Modded the Spyderco Native 5 CF/S110V

[GoldenSpydie]

{No offense intended to anyone who likes the N5 just as it is, or to anyone who likes peel-ply CF.}

I never really fell in love with this knife, because the ergos were not quite right (for me) and the corners were very sharp. The scales didn't quite fit the liners, creating sharp metal edges. Finally, I don't really like peel-ply CF, as I see no advantage over peel-ply G10. If you're going to pay extra for CF, it might as well look nice!

I fixed all of that with some sand paper. The corners are rounded, the scales are smoothed and buffed, and the liners are flush with the scales. I also anodized the clip. Now it is a classy folder with beautiful scales and a super steel blade. Yay! :D :spyder:

Before:




After:

[3rdGenRigger]

Looks awesome!

[gbelleh]

Very nice!

[Rule #9]

I love the Native 5 and that looks great. Nice work!

[Jazz]

Nice job, bro! I rounded all the edges on my Native too - G10 one.

[senorsquare]

Nice work! I need to go get some sandpaper... :D

What grit did you finish with?

[GoldenSpydie]

Thanks everyone!

Senorsquare: I did most of the shaping at 180 grit. The CF just melts away with moderate pressure. I then used 220, 400, 600, and finished at 1500. I did a final pass with the dremel and a buffing wheel, but I don't know if it made a difference.

[Laethageal]

Great looking native!

[xceptnl]

A beautiful mod GS. I like your finished product better than most Peel-ply CF. Your clip mod is also curious. Tell us more about the 2 screw alternative.

[bearfacedkiller]

Looks great. I am not a fan of peel ply carbon fiber and you mods look great.

[SpyderNut]

GS, your CF mod looks excellent! I too prefer my CF to be non peel-ply. Grest pis too, man. Makes me want to pull out my N5 and play with it.

A beautiful mod GS. I like your finished product better than most Peel-ply CF. Your clip mod is also curious. Tell us more about the 2 screw alternative.

I wondered that too. Of course I can't speak for GoldenSpydie, but I am guessing that the reason he modded the top of the pocket clip from a three-screw to a two-screw configuration was due to the new scales' edges are more contoured than the original scales. In other words, the original scales had a very subdued contour on the edges, which allowed the top of the clip to ride quite close to the edge. That would be my guess, anyway. :)

[MadRookie]

Looks good - how grippy is it now?

:)

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

looks a lot like the Native 4 now....my favourite Native. :)

[Evil D]

Tempted to polish my Yo 2. It has plenty of ergos without the grippy texture.

[Brock O Lee]

Nice work GS...

I did the same with a S90V Military a while ago. I bought it second hand and there were a few scratches on the CF which I wanted to get rid of. No issues with grip, I find smooth CF stays somewhat grippy even when wet and I'm not missing the peel ply texture.

[Jazz]

Hans - that's one of the best looking Millies I've seen. Really looks good - nice job.

[GoldenSpydie]

GS, your CF mod looks excellent! I too prefer my CF to be non peel-ply. Grest pis too, man. Makes me want to pull out my N5 and play with it.

A beautiful mod GS. I like your finished product better than most Peel-ply CF. Your clip mod is also curious. Tell us more about the 2 screw alternative.

I wondered that too. Of course I can't speak for GoldenSpydie, but I am guessing that the reason he modded the top of the pocket clip from a three-screw to a two-screw configuration was due to the new scales' edges are more contoured than the original scales. In other words, the original scales had a very subdued contour on the edges, which allowed the top of the clip to ride quite close to the edge. That would be my guess, anyway. :)

I was wondering if someone would notice.

Long story short, I lost a screw. It looked weird with a hole with no screw in it, so I made it kind of "unique." (The extra hole in the CF doesn't bother me as much as a hole in the clip.) As Spydernut mentioned, it fits the new shape a little better, too. I'm also thinking about bending it for deep carry--has anyone done that with a stock spoon clip?

As for grip, I guess that peel-ply is slightly more tactile, but in the end, it really seems to come down to how well the ergos lock into your hand.

That's an awesome S90V Millie, Brock O Lee! :)

[800polaris]

Any idea what g10 looks like when you sand the surface?

[bearfacedkiller]

Any idea what g10 looks like when you sand the surface?

you can do it. you can even polish it. google it. there are many g10 knives that are not peel ply.

[bh49]

Nice work.
I am not a big fan of peel-ply CF or G10, but I it more than polished CF. The best CF for me is Taiwaneese style or the one, which Dodo has.
rounding sharp corners are always nice.