Spyderco factory edge

dsmegst

dsmegst

Joined
Jul 21, 2009
Messages
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Has anyone tried to recreate the Spyderco factory edge at home? I really like the bite they have along with the associated longevity, unlike normal toothy edges.

Highly polished edges have their uses but I can't push cut everything.
 
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I use the flats of my brown rods for utility work. Give a nice toothy edge that will still easily push cut or shave, albeit a bit of a rough shave.
 
I can do it pretty well on a Kiwi, using a DMT 6" coarse diamond stone. Harder to do on blades that need to be swept across the stone, rather than just pushed along it.

Paul
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It looks like they set the bevel with something coarse, then polish the edge to remove the burr. Looks like what paper wheels do.
 
ctk123 said:
It looks like they set the bevel with something coarse, then polish the edge to remove the burr. Looks like what paper wheels do.
Click to expand...

Whatever grit they're using is much coarser than the paper grit wheel. And so I don't have a way to create the same sort of coarse vertical scratch patterns on a blade. I would end up with diagonal patterns instead.

I can break out the grinding wheels but my bench grinder spins way too fast and generate too much heat for a knife edge.
 
I think that the SharpMaker would get it done. It gets me a razor edge on the assortment of steels that I have. The only problem is when the blades have a re-curve to them. Then I use the stone out that fits in the end to get it done.
 
They're sharpened on belt grinders with a coarse belt and finished on a buffing wheel; I asked charlynn a while ago. You can do that yourself or just send them for sharpening.
 
I just tried going from the diamond rods straight to a .5 micron honing wheel, and that's a little similar but it won't push cut nearly as smoothly as the factory edge. I'm going to try going from the grit wheel to a cloth buffing wheel instead of the slotted paper wheel. The paper wheels tend to smooth out all the scratch patterns instead of polishing the existing shape.

This is a fun little experiment.
 
I'll be getting my Sharpmaker in the mail next week.
What angle do I set that rods at to sharpen my VG-10 Caly3 and ParaMil2?
They've never been sharpened before and still have their factory edges.
The ParaM2 doesn't need to be sharpened quite yet but will eventually but the Caly3 definitely needs a good sharpening.
 
It feels to me that they bevel around 400 grit, then polish. Not a perfect polish, just enough to "polish the teeth".
 
The factory edges are done by hand and they aim for 30 degrees inclusive so try the 30 degrees setting first. The best way to see if you're hitting the edge is to color the edge with a Sharpie. Then take a few swipes and see if the rods are indeed hitting the very edge.

If you're going for a micro bevel, then the 40 degrees will work.
 
Jcurd is right about the grit.. probably around 220 or even lower, but they use cloth buffing wheels not paper wheels. They only use a very small amount of compound on the wheel to keep it from polishing.
 
dsmegst said:
The factory edges are done by hand and they aim for 30 degrees inclusive so try the 30 degrees setting first. The best way to see if you're hitting the edge is to color the edge with a Sharpie. Then take a few swipes and see if the rods are indeed hitting the very edge.

If you're going for a micro bevel, then the 40 degrees will work.
Click to expand...

Thank you
 
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