Reproducing the Spyderco Factory Edge

[Anonymous]

I have examined the bevels on a couple of new Spydercos and have found the scratches made by Spyderco’s factory sharpening process to be very fine and very, very consistent (the scratches are the same width, the same depth and are all parallel).  Is there any way to reproduce this type of bevel with the Wicked Edge, and, of course, the reproduce the sharpness of the Spyderco factory edge?  Or even come close?

Thanks

Rummels

[Marc H]

Welcome to the Wicked Edge Forum, rummels.  You stated the scratch pattern is very consistent and parallel.  I assume you must be using some sort of magnified visual aid to allow you to examine the edge to that detail.

How is this scratch pattern oriented with the knife edge.  Is the pattern perpendicular to the edge, or at an angle to the edge or possibly parallel to the edge.  Perpendicular or angled scratch patterns are fairly easy to emulate and reproduce.  With break-in time on your stones and time to learn a proper technique using the WEPS, gain sharpening experience and a lot of practice on different knives I believe you can become competent in your ability to reproduce a similar scratch pattern.  I’m not sure that the edge you can apply with the Wicked Edge wouldn’t be superior to the Spyderco factory edge, but different.

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

[Anonymous]

MarcH

Thanks for the good info.  The scratch pattern is perpendicular to the edge.

I am trying to find out if anyone else has created as fine and consistant a scratch pattern on a bevel, and how they accomplished it.

Thanks

Rummels

[Organic]

Welcome to the forum rummels!

You should check Clay’s thread on the Spyderco Native 2 in maxamet. He measured the scratches on the bevel and found that they were right around the 3 micron size and it looks like it was heavily stropped to a slightly convex bevel at about 16 degrees per side. This is right around the size of scratches that the 1500 grit diamond stones produce once they have broken in. I think you should be able to produce a very similar edge with the 1500 grit diamond stones and the 4 micron / 2 micron strop set.

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wickededge, Dwight Glass

[tcmeyer]

I haven’t examined more than a few factory edges, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the sharpest of them are more heavily polished.  The result of the polishing is as Organic says, it produces a sort of convex edge.  I don’t think that the depth or width of the scratches is all that meaningful, except in the sense that they might provide a bit of “tooth.”  I have a batch of disposable scalpel blades and they seemed to have been sanded to about 600 grit, then one side only was heavily polished.  The included angle is about 30 degrees.  Not all that different from what we do on the WEPS.

I have three Spydercos and they all came with the same type of grind marks and polished bevel facets.  Like many other manufacturers, they appear to have been sharpened by hand on powered equipment, with the same variability in bevel angles.  My Delica came with 17 degrees on one side and 24 on the other, for an included angle of 42 degrees.  Still, plenty sharp.

The Wicked Edge sharpeners are so dependably accurate that I have absolutely no doubt that I can produce an edge equal to or sharper than any factory edge.   A possible exception might be larger Japanese knives, which can go extremely low in their angles.

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wickededge, Organic, Marc H

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for the good info.

Rummels

 

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wickededge

[Author]

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