Done waiting: √ Custom 940 Magnacut hollow ground - RC61, .09"@.009BTE

scottc3

scottc3

Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
1,040
940Custom.jpg​
After 6 years of studying the 940 as a hobbyist, gathering and trying parts, this 8 months of waiting is over, and my reblade is in hand, WOO-HOO. I am trying to make a great knife a great slicer while retaining the Osborne over built design, taking the opportunity to compare steels, designing a warm aesthetic using burled Carbon Fiber scales that fill my hand with a swell sized to the 940. Yeah, like the excellent "Grip" tillian scales.
Went thinner on the idea that Magnacut's toughness could go from stock's .0114 to .09 inches and maintain plenty of EDC blade strength; My impression from Larin was that RC 61/62 was good to go for folders, and this blade's 61 more then matches the 940's pivot / frame strength; 0.009 inches avg. BTE is reasonable for a user, and will help slicing; retained Bronze Phospher washers for longevity and ease of service, though NP3 or DLC would increase lubricity; hollow ground helps slicing and stays thin BTE longer. A most happy error occurred when the opening slot droop matched perfectly the dip moving forward along the spine to the start of the drop point. This aesthetic makes me smile, and I cannot tell you how many times secondary gains eclipsed primary goals project after project.
CF scales with Burl inlays like DOAT makes would work. Though the beauty of 3D machined CF with lower, inner, and upper, top layer, latticed like a Dmitry Sinkevich Custom Coordinal Leafe might be better for getting a little rounder hold on scales approximating the Griptillian. Of course topped with burl, maybe next year.
Hoping Rogue River Blade Works will run another batch of 3D CF clips, which are 1 gram and beautiful. I expected a makers mark as standard, but blade was only marked with my life verse "Romans 4:3" and blade's tested "RC 61." Thank you Dylan and Schenk Knives.
Fitting and sharpening this weekend, guessing secondary bevel width will be closer to my Shoki's ~.025" at .015" BTE then a Bugout's ~.035" at ~.020".
Assembling my 940-1501 s20v blade in a "parts cow" frame for comparison next.
 
Last edited:
Dylan, I really love way the shapes fit together, the match between the slot and and forward spine drop adds a very pleasing aesthetic to the spine. I am in a little disbelief that the edge will not fail, 
even though the s30v edge on my Shoki at 30 degrees inclusive has never had a problem. I thought I would try 30 degrees, but maybe I will start with 34.
I have a 535GRY-1 if stop pin or stand offs are needed to fit the 940's .09" blade (0.114" - 0.09" / 2 = 0.012" per side). But I think I'm going to first hone a 940 stop pin down (after trying stock for fun), let Axis bar stick out the .012 "skosh", and use 940 stand offs as they look close to 535's. I'll report parts dimensions after disassembly.
 
* Disassembled- weighed n measured: stand offs, blades, clips.
* Created the secondary bevel and apex on my new Magnacut custom blade (.09” at .009”BTE): easily slices gas pump receipts, does not push cut every time, off KME 300 grit diamonds.
* Magnacut blade sharpened at 32 degrees inclusive using KME 140 119 MICRON and 300 GRIT 57 MICRON diamond plates; thumb only pressure with leading and trailing edge combined first (~80 minutes including breaks, edge and angle checks); then stone holder only, then trailing edge only, in decreasing strokes measured first in 5 minute chunks then toward finish with stroke count, down to 3 each side.
* Thank you Benchmade Engineers: tight tolerances and parts keying and registration, made frame reassembly easy peasy -oval shaped stand off anchor and strength bulge at standoff screw anchor point.
* Next KME diamonds- 600 = 30μm, 1500 GRIT = 12.6 μm

* 940-1501 Schenk Custom Magnacut reblade by Dylan = 2.07 oz no CF clip; 2.10 oz with CF clip.
* 940-1501 20cv G10, no thumb stud, no clip = 2.36oz calculated.
* Factory 940-1 CF 90v = 2.44 oz.
* Factory 940-2 G10 s30v = 2.65 oz .

