Beiträge von kwakster

  • 2013 Spyderco Forum Knife Native5 C41GPGR5





    The Spyderco 2013 Forum Knife is a reflection of both the deep tradition and commitment to innovation that characterize Spyderco.
    It is based on the Native5, the latest evolution of one of our most popular US-made designs.
    The full-flat-ground blade is machined from premium CPM S110V steel—an ultra-high-performance, state-of-the-art alloy that includes cobalt, niobium, molybdenum, vanadium, and almost three percent carbon.
    Its handle is also highly evolved, featuring full skeletonized stainless steel liners, a stainless back spacer, and a meticulously crafted backlock mechanism that took literally years of R&D to perfect.
    The handle is encased in green G-10 scales with a distinctive diamond-cut texture pattern and the liners, scales, and lockbar are all expertly hand sanded for an exceptional fit and finish.
    The 2013 Forum Knife will be the first production knife to use this new handle material with its very unique texture.
    A polished four-position hourglass clip completes the package, supporting tip-up and tip-down carry on both sides of the body and making the knife’s operation completely ambidextrous.
    A shining example of the US factory’s craftsmanship, this unique limited-edition knife is laser engraved on the reverse side of the blade with “Spyderco Forum Knife 2013.”


    Specs:


    Closed Length: 4.0 (Inches) / 102 (mm)
    Overall Length: 6.95 (Inches) / 177 (mm)
    Blade Length: 2.95 (Inches) / 75 (mm)
    Edge Length: 2.42 (Inches) / 61 (mm)
    Blade Thickness: 0.125 (Inches) / 3.2 (mm)
    Steel: CPM-S110V stainless
    Hardness: +/- 63 HRC
    Weight: 3.6 (Ounces) / 102 (Grams)
    Grind: Full-flat
    Edge Configuration: Plain
    Lock Type: Back Lock
    Handle: Green Diamond-Cut Textured G-10
    R/L/Ambi: Ambi
    Clip: 4-position
    Origin: Golden, Colorado U.S.A. Earth


    Datasheet: http://www.nsm-ny.com/files/CPM%20S110V.pdf

  • SOG S1 Bowie - Seki/SK5 vs. Taiwan/AUS8

    The old ones were manufactured by Hattori in Seki City, Japan from 1986 up to 2005
    This is my example:












    Information from http://www.sogknivescollectors.com;

    The S1 Bowie is the flagship model of SOG Specialty Knives Inc, the first knife design to roll off their production line.
    It is modelled after the exact knife that the brave men of MACVSOG used while in Vietnam for covert recon operations.
    This knife is gun-blued to a shiny hue; making it a very pretty knife indeed.
    Many praise it for its beautiful gun-bluing and the use of high quality SK-5 steel, and is considered to be one of the more collectible Seki Japan SOG Knives.
    The S1 Bowie is commonly known by some as the "5th Special Forces knife", but it was actually called the "SOG Bowie" by SOG.

    Engraved on the left front of the blade near the cross-guard is the old "square SOG logo", while on the other side of the knife just directly above the guard reads "Seki Japan".
    In front of that engraving is the "MACVSOG" Special Forces logo, and further down the blade in the middle of the knife reads "Vietnam 5th Special Forces Group".
    The knife features a leather handle and a classic 'faceted tip', that is the signature feature of the current SOG Bowie knives made today.
    Most of the current SOG knives follow the form/design of the S1 Bowie.
    The modern versions which use different materials include the S1T, Super SOG Bowie and SOG Bowie 2.0.


    Specs:


    Overall length: 28,0 cm
    Blade length: 16,1 cm
    Steel: SK-5 Tool steel
    Hardness: 57-58 HRC
    Blade finish: Deep hot blued
    Weight: 340 gram
    Blade thickness: max. 7,0 mm (newer Taiwain made versions measure 6,0 mm and also have thinner points)
    Handle material: glued leather washers with blued steel guard & pommel

  • Beratung taktische Uhr

    Seit einem Jahr trage ich nur dieses Uhr, ein Traser 6502 Navigator



    Plus:


    - Gute Verarbeitung
    - Gute Genauigkeit, besser als alle Casio G-Shock Modellen die ich vorher hatte
    - Gute Sichtbarkeit bei Nacht (wenn die Augen daran gewöhnt sind kann man beinahe dabei lesen)


    Minus:


    Das Glas ist etwas höher als die Ring rundum, und es ist auch kein Saphirglas, so es gibt schon einige kleine Kratzer am Rand.


