The Bears' Den--Shirogorov Showcase

ChazzyP said:
I know what you guys are talkin' about with Shiro linerlocks, @CPP and alude904 alude904 . Maybe my 111 isn't technically a linerlock, as it's basically linerless, and it wasn't exactly cheap either, but there's something really specially going' on with these particular Bears. :D

MeF5fcD.jpg
Click to expand...
Man... i want a 111 so bad because they’re so beautiful but it’s just slightly too big to carry for me.
 
ChazzyP said:
I just searched F3R again and found a Russian image of one disassembled showing internal milling on the Ti slabs. Regarding my point about the extra work in the inside of the 95s--never mind.... :oops:

Edit: Also found one of Vlads Blades vids showing the internal milling on the F3R.
Click to expand...
Yeah that’s what I’m saying. I understand the F35R has thicker slabs but the internal milling is the same. Not complaining though, just wanted to spark some curiosity on their pricing structure. I guess at the end of the day, thicker slabs of ti and some slight outside milling are more costly than ti liners, back spacer and separate cf milling.
 
Hoping the USPS gets their collective poop in a group tomorrow and my new F95T arrives as scheduled.

Why is it that wait time expands directly in opposition to the proximity your knife is to its destination?!
 
TRfromMT said:
Hoping the USPS gets their collective poop in a group tomorrow and my new F95T arrives as scheduled.

Why is it that wait time expands directly in opposition to the proximity your knife is to its destination?!
Click to expand...
You can run your phone battery dead checking every few minutes--like they're gonna send updates every time your knife moves another hundred feet. :rolleyes:
 
Just beautiful TRfromMT TRfromMT ! Love that blade grind at the spine on the new R series Ts. What's the steel on that? M390 or Vanax37?

You have my permission to sit at your desk and play with your new bear the rest of the day. :)
 
Two very basic observations so far (apart from this being the sweetest knife on the planet!)

1. The tip of the pocket clip is pointy, almost sharp. It seems my middle fingertip naturally finds it when I'm flipping the blade open. Just a small poke each time. Not an issue at all, just seems like an outlier for otherwise exceptionally well thought out machining on this clip.

2. The pivot screw on mine is loose enough that I can turn it with my thumbnail. No big deal at all, just tightened it where I want it with a nickle (an actual silver one, pre 1964, I picked specifically for the job) and when things seem appropriately broken I will get just a touch of lock tight in there to set it.

By the way, this nickle is going to be "modified" to fit the main pivot screw head and the clip and backspacer heads. Should prevent marring the screw heads.

That's all for now....
 
TRfromMT said:
Two very basic observations so far (apart from this being the sweetest knife on the planet!)

1. The tip of the pocket clip is pointy, almost sharp. It seems my middle fingertip naturally finds it when I'm flipping the blade open. Just a small poke each time. Not an issue at all, just seems like an outlier for otherwise exceptionally well thought out machining on this clip.

2. The pivot screw on mine is loose enough that I can turn it with my thumbnail. No big deal at all, just tightened it where I want it with a nickle (an actual silver one, pre 1964, I picked specifically for the job) and when things seem appropriately broken I will get just a touch of lock tight in there to set it.

By the way, this nickle is going to be "modified" to fit the main pivot screw head and the clip and backspacer heads. Should prevent marring the screw heads.

That's all for now....
Click to expand...
Congrats on the new shiro! Looks great.
 
Another couple observations...

3. With a normal flick open, the lock bar insert is about 50% engaged and unlocks smoothly. If I use a firm, full fist-grip the lock gets fully pressed over so the titanium "tab" is touching the blade and the insert is 100% engaged. In this condition the lock is very sticky. Anyone else exlerience this?

4. This dark blue anodizing is beautiful in person and very subtle. Colors around all the little ridges are very cool.
 
TRfromMT said:
Another couple observations...

3. With a normal flick open, the lock bar insert is about 50% engaged and unlocks smoothly. If I use a firm, full fist-grip the lock gets fully pressed over so the titanium "tab" is touching the blade and the insert is 100% engaged. In this condition the lock is very sticky. Anyone else exlerience this?

4. This dark blue anodizing is beautiful in person and very subtle. Colors around all the little ridges are very cool.
Click to expand...
That is odd. Ive never seen a shiro lock up at 50% with a normal flick. Both my f3r and f95 lock up at about 10% and when i firm grip the f95 it maybe gets to about 40%... maybe
 
TRfromMT TRfromMT , you observations on your gorgeous new 95T got me looking at several of my knives looking for similarities and differences along the lines you have noted. We drove up from the Cape yesterday to our place in the Vermont woods, so I have a dozen or so various knives for comparison with me.

1. The 95 series clips are indeed somewhat pointy and you’re quite right about the middle finger tip finding it’s way there when flipping open. I had not noticed that before, so it must not be uncomfortable for me. It’s a nice little leverage point that keeps one’s finger away from the lock bar. The R series knives have what’s referred to as the new clip, though any visible difference is extremely subtle. I think the biggest change is the addition of a milled bump on the back near the screw to prevent any possible rotation.

2. I’ve read of a couple instances of loose pivots on new Shiros. They’re pumping out more knives lately and, while I’ve only heard of one major flaw getting through QC, there may be some minor things getting missed. The pivot on my F95R was loose, but the previous owner had disassembled.
alude904 said:
That is odd. Ive never seen a shiro lock up at 50% with a normal flick. Both my f3r and f95 lock up at about 10% and when i firm grip the f95 it maybe gets to about 40%... maybe
Click to expand...
I think he means at 50% of the lockbar, not the tang. 50% of the tang is about where you get pushing in til the lockbar hits the positive overtravel shoulder.

