Stainless handles & Aus-6 & heat-treat

fulloflead

fulloflead

Joined
May 3, 2002
Messages
6,192
Lots to talk about. I figured I'd put in in one post instead of 2.

I just got a Stainless-handle Endura the other day. I really like the weight of the metal handle, but it's a bit slick. It's not a problem when I'm working with the knife, but it IS a problem on the draw. It's really tough to get a quick grab and pull. I've slipped and had to re-try more often than not. I wonder if it might get a little better with some wear.

Perhaps Spyderco shouldn't polish them quite so finely. But then, it's darn good-looking that way. Mine is nearly mirror-polished with a very slight verticle brush finish. (Great for engraving; I'm sure.)

Ya know what would be sweet? It would be sweet if SC checkered the top inch of the knife on both sides like the front strap of some 1911s! THAT would be cool.

Maybe I'll send mine to the Spyderco Custom Shop to have that done.;) He-he.:D
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Not to complain but does SC not heat-treat their steel themselves? My beloved Meercat edge (AUS-6) was dull with rollover and chips in 4 days! That was a super disappointment. I DID fall in love with the knife and use the hell out of it in those 4 days but I only cut corrigated cardboard and plastic blister packs open with it. I totally resharpened it with my a Lansky/Strop method inside of 20 minutes at the same angle as the factory but with a more polished edge. I hope this one lasts longer because I'm sure I took more care and put a cleaner edge on it than the factory probably did.
But then, my ATS-55 Lum Tanto that I USE (I put away the other for when I wear out the first.) gets dull rather easily too. Only difference is that I've never had to sharpen the Lum Tanto. I have always been able to bring the edge back to shaving with a loaded strop.
Hopefully their VG-10 will do better.

From my understanding of knife companies, some companies buy knife steel and DON'T heat treat it and just use it as it is. (CRKT for example) Other companies (SOG for example) painstakingly heat-treat their steels. (I've had great luck with the steel on even the cheapest SOG knives.)

So what does SC do? Is this the reason their knives seem to be a lot for the money? Do they cut a corner here?
 
Are you telling me that CRKT doesn´t heat treat their steels... How do they then get RC´s as high as 59 ?
As for spyderco; Sal once told that ALL spydie steels are cryro treated. This is expensive treatment and not nessesary unles you want the steel a little better treatet than normally. I think you have been unlucky with the Meercat. Ship it to Doc. Mike and tell him about your trouble. He will check if the knife isn´t heat treatet right.
Take care and have a great weekend,
Vox.:)
 
Originally posted by ALIass
Are you telling me that CRKT doesn´t heat treat their steels... How do they then get RC´s as high as 59 ?
Click to expand...

Just what I heard.
Maybe I had bad luck. Maybe I'm just used to thicker blades too.
 
Checkering SS.I have though about that too.It would be very expesive.
 
Originally posted by u812
Checkering SS.I have though about that too.It would be very expesive.
Click to expand...

Why? I've heard of people getting a checkering file and doing it themselves to guns. I may just buy an old, beat-up and really used SC stainless knife and get a checkering file and try it myself. I just don't know how to use a checkering file. Perhaps, on the off chance that the guy selling them at the gunshow is actually NICE, he'll tell me how to use it.

Seriously, I'm going to try it. I'll start looking for a beat-up POS stainless SC on ebay for a really cheap price to test on. (Unless someone has a beat-up one they'd like to send me for the test.) I'll get a checkering file and instructions from the seller or online somewhere or in one of my gunsmithing books.

Hell, I've never seen a "checkered" knife before. I think it's a worthy experiment. Hell, the checkering part of this post might need to be moved to the General Knife Discussion part of the forum. Maybe I'll repost part of this there.
 
Hi Fulloflead. edge retention is a the result of the steel being used (most important), the heat treat, edge geomery and sharpening. It is quite surprizing that you would have trouble with several Spyderco's. Especially since we really place a lot of emphasis on the edge.

We do constant testing on all models. CATRA edge testing, Goniometer angle testing, Rockwell testing, etc. We have found very few (if any) companies that produce edges that are sharper or stay sharper longer. Perhaps there is another problem?

sal
 
I've been using knives made of D2 a lot recently. Maybe I just forgot what to expect from AUS-6.;)
 
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