    Alles zusammen bin ich aber sehr zufrieden mit dieses Uhr.
    Preis in die Niederlanden: +/- 260 Euro

  • Spyderco C36GGY Military Cruwear

    Look what the mailman brought me this morning:


    This Military Model Sprint features a conventional Military Model PlainEdge blade-profile with a flat-grind and oversized blade hole.
    Machined onto the blade’s spine and choil are sections of jimping that inhibit the knife from slipping forward or backward when forcefully cutting or sawing.



    The blade is matched with peel ply grey G-10 handle and a Michael Walker LinerLock®.
    The lock's liner is nested into the scale which augments lock strength without having to rely on bulkier full-length internal liners.



    Crucible Steel Company produces performance automotive, aerospace, defense, and consumer-products steels.
    They also manufacture high-performance steels for the knife industry.
    Recently they presented Spyderco the opportunity to be the first production knife company to offer CPM® CRU-WEAR® to the public.
    A CPM® CRU-WEAR® Military Model Sprint Run became a reality.


    Together with my 2 other Millies:



    CPM® CRU-WEAR® steel is an air-hardened powdered metallurgy tool steel.
    Crucible’s original smelted-produced CRU-WEAR® was created as an upgrade to A2 and D2 tool steels, both have earned longevity and respect in the cutlery business for their wear resistance and tough cutting performance.


    Powder produced CPM® CRU-WEAR® ups the ante.
    Through powdered steel technology, the steel is made easier to machine with improved resistance to chipping over the original smelted CRU-WEAR®.
    The powdered variety also attains a higher hardness factor through greater percentages of tungsten and molybdenum that result in a secondary hardening response.


    Specs:


    Length overall: 24,2 mm
    Blade length: 10,2 cm
    Blade steel: CPM CRU-WEAR
    Hardness: +/- 61 HRC
    Length closed: 14,0 cm
    Cutting edge: 9,3 cm
    Weight: 128 grams
    Blade thickness: 3,7 mm
    Handle material : Light grey G10

  • A new edge for a Sponaugle droppoint hunter

    Custom Sponaugle 154CM droppoint hunter Loveless style from a Dutch forum member & professional hunter.
    The knife has been in use for some time, and it was kept more or less sharp by the owner with the help of a Spyderco Sharpmaker.
    However, due to the original edge angle being somewhat too large (35/40-ish near the heel developing into 35/30-ish towards the point), and also being a bit uneven keeping it in working condition was becoming a nuisance, and the point becoming rounded was not helping either.


    A new very slightly convex edge of almost exactly 30 degrees inclusive was made with just a standard Paper Wheel, after which i removed the burr on my Tormek leather wheel (the edge keeps a little more bite that way, which works better for hunting knives imo)
    The new edge now transitions smoothly into the ricasso and there's a new point too.


    Before sharpening:







    After sharpening:





  • Small ceramic folder

    Just finished sharpening this small ceramic backlock folder without any markings (probably made by Böker)
    This well made knife had practically no edge and no point, and even opening mail with it was difficult.
    The new edge fits in the 30 degrees inclusive slot on my Tormek angle gauge, is slightly convex, and can shave the hair on my leg in both directions.
    I used the Tormek Black Silicon stone graded to around 1000 grit for reprofiling, followed by diamond compounds 15, 6, and 3 micron, all on dedicated Paper Wheels.





    Specs:


    Length open: 4.7 inch (12 cm)
    Length closed: 3.0 inch (7,5 cm)
    Blade material: black zirconium oxide
    Blade length: 1.8 inch (4,5 cm)
    Blade thickness: 2 mm
    Handle material: Ivory Micarta & Nickel Silver bolsters
    Weight: 61 grams

  • Sharpening a black ceramic kitchen knife

    Basically i start out with a new uncoated & unslotted Paper Wheel and coat the surface with a layer of light oil with tackifier in it, then let dry for at least 12 hours or until the surface looks dry.
    Then i coat the surface with a thin layer of 3M diamond paste and immediately after with another layer of oil, rub it in & mix with a clean finger, then again let dry for at least 12 hours or until the surface looks dry.
    I repeat the process regularly after several knives, as not all of this mixture stays on the wheel indefinitely.
    After several layers of oil & diamond paste as well as sharpening with it the surface of the wheel develops a tacky dark grey layer which will hold the diamond particles noticeably better than in the beginning.


    The diamond paste i use is made by 3M for the electronics industry (chip production) and consists of a light grey colored oily clay base mixed with diamond particles.
    The mixing oil i currently use is a specialty grade used in the audio industry for turntables (certain types of thin chainsaw oil work as well), but it seems you can also buy tackifier separately and add it to your choice of light machine oil.
    I haven't done this yet but plan to.
    Both the tackifier and the drying of the oil help to keep it on the wheel, while the oil itself holds the diamond particles.


