Spyderco Forums

Pardon me but how does steel (440C) look and feel cheap? If it holds its edge reasonably well and cuts its good to go.

I only have 1 at this time and have never had more than two at any one time.
Benchmades were my main blades but now I am down to just one of those.
My all time favorite Spyder is the Urban. Great little knife, just the right size and weight.

You may find it helpful if you stand up and look down on on the rods while you sharpening the knife, you can tell if you are holding the knife at the proper angle to the stones. Do keep the stones clean, it really does make a difference, they pack up pretty fast.

The pieces of granite where about thumb size and it only takes a hand full to do the job. Any rocks will do.

Here is the process and it is very simple and works well. Remove blade and other parts that make up the knife.

I got the Ferric chloride solution at Radio Shack, they call it PCB Etchant ...

http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g340/maddog604/SpydercoUrbanstonewashed003.jpg

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This is my stonewashed Urban. Not to bad ...

http://s1096.photobucket.com/albums/g340/maddog604/

Stonewashed Urban

Another method you can use if you have a vise and a protractor or angle finder is this--Clamp the sharpening stone in the vise at the angle you wish to sharpen at and then hold the knife in the horizontal position and sharpen from heel to point. Keep the stones clean.

You can give it a brushed finish by using wet/dry sandpaper. Start off with about 320 grit, that should be about all you will need. Make vertical strokes, spine to edge and edge to spine keeping the sandpaper wet so it does not pack up. You can progress up to 400 grit or higher depending on how you ...

If you like good slip joint knives with half stops you will like the Spyderco slip joints. I actually would rather have a good slip joint over most locking knives.

Never owned a Native until a few weeks ago when I got one in a trade off Blade Forums.
I am rather impressed with it. Never was much of a fan of hollow ground blades but this blade on the Native is impressing me. Like the pin construction too. All and all I would say it is a very good knife.

The Urban is a great little big knife. Simple and does the job.

Choils work great for extra control. Don't worry about the PC crowd, they like to be scared of everything that comes along they don't understand. I use the choil on my Urban quite a bit for the extra control in cutting.
I guess one advantage of living in a gun friendly state is that knives just go ...

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Here is a picture such as it is.

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Here is a pic of the 2x4 base.

Mattman, the 9/16 hole is a close fit, mine is a bit tight but you can turn the rods easily to use corners or the flats. You can always ream the holes a bit if necessary. If you should get them a bit loose you can always use a shim to adjust. Chop sticks work well. It makes for a cheap base with a ...

Shims do the job well. Toothpicks, match sticks or anything that will close the gap. I have a home made base made out of a 2x4. Using a 9/16 drill and an adjustable drill press you can easily come up with multiple angles. A 9/16 dia. hole will fit the Sharpmaker rods snugly.

In addition to the Sharpie trick make sure your stones are clean. The rods fill up quickly.
A little Ajax, Comet and something to scrub with will do the trick and should help speed up the work a little.

I've gotten the fever for a new blade and have narrowed it down to a UKPK (G10 version) or the Urban. I have had a UKPK but sold it. Great knife and regretted selling it. Now the Urban measures a little under the UKPK with VG10 instead of S30V, both great steels. How is the fit and finish of the ...

One on each side of the blade. Those things are pretty thin so it would be very easy to put an extra one in while assemblying. Keep the third one as a spare or just put it back in on the side it came out of.

Just about any steel you want to carry will do fine in moist situations, Stainless or carbon and I have carried a lot of carbon blades. Ture, carbon tends to rust if you don't care for it properly, wipe it down once in a while and keep clean don't worry about patina. Stainless can pit just by being ...