Surface finish variation across manix2 steels and beyond!

[carter]

Hello everyone,
I’m fortunate to have several manix2 blades and I’ve noticed they are all finished quite differently!

The lw manix 2 bd1n has a wonderful finish that I love! And I want more of! It’s like all the sharp spots on the spine and spydie hole have microscopic chamfers!
It looks like the blade spine and Spydie hole (the non precision features) were ground and then the blade stock was tumbled then the faces were polished along with subsequently grinding in any final precision dimensions and the cutting edge (though those latter bevels were not done evenly) and polishing/buffing the faces of the blade. Those faces have a wonderfully smooth grainy appearance

The s30v g10 model has a similar look on the 2 blade faces but has very sharp edges on the spine and spydie hole.

Cru carta and magnacut salt both have a vertical belt satin finish and sharp edges on the spydie hole and spine.

My best guess would be that the economical /fast /easy tumbling and buffing media are super effective on bdn1n , slightly effective on s30v and either tale too long or straight up don’t work on the heat treated cru wear and magnacut.


This makes me wonder about what barriers there are to using abrasives that are more effective for super duper steels like cru wear and magnacut rather than presumably ceramic/ alumina based media. Like, cbn and diamond based stuff can’t be that bonkers in terms of cost and safe usage right??

This is all pure guessing based on looking at pretty blades and having a hobbyist interest in all things metal and manufacturing related.

I’m wondering also if this sort of variation happens for other models manufactured in golden or Taiwan? Seki seems to have a pretty consistent finish from my experiences.

[Michael Janich]

Dear carter:

The blade finishes of our USA-Made products are different on purpose. In general terms, the higher the grade of steel and handle material, the more hand finishing we invest in the product. Satin finishes are done by the highly skilled craftsmen in our finishing department.

Stay safe,

Mike

[Evil D]

This may be a surprise but some of us actually prefer all those sharp edges. Personally I even go as far as taking a Dremel and a sandpaper barrel and making the thumb holes crisp if they're not (this also gives the inside of the hole a nice looking uniform brushed finish) and a sharp spine is practically mandatory if you're an outdoors guy and may need to use a fire starter (of course this is probably not high on the EDC needs list for most).

But I actually really dislike smooth thumb holes. They feel nice but I want traction more than comfort and I don't take them so far that they'll cut my thumb and I don't have thin skin so it's never been an issue for me. If you like the edges more smooth on the hole and spine it's very easy to accomplish with a fine grit stone or white Sharpmaker rod, but it's a lot more work for someone like me that prefers them sharper.

[Cowboyfromhell]

I wish Spyderco would do more Stonewashed than satin.....

[cabfrank]

What is the finish on BD1N called? It's not just satin, is it?

[Wartstein]

This may be a surprise but some of us actually prefer all those sharp edges. Personally I even go as far as taking a Dremel and a sandpaper barrel and making the thumb holes crisp if they're not (this also gives the inside of the hole a nice looking uniform brushed finish) and a sharp spine is practically mandatory if you're an outdoors guy and may need to use a fire starter (of course this is probably not high on the EDC needs list for most).
...

@carter I am with you in that I really like the looks of the BD1N Manix blade!

But practically speaking I am totally in Davids camp and prefer a crisp thumbhole (really helps when fingers are wet/cold/muddy..) and a sharper spine.

The latter makes an do it all EDC folder more versatile to me:

I do use ferro rods occasionally and at the least it can´t hurt if my pocket knifes spine is a good striker for those.
But more so the spine of my knife sometimes acts as a scraper (for example for removing excess wax from the running surfaces of my skies), and sharper is better there (though, to be honest: For that kind of job a straight spine works better than the curved leaf blade spine of the Manixs).

[carter]

I actually took some time over the holidays to reshape a para3 second and a ladybug plus hand finish them to see how it shakes out. Having a nice hand finish somehow made them feel much nicer to use.

[Wartstein]

I actually took some time over the holidays to reshape a para3 second and a ladybug plus hand finish them to see how it shakes out. Having a nice hand finish somehow made them feel much nicer to use.

Could you share some pics? (viewtopic.php?p=1332284#p1332284)

[carter]

I’ll post some later this weekend after I sort out a reliable image host setup that’s not asking to be paid in goofy cyber currency. Probably AWS s3 unless there’s something saner

[Donut]

What is the finish on BD1N called? It's not just satin, is it?

I'm thinking that one was a stone washed, but I don't think I have any of the stone washed ones.

I don't mind the sharp edges, but I think I slightly do like the stone washed. I think the original Manix 2's were stone washed.

[Jeb]

I'm with EvilD on leave the sharp edges. Washing in acid or whatever to get that soft used finish can be done by the individual that wants that, in 20 minutes by hand.

Trying to re-square the thumbhole and spine is an issue where there may be questionable enough material to do that on the spine, once it's been rounded and removed to smooth out. You take the top of the spine in mighty close to the thumbhole and you loose your strength right there.

I guess it is hard to make a one size fits all lol...