a CPM M4 Millie Ti/CF framelock coming to Roger around May. They should be good knives.

I too like pushing these high speed steels higher in folders to take advantage of the thin, strong edges possible. They really aren't real chippy, even at numbers up to RC65-66 ( M2), and I'm not sure yet about M4. I know there's no sign oh weakness at RC62.5 as Spyderco hardens it, and it sharpens like a dream, with the biting style blades I like so much.

My favorite steel class for light/medium/medium hard use. I'd love to see an M4 lockback of at least 3.75 inches. That would probably be the one knife that could make me a one knife person.
 
Matiff. I think you are right on target with your opinion on whether CPM M4 would be "chippy" at high hardness. This is a steel designed to cut and machine other steels and hard materials. I just ground out and heat treated a M4 utility hunter. Thickness at the edge is .010 and hardness is RC 65. Preliminary cutting tests show edge holding in the 10V, CPM S110--125V category. With 100 slices on 5/8 rope against a wooden base the edge was basically unaffected. Sharpening was with a fine crystalon and a tad of stropping. I whittled seasoned Fir and twisted out of the cut and no evidence of chipping. This is bending and compressive strength not impact resistance. I have not tested for impact but feel that it will be as good or better than say CPM 154 for example. Final evaluation will be with field use-- processing game animals ect but I would be very confident at this point to make a hunter for my own use at as high as RC 66. The only negative (IMHO) is since it is not stainless this steel it would not be the best choice in wet or humid climates or around salt water. I would go to CPM S110V at RC 63 for that. It's nice today we have so many choices for steel selection and application. Phil
 
It is definitely nice to see at least one other manufacturer starting to use M4. Here's a q&d picture of the 950-1001:

Rift-4.jpg
 
Thanks for the input, Phil. Thanks for the pic, JNewell! Now I have something to look forward to on Monday after my first day back at work after being really sick.

Mike
 
JNewell said:
It is definitely nice to see at least one other manufacturer starting to use M4. Here's a q&d picture of the 950-1001:

Rift-4.jpg
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I was hoping it didn't have the tacky Limited Edition all over the blade like the last few LEs but it looks like it does. Guess you live pretty close to LA. I was hoping I might be close enough in FL to get mine today but didn't.

So the writing on the blade is another reason to strip the blade and put on a patina. Don't know if you missed it but you never did elaborate why not to attempt this?
 
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Cutter,Cutter,Cutter, it looks like you have mastered the faces, however perhaps you're not that good at reading anything inside brackets. I clearly indicated that if I knew how to do a smiley face I would have put one there. To my understanding a smiley face indicates you've written something that is not ment to be taken seriously. Therefore I was not calling you a pussy although now I can't help but think that you are somewhat of a stuffed shirt.
Also ,judging from what you wrote, it seems clear that someone who disagrees with you has to' learn more.'

I could spend years studying metallurgy etc,and I would still love the Desperado. As I indicated ,to my eye, it's one of the coolest knives I've ever seen AND it's actually affordable.

Judging by the endless pleas on this forum from individuals asking others what knives they should buy ,lots of people don't trust their own instincts. To paraphrase Richard Pryor; " who am I going to believe ,you or my lying eyes?"
 
Larry Turko said:
Cutter,Cutter,Cutter, it looks like you have mastered the faces, however perhaps you're not that good at reading anything inside brackets. I clearly indicated that if I knew how to do a smiley face I would have put one there. To my understanding a smiley face indicates you've written something that is not ment to be taken seriously. Therefore I was not calling you a pussy although now I can't help but think that you are somewhat of a stuffed shirt.
Also ,judging from what you wrote, it seems clear that someone who disagrees with you has to' learn more.'

I could spend years studying metallurgy etc,and I would still love the Desperado. As I indicated ,to my eye, it's one of the coolest knives I've ever seen AND it's actually affordable.

Judging by the endless pleas on this forum from individuals asking others what knives they should buy ,lots of people don't trust their own instincts. To paraphrase Richard Pryor; " who am I going to believe ,you or my lying eyes?"
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Dude, don't get your panties in a wad. Your post had nothing to do with this topic. When you are looking at the forum page there is a button at the top that says "New Topic." Also, immediately to the right of the area you type in when you push the "post reply" button, there are a bunch of the smiley faces that you click on.

This is also a family forum so your language is not acceptable here. If you can't talk about a knife you like without calling out anyone who might not like it, then something is wrong.

See that red dot at the bottom of your post? He is not the only one that has a problem with your post as a forum moderator gave you an infraction. Coming back to stir up the pot is just ignorant on your part.

If you want to tout your new knives then do it in your own thread. And learn to use your words. When you cuss like a drunk sailor/teenager/idiot your not going to get much respect or be taken seriously.
 
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I think all the LE Benchmades come that way - so it's not a surprise. I agree that I wish they'd do something else, somewhere else.

As far as patina goes, for an extreme case of problems from "patina," you could look at this thread. I have to say, I can't imagine how that project went that wrong, and I doubt it's the OP's fault. It's hard to imagine CPM-D2 coming apart like that from mere acid.

If you really want to get the coating off, I'd use something like Brownells Oxpho-Blue, which is the very best cold bluing solution I've ever used. I wouldn't try pickling it in acid or anything like that. However, I've read posts from people who've removed the black coating and reported that the metal was still sealed, so you probably are really going to have to make sure you get down to actual metal, since the carrier for the black pigment seems to bond and fill the surface pores quite well. Or, you could go just far enough to get the black off and stop there, and probably have a blade that was still pretty corrosion-resistant?

+1 on your response above, btw. Nicely said.
 
It seems like I remember seeing some of the LEs from a few years ago which had the information in a small area similar to size and position of the Benchmade logo.

I guess I was just hoping they would change it up.

As far as putting a patina on, I would probably do it as naturally as possible. Stick it in an onion or apple for a couple hours. Use it to debone a deer and cut up a lot of meat. I figure that should put some kind of patina on without having to dunk it in vinegar or mustard.

Guess I will see what I am feeling when it gets here.
 
At least the LE lettering should burn off of mine when I get it heat treated harder. It will still need some grinding and polish work to get rid of the rough finish they leave on the blades. I am really looking forward to this knife a lot, as I really like the design and love the steel, especially since I can get this steel brought up a few points in hardness to see how itworks at 65 RC. From what Phil Wilson says I have no doubts it will be a great performer without any chipping issues at 65RC.

Mike
 
Does anyone have a pic that shows the difference between the blade shape of the 950 vs the blade of the 940? As I look at the pictures in the thread it seems as though there is a difference.
 
Phil, thanks for keeping us updated on your experiences with this steel. You have a reputation for being at the cutting edge, so to speak, of the high performance crucible steels and I've seen other knifemakers quote your examples.

Even at the lower RC's this steel has much going for it in my eyes. I'm not worried in the least about corrosion issues as I grew up with carbon steels and have a preference for them still. All tools should get required care, and i'd personally rather clean and oil my knife than have lower performance in my edges. Sharpening even the "killer V" steels for me isn't an issue with my diamond sharpeners once a decent geometry is achieved.

As I've stated before if I can get these sawbones to leave me alone long enough to get back to work I'll put an order in and find out what these really can do at the higher numbers. I've wanted a Coyote Meadow for years now and one day I'll be able to see what we can see.

In the mean time I'm not at all unsatisfied, but still driven to keep looking. Thanks, Joe
 
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