Sharpening Spyderco's Exotic, Specialty Blades?

[paladin]

JD...brother, you know where I'm gonna go with this...the one common denominator all these sharpening threads keep bringin up in my mind!!!!

THE GAUNTLET....JUST BRING IT!!!! :spyder: :D :spyder:

[JD Spydo]

JD...brother, you know where I'm gonna go with this...the one common denominator all these sharpening threads keep bringin up in my mind!!!!

THE GAUNTLET....JUST BRING IT!!!! :spyder: :D :spyder:

Well Brother I'm looking extremely forward to the GAUNTLET sharpening kit and I will buy one as soon as it hits the market. As long as it is taking to get this tool to the main line up I have to believe that a lot of research has gone into this kit.

Yeah I'm wondering how the GAUNTLET would handle specialty knife designs like the CAPTAIN, The KRIS, PE Hawkbills. Reverse S ( SE & PE), The Dodo as well as most of the Spyderedged blades.

Because the "Cat's Eye" stones from the old/discontinued GALLEY V Sharpening kit that Spyderco had back in the mid to late 90s were very versatile for certain blade designs>> and I've heard that the GAUNTLET does indeed have some of these Cat's Eye stones.

[sir_mike]

Just don't hold your breath for the Gauntlet or any coarser stones to be released. I would be surprised to say the least if that Gauntlet gets released this year at all.

If you own a 701 Profle set, never get rid of it as it is sooooo versatile.

[JD Spydo]

Just don't hold your breath for the Gauntlet or any coarser stones to be released. I would be surprised to say the least if that Gauntlet gets released this year at all.

If you own a 701 Profle set, never get rid of it as it is sooooo versatile.

Everyone I ever got to try out the 701 Profile set loved them If poor sales is what drove out the 701 Profiles then I really don't look for the GOLDENSTONE to be around much longer either Because I believe if they don't starting making the GOLDENSTONE in more grits or do something in the line of marketing to make them more attractive I can't seem them being around much longer either>> so I encourage all of you to get these tools while you can.

I would like to know what you all use to sharpen your recurves blades and irregular blade designs like the KRIS and the CAPTAIN. It's blade designs like those and PE Hawkbills where I believe diamond tools could be your best selection. By the way I believe that the KRIS would be an awesome Sprint Run.

[Bill1170]

I find Spyderedged blades cut better after the factory points have rounded a bit. There is less catching on a slice.

[paladin]

I find Spyderedged blades cut better after the factory points have rounded a bit. There is less catching on a slice.

Good point (pun totally intended :p ), I've found slicing noticeably easier also on a well loved SE. Maybe it also helps when I hit the no-SE side a few swipes on the SM.

[JD Spydo]

I find Spyderedged blades cut better after the factory points have rounded a bit. There is less catching on a slice.

Yeah Bill1170 I tend to agree with you for the most part>> particularly on the Japan made serrated Spyders because they have a really defined, spike type point in their serration pattern which could snag cutting various materials. For that reason I've always liked the Spyderedged blades from the GOLDEN, CO USA plant better than those from the Japan line of Spyders. I'm hoping that Spyderco at some point will look into different serration patterns.

I've yet to find any Spyderco serrated knife that has a better serration pattern than the early to mid 90s model Catcherman model when it was available in full Spyderedge. It is a low profile, wavy type of serrated edge that not only sharpens easy but really cuts well on food and other kitchen jobs as well.

On two occasions I used the corners of the old "Cat's Eye" stones from the old Spyderco GALLEY V sharpening kit from years ago to be a great tool to use for the fully serrated Catcherman model. I wish they would use that serration pattern on more of their fixed blades and big folders. Also many of Spyderco's culinary knives have more of a rounded/wavy type of serration which I also like and find easier to sharpen.

[sir_mike]

Just don't hold your breath for the Gauntlet or any coarser stones to be released. I would be surprised to say the least if that Gauntlet gets released this year at all.

If you own a 701 Profle set, never get rid of it as it is sooooo versatile.

Everyone I ever got to try out the 701 Profile set loved them If poor sales is what drove out the 701 Profiles then I really don't look for the GOLDENSTONE to be around much longer either Because I believe if they don't starting making the GOLDENSTONE in more grits or do something in the line of marketing to make them more attractive I can't seem them being around much longer either>> so I encourage all of you to get these tools while you can.

I would like to know what you all use to sharpen your recurves blades and irregular blade designs like the KRIS and the CAPTAIN. It's blade designs like those and PE Hawkbills where I believe diamond tools could be your best selection. By the way I believe that the KRIS would be an awesome Sprint Run.

It is a shame that they can't come out with the 701's or the 702's again as they are the best for blades with recurves and I don't care for the Goldenstone as it was kinda expensive and nothing really introduced it to us and the fact no other grits but fine which I fine kinda strange in itself. I guess I find the whole Goldenstone intro and even to this day a kinda disappointment as there still isn't much info on it nor do I think they is any plans for other grits. I don't have any recurves or weird shaped blades as sharpening is a pain in my eyes anyway!

It would also be nice if they could get something new to market. They do of sprints so to me it would be nice and make sense to have an upgraded sharpening system hit the market once in a while. I also haven't bought any new knives and won't til I see a new system out for sharpening them that is an improvement over what is out new, ie the Sharpmaker!

I guess time will tell!

[JD Spydo]

Just don't hold your breath for the Gauntlet or any coarser stones to be released. I would be surprised to say the least if that Gauntlet gets released this year at all.

If you own a 701 Profle set, never get rid of it as it is sooooo versatile.

