Wood inlay Sebenza lock bar

[kidcongo]

I thought I would start a thread for any further discussion on this topic as it was hijacking the discussion about the new 25 Micarta.

Clearly there's differing opinion on the fact CRK does not polish the lock bar on it's wood inlay Sebbies. I think there is really no function to this, it just has to do with the stage at which they polish the handle (after the lockbar is bent), and likely some other manufacturing quirks that prevent them from doing the obvious thing and making the whole knife match (and some folks happy).

Having said that, the different texture of the Ti doesn't bother me. I think it ties in, in a way, with the blade with it's half stonewash / half polish surface. I also think it gives a bit of a utility look to the knife, that might otherwise simply be too shiny if you catch my drift.

haters and lovers.......we live in a great and privileged world to have such trivial things to discuss.

 

[bhyde]

They likely don't polish the lockbar because it's not easily accessible after it is bent.
Like you had brought up in the previous thread..The scales are polished (closer to lapping than polishing..semantics) on a granite surface plate (I think you referred to it as a sanding plate. The surface plates are very flat. When you start lapping the scales, you see every imperfection in the material. Now, imagine trying to lap the lockbar side, especially where the lockbar meets the blade for lockup. It's a very small area to get sandpaper into and keep the grain running the same direction. Now look at your scales that have been polished/lapped. See any imperfections in the surfaces?
I did this process on one of my regular sebs many years ago. It takes time..The lockbar alone took me as much time to polish as the presentation side as well as the lockbar flat face.

This is my insight anyway. I'm not saying you can't take a buffer to the scales..But knowing Chris- He would not want the scales to have surface profile/deviation from flat.

 

[Ajack60]

Or maybe many moons ago, after the first batch was finished, CRK saw the beauty of the knife, the contrast it brings, the controversy it now brings, and said hey, it works for me, and thus another legend was born. As everyone knows, these knives have seen subtle changes over the years, why make eye sore changes when with what you have works and people love the product. Maybe in the future, there will be a drastic change like the 25, to these works of art, until then, like Cody said you either love or hate it. The one annual I have will be in my grave with me.

 

[stjames]

Quick and crappy iPhone pic;



These are LE Wood Inlays so the frame is the regular style, as you can tell. Top to bottom is 1999 through 2002.

The first year they did polish the lock bar, but that year only on my examples. I must have dropped the ball in '01 as the knife is lacking the insert as well as double thumb lugs (my standard order when I was buying the LE's).

In '02 they started to polish the clip insert as well, if you ordered it with the knife, and you will note that the '02 is missing the telltale marks on the lock bar where the clip normally touches. They changed the relief on the lock bar that year as well, instead of the large shallow cutout it is a few small grooves further from the locating hole.

 

[JustinFournier]

I'm not sure why they don't do it, but I sure wish they would!

 

[Peter Hartwig]

It may have something to do with the heat treat they do to the lockbar face. I once sent them a knife that had a scotchbrite treatment. They wanted to redo the heat treat and told me they would have to re-blast the lock side after it.

 

[Birdhunter1220]

I have to say I love the contrast.

 

[biggerjon]

I just wish that they would make the wood/mammoth/whatever inlays in both blasted and polished. I stand firm that a bead blasted mammoth would be ultra sexy.

 

[TTTis]

It may have something to do with the heat treat they do to the lockbar face. I once sent them a knife that had a scotchbrite treatment. They wanted to redo the heat treat and told me they would have to re-blast the lock side after it.

We really need to make this topic a sticky or something. It seems to come up repeatedly. Either that or the Exquisite Blade series must be required watching.

It is simply how they finish the knife. All lock slabs are blasted initially. Certain inlay models are then polished on a flat slab of sandpaper. This causes the lockbar to rise and not be polished in the process. Nothing to do with grip or anything else.

In your case, maybe the heat treating leaves a coloring they want to cover up with the blast.


I believe it's in the second part.


[video=youtube;U-dGEAFf-vE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-dGEAFf-vE[/video]

[video=youtube;RZGb-juKPlU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZGb-juKPlU[/video]

 

[TTTis]

I just wish that they would make the wood/mammoth/whatever inlays in both blasted and polished. I stand firm that a bead blasted mammoth would be ultra sexy.

I know a few members here blast their own inlay models from polished. You may be able to get someone to do it for you... for a price.