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The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:05 pm
by demoncase
So, I had a daft thought while stuck in traffic*:

Spyderco do all kinds of dedicated models with charitable focus and output (Pink handles for breast cancer etc).
Spyderco do all kinds of other great things for folks of all kinds and show levels of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that are humbling.

With that ball rolling- to show a commitment to sustainability and environmentalism: How about a knife made from 100% recycled materials?

It'd definitely by do-able for the handle materials- recycled polymers and aluminium offer some scope there
I'm not sure if anyone offers 100% recycled steel- and if they do, possibly not in a sensible blade steel.
Hardware and fittings are probably a challenge too....

With a goal of demonstrating a minimal environmental impact, I'd love to see what the Golden team could do if they ran with the idea.
Would it be a sprint of a common and popular model like the Delica?
Would it be some new design to maximise the materials available?

I thought it might be called a Spyderco Earth (Naming's the hard bit of knife design, right? :rolleyes: )


*Apologies- it took me 2 hours to travel 35 miles and I was starting to chew the steering wheel a bit :D

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 2:01 pm
by A.S.O.K.A
In terms of steel ( hardware and blade) I would suggest spring steel from vehicles from the scrapyard. If Forged In Fire competitors can make competition blades from those, spyderco should have no real worries doing it too (:

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 4:58 pm
by The Mastiff
I'm not entirely sure about powder steels but there are very few non recycled ingot steels. I can only think of a couple used in knives like some of Hitachi's. White steel? Maybe. Most every steel manufacturer uses recycled steel to some degree. Some blend recycled with new steel made from ore. Isn't steel the most recycled product of all?

I'd be out if Aluminum is used. I hate it on knife handles.

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 5:18 pm
by kodai78
Great idea! While it has appeal the devil will be in the details. I’m guessing quality control would be a barrier and there could be liability issues in the event of any kind of problem.
All the negativity aside I would love to see this happen.

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 9:32 pm
by Sumdumguy
Did someone say "rubbish" micarta handles? Made out of chopped up cloth scraps and resin!

The handles would look like carpet pad, lol!

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 9:36 pm
by bearrowland
I think this is an awesome idea! The Victorinox plant recycles or uses almost anything having to do with production. I'd love to have a Spyderco knife like that!

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 9:37 pm
by bearrowland
Exactly!
A.S.O.K.A wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 2:01 pm
In terms of steel ( hardware and blade) I would suggest spring steel from vehicles from the scrapyard. If Forged In Fire competitors can make competition blades from those, spyderco should have no real worries doing it too (:

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:27 pm
by Tucson Tom
Can micarta be made from cow (or steer) manure? Now that would be something!

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:47 pm
by The Mastiff
Can micarta be made from cow (or steer) manure?
Dunno about that. Won't go inquiring either. :)

Bamboo ( or a commercially grown wood) laminate grips.

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 1:00 am
by ladybug93
this is a really cool idea. unfortunately, companies tend to charge way for items like this, making it hard to justify choosing them, even if you care about the cause. for example, a popular outdoor clothing company made rain jackets out of recycled plastic bottles, to some celebrity endorsements, and charged $200 for a jacket similar to the one i bought from them for $60. if spyderco can do this and keep it reasonable and in a popular model (even if it’s not my favorite), i would definitely be down for one.

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 1:45 am
by Doc Dan
Micarta, which many of us love, can be made from old linen recycled for the purpose.

Old corn cob or pine cone can be used for scales, impregnated with resin.

Paperstone, another nice material, is recycled paper made into a material that feels good, and very strong. https://paperstoneproducts.net/wordpress/


Steel is usually recycled.

This is a feasible idea.

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:15 am
by abbazaba
Cool idea! Though it might be rather pricey.

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:42 am
by bearfacedkiller
A blade made from old leaf springs, liners made from recycled beer cans and micarta scales made from old blue jeans. Sounds like something a custom maker could do.

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:09 am
by p_atrick
French knife maker Roland Lannier does all kinds of interesting things with making his own micarta. He recently did a run of knives using Lucha libre masks. He has also used records from some of his favorite artists, comic book pages, concrete (looks better than it sounds), etc. I'd be interested in seeing how creative Spyderco could be with unique micarta materials.

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 8:03 am
by ferider
Count me in !

I would insist though, that the energy for forge, laser cutting, cryo treatment, grinding, etc., comes from water-, solar-, or wind-power.

BTW, if anybody wants to properly recycle their CruWear Spydercos, send them to me, I'll make sure it gets done in a green way. :D

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:19 am
by Tucson Tom
All the grinding would need to be done on pedal powered machines.

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:29 am
by Bill1170
One could take the long view. All elements heavier than hydrogen were created in the fusion forge of a star, then ejected when the star died. Collecting and purifying the metals from which blades are made is already an exercise in recycling.

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:24 am
by SpyderEdgeForever
Great idea!

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:44 am
by Bloke
ferider wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 8:03 am
or wind-power.
Image

Re: The Spyderco Earth- a knife made from 100% recycled materials

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:46 am
by bearrowland
😱