Lets Talk Regrinds!

Discuss Spyderco's products and history.
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Holland
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Lets Talk Regrinds!

#1

Post by Holland »

I sent away 3 knives to Big Chris a month ish ago and finally got them back today. It took a little longer than expected but it was definitely worth the wait! :D I sent him three knives, my Chaparral 2, SuperBlue Dragonfly 2, and my seconds sale Techno.

My Chaparral is one of my most used knives and has been reprofiled a few too many times and was getting pretty thick behind the edge. Chris fixed this problem by taking it to around .008 behind the edge :)

Before:

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AFTER: :D

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Next, Darby was nice enough to help me buy a Techno from the seconds sale this year and I was very excited to get it reground much thinner. I had a techno in the past and absolutely loved the design, but sold it due to the thickness of the blade and the poor cutting performance (IMO, YMMV ;)) It is now between 2mm and 2.5mm at the spine and around .010 behind the edge, and it is an incredible slicer :D

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Lastly, I threw in my SuperBlue Dragonfly just for fun haha. It is incredibly sharp and I can't wait to see how it performs :)

Before:

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AFTER:

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Had to cut some cardboard to test them out, and all three literally fall through the cardboard :D :D :D

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So lets see and hear all your experiences with regrinds!
-Spencer

Rotation:
Gayle Bradley 2 | Mantra 1 | Watu | Chaparral 1 | Dragonfly 2 Salt SE
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SpyderNut
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#2

Post by SpyderNut »

Holy Toledo! Those look like some mighty sharp light sabers! :)
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bearfacedkiller
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#3

Post by bearfacedkiller »

Very nice Spencer! You fixed my biggest complaint with the Techno, it looks like he thinned the spine down as well.

The closest thing I have to a regrind is some very aggressive convexing that I have done to thin the shoulder way down.
-Darby
sal wrote:Knife afi's are pretty far out, steel junky's more so, but "edge junky's" are just nuts. :p
SpyderEdgeForever wrote: Also, do you think a kangaroo would eat a bowl of spagetti with sauce if someone offered it to them?
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Holland
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#4

Post by Holland »

bearfacedkiller wrote:Very nice Spencer! You fixed my biggest complaint with the Techno, it looks like he thinned the spine down as well.

The closest thing I have to a regrind is some very aggressive convexing that I have done to thin the shoulder way down.
Yup! I asked for around 2mm spine and he delivered :D
-Spencer

Rotation:
Gayle Bradley 2 | Mantra 1 | Watu | Chaparral 1 | Dragonfly 2 Salt SE
aesmith
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#5

Post by aesmith »

Interesting. How is this done?
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Tony S
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Evil D
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#6

Post by Evil D »

It's constantly on my to do list, along with having some serrated, I just haven't got around to it. But, with the lack of interest in new models I'm having lately, this is likely where my knife money will go this year.
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Holland
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#7

Post by Holland »

Good call David, I have nothing but good things to say about Chris Berry if you're trying to decide who to use
-Spencer

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Gayle Bradley 2 | Mantra 1 | Watu | Chaparral 1 | Dragonfly 2 Salt SE
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bearfacedkiller
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#8

Post by bearfacedkiller »

aesmith wrote:Interesting. How is this done?
Not sure what you mean.

You find someone who does regrinds and send them your knife. Google will help. Big Chris seems to be popular and Holland's knives certainly do look like they came out nice. Sounds like he is busy though. Of course it goes without saying that sometimes good things come to those who wait.

If you were asking how the regrind itself is done then I would assume it is being done on a belt sander.
-Darby
sal wrote:Knife afi's are pretty far out, steel junky's more so, but "edge junky's" are just nuts. :p
SpyderEdgeForever wrote: Also, do you think a kangaroo would eat a bowl of spagetti with sauce if someone offered it to them?
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Brock O Lee
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#9

Post by Brock O Lee »

Very nice Spencer, I especially like the Techno with the 2mm spine! ;)

Regrinds are very addictive. I always thought I was more-or-less happy with the way my production Spydies cut, until the day I bought a Krein reground Manix 2.

