Crowned spines

Discuss Spyderco's products and history.
mehhhhhhhh
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Crowned spines

#1

Post by mehhhhhhhh »

I’ve been a Spyderco fan for over two decades, but dipped my toe into the Chris Reeve realm a few years ago, with a small sebenza.

Aside from the action one of the biggest “premium” features that adds to the knife feel is the rounded or crowned spine. Seems like a pretty simple thing to do, but just curious why spyderco doesn’t do it more often and for those with the tools what does it take? Is it really as simple as using sharpmaker rods or sandpaper/belts to round out the spine?
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Danke
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Re: Crowned spines

#2

Post by Danke »

There are models with a rounded spine but I prefer the more industrial look of squared off.

Some folks also object because if they're ever lost in the woods a ferro rod is harder to use on rounded.
The Meat man
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Re: Crowned spines

#3

Post by The Meat man »

I agree Meh, a rounded spine seems like a small thing but it can add a lot to the feeling of high quality.

Sharpmaker might work but it'd be far from ideal. I'd use a belt sander, being very careful to not let the knife get to warm.
- Connor

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N. Brian Huegel
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Re: Crowned spines

#4

Post by N. Brian Huegel »

Easy to do, difficult to do well. There is a lot of steel to remove accurately to create a 180° radius. Even a squared spine takes a fair amount of skill to do by hand. A crowned spine takes a real craftsman.

nb
dan31
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Re: Crowned spines

#5

Post by dan31 »

Don’t do it. I imagine it must be terribly difficult to do it well. I think CRK may do theirs by hand to finish.
Coastal
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Re: Crowned spines

#6

Post by Coastal »

I've done a partial, just rounding off the corners and polishing with a Dremel. It's not as nice as a full crown, but IMO it's about 90% as nice. About 30 minutes of work, freehand.
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Re: Crowned spines

#7

Post by MFlovejp »

Oh the agony and heartbreak of ruining a beloved knife while trying modifications that require professional skills!
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Ryder
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Re: Crowned spines

#8

Post by Ryder »

I bought a couple CRKs twenty years ago and feel a good part of the knives are finish. They do a wonderful crowned spine but I prefer a spine that works as a scrapper for veggies and such. Food prep while backpacking and camping is a major use for my knives. My recent Delica K390 purchase came with a very rough spine that had been polished. It took some elbow grease to smooth it out with 400 grit sandpaper over cardboard. It is smooth as silk now and has a bit of sharpness to the sides which works extremely well for food prep purposes. The Delica K390 cost me a fraction of what I paid for one of the CRKs twenty years ago and I like the Delica so much better. The CRKS come hollow ground (HHG), a grind that binds in some materials. FFG doesn’t bind like that. Also I’ve never had a Spyderco of any model where the blade came out while in my pocket but the large CRK with a rather weak detent will do it, bad for the pocket and very dangerous for the femoral artery. Yikes. We are active off trail hikers so I want to know my equipment isn’t dangerous. CRKs are freaking heavy too. Spudercos with FRN are fabulous for being so lightweight for what one gets. Sorry for going off the rails a bit but there it is. Some folks might be able to create a crowned spine for a Spyderco but you have to take care around the Spydie hole as the tolerances there don’t leave a lot for any mis-calculations.
Superflex
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Re: Crowned spines

#9

Post by Superflex »

Get the Spyopera
Beautiful crowned spine and a great all around knife
Mine sits in the kitchen windowsill for opening packages and gets carried on more gentlemanly occasions.
twinboysdad
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Re: Crowned spines

#10

Post by twinboysdad »

The reason I like my Wharn DF2 better than standard is the square spine.
zhyla
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Re: Crowned spines

#11

Post by zhyla »

N. Brian Huegel wrote:
Sat Mar 18, 2023 11:05 am
Easy to do, difficult to do well. There is a lot of steel to remove accurately to create a 180° radius. Even a squared spine takes a fair amount of skill to do by hand. A crowned spine takes a real craftsman.

nb
These blades aren’t being ground by hand. This is a simple matter of tooling and some extra effort in polishing. I had a $30 CRKT that had a perfectly rounded spine.

