Crusader Forge VF01 Flipper

K

kwackster

Joined
Dec 23, 2005
Messages
2,130
Today i received my second hand Crusader Forge VF01 Flipper,

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Close-up of the blade and it's edge of around 50 degrees inclusive (according to my Tormek angle measure), reason why it doesn't cut as well as it should.

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Exploded view, with blade & titanium handle parts, screws, Nylatron washers, and a rather thin pivot pin for such a big folder.

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Specs:

Length open: 8.3 inch (21,1 cm)
Length closed: 4.9 inch (12,5 cm)
Blade length: 3.3 inch (8,5 cm)
Blade thickness: 0.2 inch (4,9 mm)
Steel: triple tempered CPM-S30V
Hardness: 59-60 HRC
Handle material: 6AL4V Titanium
Weight: 265 grams

Clip plus review: http://www.edgeobserver.com/?cat=82

[youtube]pQ3WpT3C7Qk[/youtube]


I just finished reprofiling the edge on the Tormek T7 and the blade is now clamped in the Wicked Edge for finer sharpening & polishing.
The triple tempered S30V is noticeably more difficult to sharpen than the S30V from Strider, Spyderco & Chris Reeve, and it also behaves differently.
Normally this steel needs quite a lot of refinement steps with various grits to form a clean edge which can be used for cutting, but this stuff already forms quite a good edge after only gritsize 100.
As a comparison; after the same gritsize 100 the edge on my Strider SMF looks like somebody's broom when seen through a magnifying glass.

More pics to follow.
 
Looks like you're almost where you want the profile! That's looking darn good. How fine you planning on refining this one to?
 
Not sure yet, but for now i'm thinking of taking it to an even 600 grit finish and then some stropping on a diamond coated leather strop to remove the burr.
I think this will fit the industrial design of the knife better than a full polish, while at the same time create an edge with more than enough bite.
 
Sounds like a good plan to me, I'm still impatiently waiting for my WEPS to show up here. :D

It might look cool with a high polish as well, given the rather matte and robust look of the rest of the knife. What's the angle you're playing with there? Looks to be a fairly acute one.
 
It might indeed, and maybe a high polish will come in a later stage.
According to my WE the new edge angle is 32 degrees inclusive, but i still have to measure it exactly with the Tormek angle measure.
 
That should be a vicious cutting edge at that angle, for sure! The WE is fairly general on the exact numerical value for the edge, especially given that it's a fairly thick and tall blade. Personally, that doesn't bother me a bit, I don't really care as much what the numerical value is as long as I can repeat it, the WEPS big bragging point. Are you using an angle cube or something like that with the WEPS to check your true angles?
 
This is the Tormek edge angle measuring device, and according to this the angle on the Crusader Forge blade is an exact 30 degrees.
In the future i still want to score one of those digital angle cubes though,

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That's a darn cool-looking tool, I assume it's intended for setting up the T5/T7?

I actually just ordered an angle cube from Amazon the other day, it's not here yet, but I don't need it until the WE shows up. I intend at some point to use natural stones with the WE, so it'll be more or less mandatory at that point. Also should be handy for playing with stropping materials, given that they're not all the same thickness. You should pick one up, they're not particularly expensive, at least not here. I can't imagine that shipping one to you would be much more, given that it'll easily fit in a small flat-rate box.
 
Just out of curiosity, is it by design or user that the sharpening has gone past the blade edge?
 
Mr. Clean said:
Just out of curiosity, is it by design or user that the sharpening has gone past the blade edge?
Click to expand...

That is just me creating some sort of slope to blend in the amount of metal i had to remove around the heel of the edge.
I'm planning to make that part a bit better looking later.
 
This is a shot of the actual edge angle this blade is going to get;

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There is a small difference in bevel width between both sides of the blade, but i think that has got to do with these blades not being made with the use of CNC equipment.

These two pictures showcase the reason why i had to remove metal behind the actual edge.
The black lines show the beginning of the ramp from the hollow grind part to the full thickness of the blade , which as you can see is different on both sides of the blade.
Reprofiling to around 30 degrees inclusive with the Wicked Edge sharpener wouldn't have been possible without first removing quite a bit of metal in that region.
As soon as i have finished the edge i hope to get both sides more even with the help of a small diamond file.

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Beautiful work kwackster! I especially like your transition into the choil area. That attention to detail always pays off in the finished product.
I can't wait to see it finished and all back together.
 
Here is my Wicked Edge set-up, screwed on to an old wooden cutting board with rubber feet instead of a granite slab.
Currently taped to the stones is cut to size 1500 grit Silicium Carbide (SiC) wet & dry paper.
I only use SiC paper because it cuts every kind of carbide in the steel cleanly, and when it's time for the diamond compounds i apply this to the backside of the used pieces of wet & dry paper, which are then taped to the stones again.
Useful stuff i tell you, :cool:

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