sharp thumb hole

[zbMerkin]

I just got my first spyderco, a centofante III. My only complaint is that the thumb hole is too rough. The hole's not sharp enough to warrant sending it back to the factory, but it's uncomfortable. Without buying a dremel, is there an easy way to fix this? Forgive me if this topic has been covered before, but I searched and couldn't find it.

[wec12]

Try to wrap a piece of sand paper on a pen and smooth out the sharp hole. Being a little sharp is good for opening the blade; don't over smoothen the hole because it sometimes makes blade opening a bit slippery.

[CanisMajor]

Try wrap a piece of sand paper on a pen and smooth out the sharp hole. Being a little sharp is good for opening the blade; don't over smooth the hole because it sometimes makes blade opening a bit slippery.

This will work.

Canis

p.s. Welcome to the Forum.

[Water Bug]

I use the Spyderco Fine Triangle Stone from my Spyderco Sharpmaker to smooth out sharp, rough Spyderco Round Holes on my :spyder: s.

I take the corner of the Fine Triangle Stone and insert it into the hole until I get three-point contact of the stone to the hole. I then lightly turn the stone back and forth in the hole for the desired smoothness.

[Pneumothorax]

Another method Ive used which requires no need to hold pen or sharpmaker at an angle. Just take fine sandpaper and roll into a cone shape. Insert into hole and just rotate back and forth until you get the feel you like.

[dsmegst]

It's easy to do like everyone said.

If you're really anal about scratches and such, tape up the blade before you take a ceramic rod or sand paper to the spydie hole. One little oops and you're looking at a nice deep scratch. And don't round it off too much. It bears repeating. I did that to a Native III once. It to me a long time to sharpen it up so that the thumb catches the edge again.

[ChrisR]

I would say to try leaving it as-is for a while and only reach for the sandpaper if you really find it uncomfortable to use. I was going to round-off the edges on my Terzuola's spydie-hole (SLIPITS tend to have more resistance to opening than CLIPITS) but I left it and now I really appreciate the extra traction when opening the blade :) It does feel sharper than my other spydies but it isn't going to cut anything and it's like that for a good reason

[RIOT]

i like the sharp thumb hole. Your thumb doesnt slip off somtimes.

[unit]

Yeah, I had a Salt-1 that would actually cut. I trimmed the end of my fingernail off with it. I rolled up some Emory cloth and in less than a minute (including the time required to tear off a strip and roll the Emory) the knife was transformed to my liking. I demonstrated it on a video, but it will take you longer to load the video than it will to actually "fix" the knife.

I guess some could call this a complaint, but I would never want to voice it to the company because as a knife user, I have cursory skills with other hand tools and would MUCH rather tune it myself than pay higher production costs for "hole finishing"...and while mine was sharper than I can imagine ANYONE would like...how can you determine what level of "bite" is ideal for EVERYONE? It is sort of like jimping...some guys HATE sharp jimping, but it is much easier for the buyer to remove some of the bite than it is to put it back on. So, kudos to Spyderco for shipping knives ready for us to tune to our taste!

[Blerv]

I like sharp holes because of the traction and believe it's intentional. I can count the thumb flicks on one hand but they scrape up the nail quite a bit. I guess if I have too I'll take the cosmetic damage.

[ChapmanPreferred]

As long as it is not cutting your thumb it is probably okay the way it is now.

[enduraguy]

My Police 3 was like this when I first got it. VERY sharp edge on the hole and I was afraid it would cut my thumb at some point since I actually use my knives rather than just play with them. Took my white 702 stone and smoothed it out. Very easy to do. It's still semi sharp, but much less 'bite' to it.

[Jazz]

I've had a few that weren't sharp enough. I understand too sharp, but they're way easier to open with some bite. My UKPK isn't sharp enough, and is harder to open, so I don't use it as often as I'd like. Like everyone said, it's an easy fix - just be gentle.

- best wishes, Jazz.

[tonydahose]

all of the above will work, i am just throwing this one into the rink because it hasnt been mentioned yet. wrap a marble in sandpaper and sand away. it should be perfectly round compared to some of the other ways if you sanded one section more than the other.

[Pneumothorax]

+1 on that, Tony. I like that better than my sandpaper cone since it should give even pressure all around. Gotta remember that for next time.

[Scottie3000]

On a very similar (similar enough that I think it belongs in the same thread) note, what tricks do you guys have for getting rid of a sharp laser burr that is on the wall of the hole?

For me it is much easier to get to the edges than the inside of the hole. As for the OP, I second the sharpmaker rod in the hole and give it just a couple turns to knock down the edge sharpness just a tad.

[The Deacon]

On a very similar (similar enough that I think it belongs in the same thread) note, what tricks do you guys have for getting rid of a sharp laser burr that is on the wall of the hole?

For me it is much easier to get to the edges than the inside of the hole. As for the OP, I second the sharpmaker rod in the hole and give it just a couple turns to knock down the edge sharpness just a tad.

Can't say I've ever had one like that, at least not that I noticed.

As for the original issue, a number of good suggestions have been offered. I'd just add that the corner of a regular bench stone will also work. As noted, it is best to go slowly and test often, it generally doesn't take much to reach the point where it no longer feels like it's going to cut your thumb, but is still crisp enough to provide traction for it.

[Delica_Nut]

..like a sharp thumbhole. I Have a StarMate and the hole is polished smooth and my thumb slips. A little edge on my hole is ok by me.

[defenestrate]

Sandpaper in a cone on a finger or thumb should do the trick. However, if you toughen up those girly hands you won't mind so much :D