Edit: more on some of TR's points later--just taking a break from a project here....
 
Last edited:
Congrats on the new piece TRfromMT TRfromMT ! Enjoying your impressions from a new owner perspective.

Shiro blade shapes have always stood out and appealed to me. It’s just my kind of blade. I don’t own one as I’ve never been into flippers and have a “no bearings” purchase filter (you have to limit the insanity somehow).

BUT...if and when I cave...one day...could be.
 
Yes, (not the conventional reference point, I know), I am talking about 50% and 100% of the lock bar insert being engaged. 50% would be just past the break if the chambered edge, and 100% would be the little tab of titanium lock bar in contact .
 
OK, we’re done with our project, had dinner, and are just relaxing now, listening to the Sox on the radio. So, back to your observations, TRfromMT TRfromMT .

Re 2. Just a quick caution regarding using locktite on Shiros. As you may or may not be aware, their pivots are free-spinning, with no machining to lock in the receiver side, so a small amount of purple locktite is recommended to make future disassembly less challenging. I’ve read that nail polish is also a good choice for any easy-to-break hold.

3. I hadn’t noticed til I just checked that my older F95T allows the lock bar to be pushed all the way to the positive overtravel stop like your TR. My F95R does the same thing as does my NeOn UltraLite. I’ve read a couple posts here and elsewhere with owners commenting on the same issue. I recall hearing that the optimal lock ramp angle is around 7 degrees, but looking at the lock ramps on these Shiros I’ve noticed that their angle appears to be less than a few other makers’ knives I’ve just checked against. I've wondered why Shiros have that shouldered lockbar, and perhaps this shallower angle is why. I’m wondering, too, if this geometry exists as some sort of user safety feature on knives that generally have pretty early lockup. I should also mention that none of my three Shiros with this feature are excessively sticky to release when pushing the lockbar over to its max.

4. The blue ano on my 95R is, like your TR, just gorgeous. The finish on my slabs is also lightly washed with some sort of metallic media which is excellent at scratch-hiding. Like you, I really like the change in finish at the edges of the slabs, clip, and millings, allowing the underlying color to show through. This should look really sweet as the knives wear.
 
TRfromMT said:
Yes, (not the conventional reference point, I know), I am talking about 50% and 100% of the lock bar insert being engaged. 50% would be just past the break if the chambered edge, and 100% would be the little tab of titanium lock bar in contact .
Click to expand...

If you think about it, you'll never be able to push the lock bar over to the other side. ;) I hear about the theory of rock lock with the steel insert, but steel on steel will wear very slow. I've yet to see one develop lock rock, but it could happen any day now.:rolleyes: So, the lock bar getting moved over in use really doesn't bother me.
The F95NL I have is easy to push over, there is no lock stick with it. My 95R takes more effort to push over and does have lock stick. I normally don't try to move the lock bar over any more than I perform spine whacking test to see if the lock will fail. I think it's silly and does not prove anything. If you understand the design of a given feature then it will make sense on what not to do with a knife.
 
Just to be clear, I'm not bothered about how far it moves over with a firm grip. (As a mechanical engineer) I accept ChazzyP ChazzyP 's explanation and understand the relationship between the angle of the lock face and the tang, and the increased friction with low angles. There is a corresponding tendency to slip with steeper angles. I'd basically worked all that out, thinking about these relationships.

What I'm wondering, and maybe a better question, is if you guys see the lock stick I'm seeing when things get pressed? If it's more "common", that would confirm in my mind its dezign geometry (a shallow angle). If im the only one, then maybe its an abberation (like a burr).

Ajack60 Ajack60 seeing some stick and the explanation from ChazzyP leads me to think Shiro picked a lock face angle on the shallow side on purpose, which incidentally explains the need for the positive overtravel stop (I like that name better than "little tab").

One thing I do like is knowing, discussing and understanding all these little nuances. Thanks guys.

By the way, I am not bothered about a little lock stick. I'd be way more bothered about blade play, for example, and have quickly jettisoned knives for it. Some things bug me. Lock stick isn't one of them.

And now another photo for the heck of it.

20180707_080047~01.jpg
 
Excellent post, TRfromMT TRfromMT --your ME perspective greatly adds to the discussion.

I didn't mean to imply that there was no lockstick in my knives with their bars pushed all the way in. I can still release the locks on the three mentioned without a second hand, though with some effort and varying audible clicks per knife.

It strikes me as amusing that back in the day lock stick was considered a good thing that provided an extra modicum of safety. I also prefer a little later lockup in my knives, this whole early lockup thing striking me as something of an internet-driven fad.
 
Last edited:
So, when my new-to-me F95T came to me, I would say the edge was a 8/8.5 out of 10 on a scale of what I personally can get with my sharpmaker. 10 is my personal best on my favorite sharpening system. 10 would be easily hair shaving sharp, not hair whittling. 10 easily cuts standing fan-folded phone book paper. This is at 20dps.

So at an 8, I thought I'd work on it with just the ultra fine rods.

It's now a 10!

My first experience sharpening Vanax 37... What a treat! Feels like a very fine carbon steel. Not too hard. Really seemed to take a very keen edge easily.

My new favorite steel? Maybe.

Any others with experience sharpening Vanax 37 care to share?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top