It’s an aesthetic that seems out of place in most Spyderco designs. Also there’s utility in a square spine, I use the corner of the spine for things now and then.
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Re: Crowned spines

#12

Post by N. Brian Huegel »

7 Chinese Yuan to 1 US dollar. :thinking

nb
cjk
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Re: Crowned spines

#13

Post by cjk »

My impression is that crowned spines are more frequently found on Italian made knives.
I believe you'll find one on both of the Spyderco SpyOpera variants.
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wrdwrght
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Re: Crowned spines

#14

Post by wrdwrght »

Of the older Spydies I have been fortunate to acquire, only one has a crowned spine.

It’s a G2 Wayne Goddard in micarta (made during 1991-1998). This PS (or CE) knife is surprisingly large, but hardly weighs enough to notice. There’s no question that its crowned spine lends to an overall refinement.

Image

I love everything about my Goddard, but I prefer the workaday looks of Spyderco’s standard models. I like the idea that their spines can be quickly sharpened to throw a spark.
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Bill1170
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Re: Crowned spines

#15

Post by Bill1170 »

I have crowned a few spines using only a Dremel. Mounted stones did the rough shaping and finer mounted stones to refine the contours. Felt buff with green compound to polish. All done freehand, didn’t take long. I taped off the edge to avoid accidental damage to it or injury to me.
Fine Swine
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Re: Crowned spines

#16

Post by Fine Swine »

Yeah, I really appreciate the rounded spine on my small 21. It was the first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box. Although I sometimes wish more knives had this feature, I kind of how like it sets the Sebenza apart from the rest of my knives.
SteveMidwest
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Re: Crowned spines

#17

Post by SteveMidwest »

mehhhhhhhh wrote:
Sat Mar 18, 2023 9:39 am
I’ve been a Spyderco fan for over two decades, but dipped my toe into the Chris Reeve realm a few years ago, with a small sebenza.

Aside from the action one of the biggest “premium” features that adds to the knife feel is the rounded or crowned spine. Seems like a pretty simple thing to do, but just curious why spyderco doesn’t do it more often and for those with the tools what does it take? Is it really as simple as using sharpmaker rods or sandpaper/belts to round out the spine?

I look at it as being more of a "Gentlemen's" carry comfort and aesthetic, in knife making. It has its place. I have a few, and normally use them for Sunday carry. When it comes to a work knife though, say for example when Farmers, Ranchers, Electricians, Plumbers, blue collar workers, etc. are using their EDC knife. A sharp spine often comes in very handy. When we need to scrape off some paint, corrosion, adhesive from metal, or whatever. We sure don't want to be using our sharp edge for that. :cowboy
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ChrisinHove
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Re: Crowned spines

#18

Post by ChrisinHove »

Superflex wrote:
Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:58 pm
Get the Spyopera
Beautiful crowned spine and a great all around knife
Mine sits in the kitchen windowsill for opening packages and gets carried on more gentlemanly occasions.
This. The standard version is a beauty. I can only guess how great the CF sprint feels!
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RamZar
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Re: Crowned spines

#19

Post by RamZar »

Superflex wrote:
Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:58 pm
Get the Spyopera
Beautiful crowned spine and a great all around knife

The crowned spine on the SpyOpera is carried to the back lock as well. One of the best small Spyderco folders.

The Slysz Bowie also had a nice crowned spine.
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Wartstein
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Re: Crowned spines

#20

Post by Wartstein »

Personally I hope Spyderco sticks with the "non crowned" spines!

1.) As Steve already said: More useful than s crowned spine, makes the knife a more versatile tool: I do use spines as scrapers (for excess wax on the running surface of my skies, for producing material for fire starting...)

2.) Ocassionally I use the spine on a ferro rod indeed

3.) Crowned spines would add production costs and make for higher prices
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