All of a sudden I felt that most of my knives were not hitting their full potential, they were just too thick behind the edge.

I do not have easy access to "regrinders" locally, so I thought I would risk trying an aggressive flat convex/zero grind on the Caly 3 SB by hand, using a DMT XC. That went well, and soon more followed: PM2 M390, PM2 20CP, Manix S110V, Military M4, Sage 2, Stretch SB, Delica SB, and my no-name-brand kitchen paring knives, lol!

Now I have a good variety of thin and thicker edges. I have not had a single problem with the thin edges being too fragile for light use, typical office EDC, and most of them are thinner than the Krein Manix 2 ! They are all just phenomenal performers, stay sharp long, and sharpen easily.

Highly recommended!

These are the ones that started it all for me, with a Cruwear Manix (factory FFG plus 15 dps bevel on the EP) for reference:
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Caly is quite a bit thinner than the Krein Manix
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Similar to the Nilakka (a "factory regrind" :) )
Image
Hans

Favourite Spydies: Military, PM2, Shaman, UKPK
Others: Victorinox Pioneer, CRK L Sebenza 31, CRK L Inkosi
aesmith
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#10

Post by aesmith »

bearfacedkiller wrote:
aesmith wrote:Interesting. How is this done?
... If you were asking how the regrind itself is done then I would assume it is being done on a belt sander.
Thanks, yes that's what I was meaning. Wondering if anyone does this for themselves, and any pointers about how to do it manually without making a mess.
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Holland
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#11

Post by Holland »

aesmith wrote:
bearfacedkiller wrote:
aesmith wrote:Interesting. How is this done?
... If you were asking how the regrind itself is done then I would assume it is being done on a belt sander.
Thanks, yes that's what I was meaning. Wondering if anyone does this for themselves, and any pointers about how to do it manually without making a mess.
Hans (poster above you) has been doing his own and it looks like he does an amazing job
-Spencer

Rotation:
Gayle Bradley 2 | Mantra 1 | Watu | Chaparral 1 | Dragonfly 2 Salt SE
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Holland
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#12

Post by Holland »

Also Travis (Razorsharp?) does his own as well and they look amazing
-Spencer

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Gayle Bradley 2 | Mantra 1 | Watu | Chaparral 1 | Dragonfly 2 Salt SE
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Brock O Lee
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#13

Post by Brock O Lee »

aesmith wrote:
bearfacedkiller wrote:
aesmith wrote:Interesting. How is this done?
... If you were asking how the regrind itself is done then I would assume it is being done on a belt sander.
Thanks, yes that's what I was meaning. Wondering if anyone does this for themselves, and any pointers about how to do it manually without making a mess.
I first saw Cliff post pictures of his zero ground (by hand on a bench stone) Para and Delica etc, and thought at the time that it was quite extreme. Maybe he can share some thoughts here too.

I took a chance and tried it once, and found it's not really difficult to do if you pay attention.

Mine are also hand ground on a flat bench stone. They are often not very pretty, compared to the flat regrinds with uniform scratches like the Kreins or Big Chris'. But they are free, hehe, and very rewarding if you get it right. I think they are functionally equivalent, if not better in their performance compared to the professional regrinds.

Lay the blade flat on a coarse stone, raise the spine just a fraction, and start grinding. You'll start eating metal high on the shoulder of the edge bevel. Just keep this up until you have blended the edge bevel with the FFG. Try to remove the same amount of metal from the whole edge, and stay away from the actual cutting edge with the coarse stone, you do not want to create a burr until the very end with a fine stone. I try to avoid a burr altogether.

I find it's easy to check for over sharpening if you first blunt the edge by cutting into the stone, so that it will reflect light. Then just make sure that it keeps on to reflect light while you remove material.

Remove the coarse scratches with a finer stone, and then as a final step create a micro bevel with the Sharpmaker @ 30 deg incl.