Magnacut blade = .594 oz / 16.84g
Factory 20cv blade no thumb stud = .887 oz / 25.15g
Factory s30v blade w thumb stud = .923 oz / 26.17g
CF clip = .029 oz
Stock 940-1501 clip = .160 oz

===============
notes-
940-1 scales fit 940-1501; 940-1 IS 0.2oz / 5.67G LIGHTER THEN 940-2
(940 Fits William Henry Lg C15 Clip Case, open backside)

Reference 535 Bugout= RogueBladeWorks scales. I get 1.96oz w stock 535 clip n RBW CF SCALES.

Funny story- reading about shifting angle reports on various threads got me seriously concerned when checking sharpening angle, which I stopped doing since growing confident with KME, instead checking 17 degrees a bunch, both ends and middle, then I see 20 degrees. Minor moment ensues, checking this and that, stop for a moment to look, and discover base had climbed on top of a raised edge on silicon matt… moved off bump and angle measures 17 degrees, crises averted. As always never deviates for me unless I'm not paying attention...

Off KME 140 grit 119 micron edge
7X2CROP=RsideEDGEv3.jpg
CROP7X2=LsideEDGEv3.jpg

Off KME 300 grit 57 micron
RsideMagnacutON940-1505frame.jpg
LsideMagnacutON940-1505frame.jpg
 
Last edited:
Yes, I wanted to carefully create an excellent even first edge on the blade, so the KME is my best tool for this job.
 
Here are three pics of a Bugout 535, my 940-1501 Magnacut, and a Shoki 480. The 940 has a slightly smaller secondary bevel then the 480, ~.20 vs .~25". Both 940 and 480 are much smaller then the 2 Bugouts ~.60 to ~.53", previously reported ~.35". The 940 is now below my threshold for estimating Behind The Edge - BTE measurements with calipers.
Serious distraction note - I am not at all satisfied with estimating secondary bevel width using my calipers. What is worse is that from different perspectives my eyes do not agree sometimes with my many attempts at measuring. Thinking my eyes and calipers are good-nuff, I have resisted measuring accurately with NIH IMAGE / ImageJ, a free tool I know how to use, or Gimp, another free tool, that has measuring and plugin functions I've never used. But accurate secondary bevel measurement would give me the ability to also report BTE measurements for my 940.
Reblade940aproxsecondaryBevel_v12.jpg480SecondaryBevel_v15.jpgstock535aprox2secondarybevels_v9.jpg​
 
EDC update- I cannot see or feel any dings on edge, with thumb nail slicing paper or looking. Stuff I use my 940 for, are shaping bubble wrap, cutting tops off one gallon jugs, opening mail and plastic packages, cutting zip ties, and opening boxes. My expectation is the Magnacut edge will out last my 20cv edge which provided exceptional EDC service.
 
Last edited:
LOOKING FOR A MAKER / CRAFTS PERSON-
I am preparing to sell some knives to fund custom 3D carbon fiber scales with palm swell ala griptilian, with inlaid stabilized burl. Maker will need to 3D machine scales similar but less organic then Dmitry Sinkevich Custom Coordinal scales and less geometric then Tiguy7's titanium 3D printed scales. One lower-plain or marbled CF, and one higher- burl inlaid 3D layering that captures laddering, where top layer rungs of ladder, scales, go spine to bottom of scale evenly (I am thinking the illusion of rungs tapering closer together at bottom then spine will be enforced by stock 940 spine hump, and swell front to rear).
A 3D third layer integral CF clip, or factory pattern screw holes for right hand tip up carry (for Rogue Bladeworks 3D CF clip), or no clip provision is needed.
Scales also need opening slot thumb access ramp radiused on both sides.
It would be great to have simple small engraving of a book and sword shaped into stabilized burl on show side in say fake ivory, but that may need to wait another year for budget's sake.
 
scottc3 said:
I just went after a 940's new Magnacut reblade for the second time with KME's 300 grit diamond using a gentle hand, stropped trailing edge on corner of soft plaster table, inspected with 10x illuminated loup. The 940's edge push cuts gas station receipts and standard 20 pound printer paper in my non-humid environment, on its own weight, but slicing revels "micro" serrations that catch on receipt edge. At 20 n 30x it is obvious apex / edge is rough.
Click to expand...
2nd_pass_w_kme300v1.jpg
2nd_pass_w_kme300v2.jpg

2ndPASSwKME300v3.jpg

2ndPASSwKME300v4.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top