Spyderco Para 2
- This topic has 27 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 08/28/2020 at 6:17 pm by
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Keep us posted on this when you’ve done the sharpening and sharpness testing (perhaps in a new thread?). I’m interested to see how it turns out.
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I’m interested too!
BTW Ed, I have several folders with M390 blades, it is my favorite steel by far (for now at least). I have a couple of Spyderco knives but as age goes up, ability to finger flick them open goes down (for me at least) so I’m happier with the Hogue made Doug Ritters RSK Mk1 and Hinderer xm-18. My best effort on a Ritter scored 175 but I only spent 30 minutes or so on it.
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Ed that Bess score is excellent. I’ve sold all brands of folders I have except Spyderco now and keep around 8-12 at a time buying and selling trying different steels. Keep the odd favourite. They just have so much steel selection (albeit a lot of them are sprint runs that sell out very quickly) and seem to also spend a lot of R&D on nailing the heat treat. Anyway, if you find you like the M390, I’d recommend you try something in Cruwear. Personally I feel I can get it sharper but I don’t have a Bess to quantify that. I don’t find that either M390 or Cruwear hold their edge as long as S110V. S110V looses its “just sharpened” edge quickly but then keeps a good working edge for a long time. I also find that high carbide steels like S110v operate better in real world usage (cardboard, rope, zip ties, etc.) with a toothier edge although that would likely hurt its Bess score.
Others I’d really recommend (although they are more tool steels that will patina in case you prefer stainless) are K390 and Rex45.
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45srbest, Jeff,
Here are the Pics I sent MarcH so he has a reference on how I’ve been clamping the S110V PM2. I didn’t sharpen it, I just clamped it for the reference pics.
The blue lines are where I took the BESS measurements. The knife has been in use for over 2 months since the last touch up.
Ed K.
I just finished Ed’s PM2. I sharpened it to 17º per side, just as he had last done. I used Shapton Glass Whetstones, (these are no longer available). The progress: Shaptons 500/1000/2000/4000/6000/8000. Then W.E. DLF’s: 3µ/1.5µ/1.0µ/0.5µ. Then leather strops with 4µ then 2µ W.E. diamond emulsions.
Here are the BESS Scores and photos: (three tests per blade section, tip, mid, and heel),
My sharpening impressions: I could definitely feel the hardness of the S110V Stainless Steel. It did take some effort with the first 500 grit Shaptons Stone to remove previous edge damage and profile the bevels to 17º per side. I did not find the steel to be too chippy, but this is why I use the Shaptons on these hard brittle steels. The Whetstones are able to sharpen steels without it chipping out whereas I find the diamond stones can’t. I was pleasantly surprised as the apex leveled and smoothed out with each subsequent finer grit. Even still the steel does keep a toothiness to it.
I used scrubbing strokes to start with each sharpening stone. Then I followed that with alternating side edge leading strokes. I did spend quite a bit of time with each grit looking to achieve the best results I could. I find it’s better to do more work, spend more time and give more attention then to not, to achieve the final results expected then to wish I had.
The DLFs did bring out an impressive mirror polished bevel. The last stropping phase did smooth off some of the grab of the just sharpened knife edge, leaving an edge that easily sliced newspaper with a whisp. I will be curious to see how well this edge stands up to EDC use.
Marc
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An alignment guide is used as a position referencing tool. So it’s used in a repeatable orientation. To insure the guides orientation is the same each and every time I use it, I align a horizontal gridline so it is parallel to the horizontal top of the vise jaws. I also align a vertical gridline so that too, is parallel to the vertical edge of the vise. It may be helpful to use a piece of tape to hold the alignment guide stationary in that aligned referenced position while you are finding the desired position to clamp your knife.
Marc
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When I use the AAG to get my reference points I look at it from the left side.
This left side view allows me to align the AAG’s position relative to the vise for my referencing position….horizontal to the jaws and vertical to the front of the vise. As you see the horizontal gridline is parallel to the jaw line and the vertical gridline is parallel to the forward flat vertical edge of the vise.
When I record a knife’s clamping position in my sharpening log, I indicate which pin hole pair, the upper or lower pair, the knife was resting on and whether it rested on the front pin, the rear pin, both pins or neither pin. This notation also tells me where I had placed the AAG, because it is held in place in that same depth key pin position.
Marc
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Generally the knife is positioned so it rests on the depth key pins or maybe just one pin. But this is not a requirement. The only requirement is that a knife be clamped securely so it can be sharpened.
Sometimes I have to clamp a knife so it’s just held by the tips of the jaw to avoid the stones impacting the vise or maybe an undesirable part of the knife. As long as I can get two position reference pairs, (X1, Y1, and X2, Y2), with one pair towards the blade’s tip and another towards the blade heel or maybe on the handle, I can recreate the same clamped position for a touch-up. I may have to make a notation in my sharpening log to help guide me to that same position. In that clamping situation I also need to include which key pin holes I used to position the AAG when I took my positioning readings. That’s no big deal. I just make a notation in a manner that makes the clamped position clear to me with words. A saved smart phone photo is another handy method.
Every so often I may even need to use the AAG to record the knife tip coordinates then remove the key pin and flip the AAG over facing towards the rear of the vise to get the second coordinates pair from the knife’s handle end. Whatever it takes. Let your ingenuity guide you. Nothing is wrong if it works for you.
I think many of us do use alternative sharpening methods when the W.E. just won’t work. The W.E. is a very good knife sharpening system but there are so many different kinds and shapes of knives it shouldn’t be expected to work for everyone of these. After trying to use the W.E. with the low angle adapter, (LAA), or maybe with another accessory like a Tormek Small Knife Adapter, sometimes these two helpers just don’t work well for the odd character knives. Then I’ll use another method like a Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker or maybe even a free hand stone. Others sharpeners/users have their favorite, tried and true, go-too fall backs. Whatever it takes.
Marc
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