Everyone I ever got to try out the 701 Profile set loved them If poor sales is what drove out the 701 Profiles then I really don't look for the GOLDENSTONE to be around much longer either Because I believe if they don't starting making the GOLDENSTONE in more grits or do something in the line of marketing to make them more attractive I can't seem them being around much longer either>> so I encourage all of you to get these tools while you can.

I would like to know what you all use to sharpen your recurves blades and irregular blade designs like the KRIS and the CAPTAIN. It's blade designs like those and PE Hawkbills where I believe diamond tools could be your best selection. By the way I believe that the KRIS would be an awesome Sprint Run.

It is a shame that they can't come out with the 701's or the 702's again as they are the best for blades with recurves and I don't care for the Goldenstone as it was kinda expensive and nothing really introduced it to us and the fact no other grits but fine which I fine kinda strange in itself. I guess I find the whole Goldenstone intro and even to this day a kinda disappointment as there still isn't much info on it nor do I think they is any plans for other grits. I don't have any recurves or weird shaped blades as sharpening is a pain in my eyes anyway!

I certainly tend to agree with you statement about the GOLDENSTONE>> because I'm also a bit disappointed that hardly no information has been given in regards to the GOLDENSTONE as well as the fact that they haven't offered it up in more grits I do find it interesting to experiment with and I do find it handy to use for minor touch ups on blades that are already relatively sharp or well profiled.

The elimination of the 701 Profiles is also a confusing thing to me because I'm sure if they would have made them in more grits the market for them would have been much larger>> I'm sure of it. It's been a while since we've heard about the development of the GAUNTLET and it makes me wonder what the hold up is on it :confused:

The bottom line is this>> in the knife sector I have no doubt that more of their specialty blades would sell much better if people had a proficient tool to sharpen them with They have even said as much pertaining to Spyderedged blades. I do very much like most of the Spyderco sharpening tools I currently own but I'm with you agreeing that there is definitely room for expansion and overall improvent to cover more specialty sharpening jobs.

Also it would be nice for them to tell us what some of those specialty Spyders were originally designed for and/or primarily meant to be used for.

[sir_mike]

Yeah it is what is it, I guess!

Heck, I have been trying to find out what constitutes a "factory second" regarding the single stones of the double stuff and can't seem to get an answer!

I want to make sure there is any issue with the manufacturing/grit type makeup of these second hand stones as I see they are pretty cheap and wouldn't mind getting one medium and one fine. The only thing is they are sold individually and do not have the leather pouch for storage but a set can be had for about $15 but no one will tell me if it is just a cosmetic deal or something worse as I don't want them if they do not sharpen blades like they should cause something is wrong with them, characteristic wise!

[Halfneck]

My Spyderco Kris will never see use because I don't even want to think about trying to sharpen it. :)

[JD Spydo]

My Spyderco Kris will never see use because I don't even want to think about trying to sharpen it. :)

I'm kind of surprised to hear you say that "Halfneck" :) Because I've found that recurves just aren't that hard to sharpen as most people think they are. I used to get my SPYKER super sharp when I still owned it with my 701 Profiles. Now I will admit that the KRIS is not your "run of the mill" recurve and I'm sure that reprofiling it would probably be a time consuming job to say the least.

I can assure that the DODO model was a huge challenge to me when I first tackled it with sharpening equipment and I'm sure the Dodo is much more demanding to work on than the KRIS would be IMO. But it was one day when I got out my "Cat's Eye" stones from the old Spyderco GALLEY V kit and I discovered an excellent sharpening tool for special, unorthodox blade styles like the Dodo and others. Now I actually enjoy sharpening my Dodo even though I don't do it very often.

It's just a matter of finding a stone that contours to the blade you're working on. Which is why I always found the 701 Profiles to be such a great tool for many different blade styles. Actually the 204 Sharpmaker is a great tool for most recurve blades and it is also a great tool for plain edged Hawkbills but it is time consuming and does take a bit of patience.

[Halfneck]

JD Spydo - I hate sharpening recurves. While I can do it using my Sharpmaker, it's no where near as sharp as I can get it using my Spyderco medium grip ceramic stone. Just getting old an set in my ways. Lots of fancy new sharpening systems out there and I still prefer to sharpen free hand on a stone.

[SpyderNut]

My Spyderco Kris will never see use because I don't even want to think about trying to sharpen it. :)

Same here, lol. I'd feel rotten if I messed up that blade anyway. :o

[JD Spydo]

JD Spydo - I hate sharpening recurves. While I can do it using my Sharpmaker, it's no where near as sharp as I can get it using my Spyderco medium grip ceramic stone. Just getting old an set in my ways. Lots of fancy new sharpening systems out there and I still prefer to sharpen free hand on a stone.

It is truly amazing how many sharpening jobs you can do with Spyderco's rectangular model 302 Benchstones. Just to look at them you would think you are highly limited as to which blade styles you can successfully sharpen with conventional benchstones and/or whetstones. I'm often amazed at what all I can do with my simple Spyderco Doublestuff stone.

But please don't let that stop you from at least giving a set of Spyderco 701 Profiles a chance on your KRIS model as well as Spyderco's other great recurve blades. I was so frustrated when I got my first Spyderco Dodo model back in 03 and for the life of me I couldn't figure how I was going to keep that model sharp. It was just by chance that I happened to give a set of my GALLEY V stones a try>> not only did they prove to be great at sharpening the Dodo model but I've had great luck using them on several other blade designs as well.

I've heard that there will be a set of "cats eye stones in the GAUNTLET kit similar to the ones that they used in the GALLEY V kit. But don't forget the versatility that the 701 Profiles have and you would be hard pressed to find a blade style that they can't sharpen. The KRIS is a great classic Spyder and it is certainly a major candidate for a Sprint run. We really need a video for sharpening several of Spyderco's Specialty blades.