Recommendation? Para 3 with 52100 steel

T

TheFear

Joined
Aug 13, 2018
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First time dabbling in a folder with a carbon steel in 52100 for my para 3. Any recommendations tips on how to maintain it? I'm afraid of screwing up and getting rust all over it as I've been accustomed to stainless S30V, S90V, etc..

Anyone else pick this up that can share how you will use/treat this knife?
Not particularly a fan of force-patina but I also have no idea what i'm doing with this type of steel.
 
There are probably plenty of threads on the PM2 with 52100 that would be of use. Just keep it oiled I think.
 
Yeah, it depends on what you’re gonna use it for too. If food prep is on the list, stick to nontoxic oils like mineral oil and frog lube.

I use tufglide on my 52100 Millie. No issues yet after 4 months. But it doesn’t see any food prep use.

Also, a forced patina can also transfer onto any food as well.
 
I love 52100, but I'm also a fan of well aged patinas. In fact most of my pm2's will patina or rust.

At some point 52100 will take some color in some places. Sweat, humidity and the oils in your skin all have an affect. You can be OCD about maintenance and keep it coated in oil or froglube. But it will still happen eventually.

I say get one, use it and enjoy it. 52100 sharpens easily and takes a very fine edge. Edge retention is good too.
 
blame it on god said:
I love 52100, but I'm also a fan of well aged patinas. In fact most of my pm2's will patina or rust.

At some point 52100 will take some color in some places. Sweat, humidity and the oils in your skin all have an affect. You can be OCD about maintenance and keep it coated in oil or froglube. But it will still happen eventually.

I say get one, use it and enjoy it. 52100 sharpens easily and takes a very fine edge. Edge retention is good too.
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Yep i am fine with natural patina, I figure to use it for what i bought it for...every day use. If a patina develops, then great I don't mind.

Do i need to be hyper sensitive and disassemble the knife to make sure it doesnt rust in the pivot area/inside the scales? Hope not.

Reading the forums/youtube it makes it sound like 52100 will rust just by looking at it, exaggerating but i just want to make sure i'm following standard protocol to prevent rust.
 
No, you don’t have to worry that much unless you carry it in situations where you sweat profusely. Disassembling is a strong word for removing 3 screws (2 on a Para 3) to wipe off the blade & washers. You probably don’t need to, but it’s not difficult if you do.

I’ve been carrying the 52100 PM2 everyday for a while and have taken the blade out to clean the pivot. No signs of any patina or rust. Then again, I just use it to open packages and usually wipe the blade off after handing it.
 
TheFear said:
Yep i am fine with natural patina, I figure to use it for what i bought it for...every day use. If a patina develops, then great I don't mind.

Do i need to be hyper sensitive and disassemble the knife to make sure it doesnt rust in the pivot area/inside the scales? Hope not
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Ricky Spanish said:
No, you don’t have to worry that much unless you carry it in situations where you sweat profusely. Disassembling is a strong word for removing 3 screws (2 on a Para 3) to wipe off the blade & washers. You probably don’t need to, but it’s not difficult if you do.

I’ve been carrying the 52100 PM2 everyday for a while and have taken the blade out to clean the pivot. No signs of any patina or rust. Then again, I just use it to open packages and usually wipe the blade off after handing it.
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dumb question- i heard Spyderco voids warranty for disassembling, by "removing 3 screws to wipe off the blade & washers" i assume would void the warranty?
 
Nope, disassembly does not void your warranty. If you break something during disassembly, that’s another story. To release the blade from a Para 3, you only need to remove a T8 and a T10 screw. If you can’t do that without breaking the knife, then I wouldn’t recommend working on anything you value with a screwdriver.

Spyderco used to use red loctite and that’s when taking your knife apart voided the warranty. It’s been a year since that was the case and I’ve never come across any red loctite in the 20+ Spydercos I’ve worked on in 2018.
 
These are pretty easy to keep nice and shiny. When I get mine before use I clean the blade off good and then dry it.Spray a dry teflon lube on the pivot area then wipe off the stuff on the blade. You want it clean and dry for the next step. I then just use a paste wax ( renn wax) with a clean cloth and apply then buff it. That takes maybe 3 or 4 minutes. When using it make sure to clean salts and acids or anything corrosive off then reapply wax if needed. Mine look like stainless steel knives. After doing it a few times it gets to be something I can do in under 5 minutes. It's not like sharpening which takes time and concentration to do it at a high level. In this case you just make sure not to miss a spot and also make sure the cloth is a clean one as grit damages the blades finish. Scratches and other imperfections usually will be where rust starts so I give those attention. If rust specs would pop up I just use a metal polish to get it off then clean and re treat the steel. I don't dislike patinas but I'd never force one or recommend anyone else do it. That is just me though. If I spent the time taking care of the knife that I did forcing a patina I would have a clean, bright and shiny blade which is my preference. I grew up using carbon steels and find them easy to care for. In fact I treat all my knives the same whether stainless or carbon steel.

Joe
 
I’ve carried my 52100 PM2 a good bit and although I pay attention to any patina and corrosion more, my M4 Military shows some small specs of rust near the hole where my 52100 PM2 only shows patina, mainly from food. 52100 is such a great steel it’s worth trying if you’re interested in it.
 
Got mine the other day. Very nice, smooth, centered, and super sharp. Peel Ply CF is identical to the 90v knife. I have not been able to test anything yet.
 
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