    A Wheel with 15 micron diamond compound lets you sharpen ceramic knives that are just plain blunt or have only minor chipping.
    I use this wheel also as a finisher on folders and smaller fixed blades with various wear-resistant steels like S30V, S90V, ZDP-189, CPM-M4 and M390, and it produces only a very tiny burr which is easily stropped off (i use the Tormek leather wheel)
    For the removal of larger chips and the setting of completely new bevels on ceramic knives however you will need heavy machinery like for instance a Tormek T7 fitted with a SB-250 Black Silicon stone like i do.


    A Wheel with 6 micron diamond compound lets you refine the edge on ceramic knives and gives you a very good sharpness, edge quality as well as bite.
    I also use this wheel to finish certain larger bladed steel knives like for instance kitchen knives made from wear-resistant steels.
    For what it's worth i never had a better edge on my early '60's Gerber kitchen knives which use hard chromed M2 high speed steel, and which can be notoriously difficult to sharpen by other means.


    BTW: the best quality ceramic knives i have found to date are the black ones made by Kyocera: the Revolution series if you're on a budget, and the Kyotop series if you want to spend more.
    As the black knives are also tougher than the white ones they can be made with thinner edges, which not only cut noticeably better but are also more easy to resharpen since you have less material to remove.
    Reprofiling a rather thick white ceramic knife can take up to several hours, while a black knife reprofiles in about 30 to 45 minutes, both done with the Tormek T7 fitted with an SB-250 Black Silicon stone.

  • Charge Klinge in Leatherman Wave

    The standard 420HC blades in Wave models have a tendency to blunt rather easily, so you need to sharpen them more often.
    154CM blades and especially S30V blades keep a good working edge for noticeable longer periods.

  • Charge Klinge in Leatherman Wave

    I guess scavenging blades & other parts is best done from scrap Charge models.
    Just checked my own parts stash, and besides various serrated blades, diamond files, and a plethora of washers in different sizes, i only have a few 420HC blades left, so no more 154CM or S30V ones.

  • Charge Klinge in Leatherman Wave

    Done it many times.
    If the Wave is brand new, you will probably have to remove a minute amount of metal from the lockface or the blade won't lock, but if the tool is used for a while you have a good chance the blade will lock right away.
    I modded quite a few tools back in the day, mostly Waves and Charges.


    This was one of those Charge models i modified, and the serrations were done by Jurgen Schanz:


  • Sharpening a black ceramic kitchen knife

    This is my workplace, with a Tormek T7 with an SB-250 Black Silicon stone in the back, and a Creusen slow-speed benchgrinder on the left.
    In the picture the Creusen is fitted with 2 different Rubber Wheels (which i still use on various steel bladed knives), but for the sharpening of ceramic knives (and very hard wearing steels like S90V etc) i use it with Paper Wheels which i coat with a mixture of 3M diamond paste & a specialty oil.
    You can see these Paper Wheels lying in the back, just to the right of the Tormek.


    [url=http://postimage.org/image/dnheqa4sl/]

  • Sharpening a black ceramic kitchen knife

    A niece of mine is an avid amateur Chef (but not yet a knife afi), and this black ceramic knife (a rebranded Kyocera) is one of her favorites in the kitchen, as due to the tougher blade material the edges can be made thinner and thus the knife cuts better than a white ceramic version.
    Longtime use however (not always on a suitable cutting board) plus storing it unprotected in a drawer between a bunch of steel bladed knives had blunted the edge to a point next to unusable, complete with quite a lot of (micro) chips and a broken tip.


    This is the knife as it was when i received it.
    (when you click the pictures 2 x you can see the chips clearly)





    This is the knife after sharpening.
    I reprofiled the rather bad factory edge to an ever so slight convex edge of +/- 25 degrees inclusive, and the sharpness is just hairwhittling (only towards the root, not to the point)
    It easily slices single layer toiletpaper (torn apart 3-layered version) and a tomato of course.






    Specs:


    Overall length: 11.0 inch (28,0 cm)
    Blade length: 5.8 inch (14,8 cm)
    Blade thickness: 1,84 mm
    Blade type: black ceramic / saber-hollow
    Thickness behind the edge: 0,4 mm


    A black (HIP) blade is made out of a black zirconium oxide and offers extra durability.
    This type of blade goes through an extra firing process called a "hot-isostatic press," creating a tighter weave between the ceramic molecules, thus creating a tougher blade.
    The white ceramic blade is also made out of zirconium oxide, but does not go through this expensive sintering process.