Schempp Rock H1 reimagined

[David Mary]

Good afternoon fellow Spyderfriends. I loved the Schempp Rock since the moment I first saw it, especially considering the use of the tough rustproof H1 steel, which I loved already.

There are a few design elements with the knife, however, that I have found not to be suited to my tastes, and for the last two years I had it in the back of my mind to change it some. Almost immediately I made a Kydex sheath to not have to take extra care not to wreck the edge on every draw, but then it sat on the back-burner for the next two years.


The factory Schempp Rock:

Finally I decided to make it happen today, and so here is what I came up with to make the knife perfect for me.


- Rounded the sharp protrusion on the thumb ramp.

- Removed the finger choil and reshaped the front of the scales accordingly.

- Ground the plunge back to meet the scales, the eliminating practically any need for a choil anyway.

- Flat ground the blade, raised the grind height, and thinned it out to ~.010" behind the edge.


The resulting knife is less blade heavy, meaning that using it in the standard grip is less fatiguing (as if this featherweight knife could have been considered fatiguing before!).

H1 is a fantastic steel, and fits this design very well, and now that it is flat and thin, I anticipate nothing but joy from using this knife. I'd love to hear others' thought and experiences with the Schempp Rock and Rock salt, and especially see any changes you might have made. Thanks for looking!

 

[David Mary]

Oh and I almost forgot: With all due respect to the original design, in my opinion it looks much more attractive this way.

 

[3fifty7]

I wish you would have included a before shot as well. I had to look one up and do a couple back and fourths.

I must say well done !

 

[David Mary]

Thank you friend!

I'll update the post with a before, good call.

 

[DA170]

Nice work! Both before and after are good looking knives!

 

[craytab]

I like it!

 

[fishface5]

That looks very good! I was expecting to see the handle profile smoothed as well to remove the bump in the middle, and maybe some new scales, but no need to change those if it works for you as is.

 

[Eversion]

That's fantastic work! Surely an improvement in my eyes.

 

[David Mary]

Thank you friends!

I was expecting to see the handle profile smoothed as well to remove the bump in the middle, and maybe some new scales, but no need to change those if it works for you as is.

Yes I will remove the bump tomorrow, as I ground the index finger groove a little more forward yesterday after I took those pics, in order to get my hand a little closer to the cutting edge, and now the bump rests under my ring finger. I don't know if I'll remove it completely for a continuous curve, or just round it out for a small swell. I'll have to get the scales off again to remind myself where the skeletonization holes are before I make up my mind.

As for new scales, I was seriously considering some from the beginning as a matter of fact. If I do, I'll cover the exposed pommel as well, and also make the scales thicker at the butt with a swell to lock in the grip, because if there is one thing this handle design needs, in my opinion, it's a bit more grip security at the butt.

 

[fishface5]

Right on looking forward to seeing the result!

 

[Surfingringo]

Very nice work David. There is actually a discussion going on in the Spyderco forum right now about re-making the Rock in a HEAVIER version that would be more suitable for chopping. I actually like that idea but I like what you did here too. Given that the Rock was already a bit too light for that kind of heavy “chopping” use, the idea of optimizing it more for general cutting was a good direction to go. Tight looking work!

 

[David Mary]

Surfingringo Thanks Lance!

Yes, I admit when I first received my Rock, I was surprised at the thinness of the stock, and bemused it would have ever been considered suitable for any kind of chopping. Maybe chop-carving for tent pegs, at best. I used to wish it was thicker and heavier, but now I have fully embraced its lightness and speed, and find it to be a great, easy to carry knife for clearing overgrown light vegetation.

I hope you don't mind, but I also optimized my waterway for my own EDC carry and use:


Same cutting edge length, but what cutting edge I removed from shortening the tip, I regained by bringing the plunge line back to scales. And I shortened the handle just enough so that my pinky was not quite comfortably secure, and then I ground the finger groove a tiny bit forward so I could get my hand a little closer to the cutting edge, and my pinky back where it wants to be. It's almost a rust proof sleeker fixed blade Resilience for me, maybe reminiscent of a Kephart too. Oh and of course I ground it a few thousandths thinner behind the edge as well (every knife gets this treatment!).

Great knife from the factory, though (like the Schempp Rock), and it took me while to finally decide to do this with it, based on my desire to comfortably carry it IWB. Thanks for a great design.

Thanks again for the kind words, and well wishes and many fishes to you!