Or skip all of this hassle and pay a professional to do it! :)
Hans

Favourite Spydies: Military, PM2, Shaman, UKPK
Others: Victorinox Pioneer, CRK L Sebenza 31, CRK L Inkosi
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Blerv
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#14

Post by Blerv »

I have four by Travis and three by Brad Southard (he doesn't regrind anymore to my knowledge).

All of them are just great. Maybe a bit more fragile if you like to cut THROUGH staples in boxes but none have been deemed "fragile". I tend to just use them differently after thinned out. Then again, the cutting pressure is reduced so much that you don't really have hard for them to work.
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Evil D
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#15

Post by Evil D »

Blerv wrote:I have four by Travis and three by Brad Southard (he doesn't regrind anymore to my knowledge).

All of them are just great. Maybe a bit more fragile if you like to cut THROUGH staples in boxes but none have been deemed "fragile". I tend to just use them differently after thinned out. Then again, the cutting pressure is reduced so much that you don't really have hard for them to work.
The only thing that worries me about some of these super thin regrinds is how they react to lateral force...it's really not hard to twist on a knife hard enough to pop a chip out of a blade if it's too thin.
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Brock O Lee
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#16

Post by Brock O Lee »

Evil D wrote: The only thing that worries me about some of these super thin regrinds is how they react to lateral force...it's really not hard to twist on a knife hard enough to pop a chip out of a blade if it's too thin.
Yes thats always a risk, you have to restrict them to light use. The reward is amazing cutting ability and easy maintenance.

And it gives you the excuse to also carry an 'overbuilt' folder... :)

I'm sure it is not everyone's cup of tea, but try at least one and see if you like it.
Hans

Favourite Spydies: Military, PM2, Shaman, UKPK
Others: Victorinox Pioneer, CRK L Sebenza 31, CRK L Inkosi
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Donut
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#17

Post by Donut »

Holland wrote:
bearfacedkiller wrote:Very nice Spencer! You fixed my biggest complaint with the Techno, it looks like he thinned the spine down as well.

The closest thing I have to a regrind is some very aggressive convexing that I have done to thin the shoulder way down.
Yup! I asked for around 2mm spine and he delivered :D
I wonder how much extra work it would be to grind 1mm off each side near the pivot, shorten the pivot, the spacers, adjust the lock bar ramp...

It actually sounds like quite a bit of work.
-Brian
A distinguished lurker.
Waiting on a Squeak and Pingo with a Split Spring!
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Blerv
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#18

Post by Blerv »

Evil D wrote:The only thing that worries me about some of these super thin regrinds is how they react to lateral force...it's really not hard to twist on a knife hard enough to pop a chip out of a blade if it's too thin.
Oh that's true. All the more reason why grind lines aren't always a bad thing. He did a Fallkniven PXL for me that is basically has no secondary bevel. Since it has the primary hollow-grind still it has tons of meat in the blade tip even if the edge looks like a straight razor.

Here is the lot I got back from Travis.

Image
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Holland
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#19

Post by Holland »

Donut wrote:
Holland wrote:
bearfacedkiller wrote:Very nice Spencer! You fixed my biggest complaint with the Techno, it looks like he thinned the spine down as well.

The closest thing I have to a regrind is some very aggressive convexing that I have done to thin the shoulder way down.
Yup! I asked for around 2mm spine and he delivered :D
I wonder how much extra work it would be to grind 1mm off each side near the pivot, shorten the pivot, the spacers, adjust the lock bar ramp...

It actually sounds like quite a bit of work.

That would be pretty risky and difficult haha. Plus I'd rather have a fatter handle for grip
-Spencer

Rotation:
Gayle Bradley 2 | Mantra 1 | Watu | Chaparral 1 | Dragonfly 2 Salt SE
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Re: Lets Talk Regrinds!

#20

Post by razorsharp »

Image

Thought I would add another pic to the thread :)

They are lightsabers.
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