know your limits

stabman · Feb 22, 2008

I just made a $160 mistake.

1st mistake: paying retail at a local gun shop for a Spyderco Police(kicked myself about that later, but that's an OLD mistake).
Second mistake: buying a plain edge when I wanted serrated(not as big a mistake).
NOW the BIG mistake: thinking I could engrave, and being impatient(stupid!)
I decided to make the Police grippier. I put some jimping along the bottom; THAT worked out. Decided to put jimping on spine and blade ramp; worked, but BUTT ugly(really, REALLY ugly). Would have been better if I'd had the patience to wait till I could get a proper Dremel disk.
BUT, the worst part was the engraving. Turns out I can't. I COULD have handed it off to my jeweller step brother, but NO, I had to be Captain Awesome. Turned out so damn ugly I felt like breaking it into pieces each time I looked at it. I just got back from walking downtown to give it to my brother, seeing as he doesn't care about looks as much, and it's still a perfectly functional knife(it IS grippier now).
At least now I have an excuse to get a serrated Police next time W&W has a sale.

Ed T · Feb 22, 2008

Cover it all with friction tape. Viola.

stabman · Feb 22, 2008

Ed T said:
Cover it all with friction tape. Viola.

That WOULD work, but I really liked the Police as an IWB knife, and grip tape isn't so comfortable for that.
Think I'll try to take it as a lesson(not that I'll learn

), and buy a new one for $100 when I find one(and when I get $100

).

yablanowitz · Feb 22, 2008

There are usually a couple of eBay sellers that have them for around $75 plus about $8 shipping. I don't know if that should make you feel better or worse.

stabman · Feb 22, 2008

yablanowitz said:
There are usually a couple of eBay sellers that have them for around $75 plus about $8 shipping. I don't know if that should make you feel better or worse.

A little of both I suppose.

At least this debacle will keep me from mutilating any more knives for at least 8 years, by which time I should have enough money to purchase any future mistakes away.

kgriggs8 · Feb 23, 2008

We have ALL made mistakes like this. I own guns and like to tinker. I have ruined a few guns that cost more than a Police so don't feel too bad.

Live and learn. I have also learned a lot and I guess the cost of the things I ruined were my tuition fees. Sometimes you kill the value of something but it makes it work for you. In that case, it is fine.

I just melted the frame of my Glock G-26 to better fit my hand. I think I did a pretty good job of it but it probably hurt the resale value. I don't care as I wanted to make it fit my hand. Now it does. What good was it when it didn't feel good and I would use it because of this?

If you are going to try your hand at something lile this in the future, try to find an old beater and then spruce it up. That is far more rewarding than defacing a new knife.

stabman · Feb 23, 2008

kgriggs8 said:
If you are going to try your hand at something lile this in the future, try to find an old beater and then spruce it up. That is far more rewarding than defacing a new knife.

Amen on that. I'll stick to junk till I get good(if THAT happens

).
I'm not too bad with mechanical parts, polishing and a bit of tinkering, but I need alot of practice on the cosmetic touches.

realitycheck · Feb 23, 2008

stabman said:
Amen on that. I'll stick to junk till I get good(if THAT happens).
I'm not too bad with mechanical parts, polishing and a bit of tinkering, but I need alot of practice on the cosmetic touches.

Stabman im a mechanic so I understand mechanical parts like you. But I learned real quick you cant be good at everything when I started trying to learn how to airbrush. I love doing custom work on cars. Airbrushing I just cant do, hehe. You live and you learn.

tortoise · Feb 23, 2008

Ed T said:
Cover it all with friction tape. Viola.

Viola?!

-I couldn't help myself, it just struck me funny.

Sorry about the trouble you had stab.

he who say · Feb 23, 2008

if its not broke, dont fix it.

Aimless · Feb 24, 2008

You never learn if you never try.

stabman · Feb 25, 2008

Thank you for the condolences everyone.

I've certainly learned not to try and "improve" a perfectly good knife in the future. I've learned that I SUCK at engraving, and that I should leave things as they are more often. Sure I wanted the Police grippier, but I have lot's of other grippy knives, and could have had a professional work on the Police if it was REALLY bugging me.
Most of all, I have learned the value of PATIENCE, which would have avoided the debacle.