Clip side of wooden inlay...

JustinFournier

JustinFournier

Joined
May 7, 2012
Messages
4,971
I just love the execution of the wooden inlay of the 21. When you see the presentation side, it's like... SOLD!

damascus-sebenza-428.jpg


Then you see the clip side, and it's like a UGH.

damascus-sebenza-429.jpg


Someone sell me on this duality of finishes that is driving me mad.

There has to be a reason, I just don't get it.... at all.
 
I've grown to like the backside. It's a combination of beauty and necessity. I believe in the bowels of this forum there is a thread where someone polished the backside - I can't remember if it was an inlay though.
 
I don't mind it. Given that they only had so much real estate to work with, I think they did a good job.
They did give it character by following contours, so at least it isn't just a rectangular piece of wood...
 
I don't get it either. It didn't stop me from buying one, but I'd prefer all polished.
 
I think I misunderstood what you were talking about. I thought you were talking about the single inlay :o

I see what you were talking about know. It does look a little odd with the different finish, but in all honesty I've never thought about it much until you mentioned it :D
 
338375 said:
I think I misunderstood what you were talking about. I thought you were talking about the single inlay :o

I see what you were talking about know. It does look a little odd with the different finish, but in all honesty I've never thought about it much until you mentioned it :D
Click to expand...

I'm totally fine with single inlay. Actually I would be totally ok if the back had no inlay and was all blasted.
 
There are three reasons the lockbar is not polished, but left blasted along with the edges of the slabs. You don't have to like the reasons, or agree with the choice, but this is the deal:

1- the slabs are polished after the lockbar is bent and tensioned. They are polished on a sandpaper polishing table, so only the flats of the slabs, not the (now) raised lockbar receives the polish

2- the lockbar is bent first to allow access for heat treating. The heat treating of the lockbar changes the grain of titanium, so if the lockbar were to be polished, the end would look different than the rest. Some who have polished their lockbars after-the-fact have discovered that it's hard to get it smooth and shiney like the rest of the slab.

3- the blasted finish provides traction for the pocket clip. I have a 21 with a polished lockbar and it is much more slippery in and out of pocket.

Anyways.......if it bugs you, you can experiment with a dremel felt wheel and some polishing compound. You can get pretty close to the CRK factory finish on the rest of the knife with patience, but it will never match exactly. Close enough at a glance.
 
I don't like the dual finishes on the clip side either. I would have preferred all polished with the inlay or just a plain finish with no inlay. The micarta isn't polished on either side so that is an option but I don't like it as much as the wood inlays. It likely won't stop me from buying one eventually but I would have already bought one if it weren't for the dual finishes.
 
I actually like it. Brings a little more uniqueness to the overall design.
 
I like the two-tone finish. The machined groove is a nice transition line. CRK has them throughout their models. It also aids in pocket clip retention. Having lost a large 21, I will take all the pocket clip retention I can get. They are blasted and the springs are bent into position before the scales are polished. Its really just that simple. You can see this in the CRK DVD's....... Originally I thought you meant that the main side usually has the more beautiful inlays while the backside is usually the plainer of the species. This is usually the case, but I have gotten lucky with my picking and choosing over the years.
 
It used to bug me, but once I realized that it would make it less likely for the knife to slip out of my pocket unbeknownst to me... it doesn't bug me any more.
 
Thank for the info guys. Having an understanding of the technical reasons helps a lot.

James,

Pic is amazing, knives even better.
 
Honestly it doesn't bother me at all.
Actually I think it looks good on my gabon, the lock bar is scratched up like the clip is. If it were all polished, maybe the clip would stand out more..
 
An updated was warranted.

Sooo James_Longstreet has been sending me messages like, Come on Justin, you have to get an inlay. Justin get an inlay, come on Justin just get an inlay. Yea Justin get an inlay, inlay you know you have to get an inlay Justin. (I hope you guys get the reference :D)

I grabbed a large 21, Gabon inlay with Raindrop Damascus.

It is probably one of the best Sebenzas I have ever had. No wait it is definitely one of the best. There are only 2 flaws on the entire thing I could spot without taking it apart and they are small. It has the best action I have ever had on a 21 out of the box as well. With the lockbar released from the blade it falls, but not free. Just short of free. A tiny bit of resistance that gives that hydraulic feel the 21 is famous for. It has a bit of lock stick which is pretty much how all my Damascus 21s have come.

I'm really impressed. It is really a great example of CRKs level of attention to detail. The inlay is outstanding, it has tons of light grain very much like the pic James took of his below. Similar in the way it needs to be in the right light. No tear-out. It's a nice semi-gloss. Very suitable to me. This is the rare type of Ebony, which is what I wanted from both the collectible aspect as well as the aesthetic aspect as it cannot be mistaken for black plastic. The screws have a slight grain to them, not 100% polished which looks good on the scale.

The pattern on the blade is actually better than I thought based on the pics. Remarkably the gray... it is darker than my examples that are a few years old. That makes me very happy as IMO Raindrop is getting good for my taste again. That is awesome news to me. Made February 29, 2016. So leap year knife!

Basically Stefan was right, and this knife has completely changed my direction.

Soooo in person I guess it is fair to say the 2 finishes on the back look much better than they do in pics. If you are like me and wouldn't touch it with someone else's money; maybe get one in hand before you sign up for the no wood inlay team.

My crap pics:

IMG_3013.JPG

IMG_3014.JPG


Proper pic from Stefan:
21,%20Gabon%20Ebony,%20Ladder,%2008.jpg
 
Congratulations Justin! Damn, that pattern looks nice.. I am not "in love" with the recent ones starting 2015.. But this one with a "stretched" raindrop pattern looks absolutely amazing... [emoji106][emoji106][emoji106] Also that Gabon i lays looks stupendous...
 
Thanks ice_man. I'm with you on the 2015, I guess we can call it one of the most recent variations. This 2016 variation; it's not my favorite Raindrop, but it's still nice. And moving in the right direction at least.

The inlay is the star of the show. It has this organic feel I was not expecting. Man I love it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top