Vg10 Caly 3.5 oddity

MrCynical · #1

Hi folks, I recently bought a VG10 Caly 3.5 It's my first Spyderco and overall a wonderful knife; came ridiculously sharp and carries like a dream. There was a fair bit of grittiness that I had to work out with some WD40 and mineral oil, but such is life.

But that's not the oddity; the oddity is a line in the (?)polish of the blade near the tip (see the links). This of course has no effect on the cutting ability of the knife, but I was wondering if it would affect corrosion resistance. It, of course, won't simply rub off...Any ideas what this is?

...And if this "oddity" is something really simple, well sorry about that then haha.

http://i.imgur.com/W40KS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/OUxT7.jpg

~all the best

PanChango · #2

Have you tried a little polish?

A little Flitz may take care of it.

The Mastiff · #3

You sure it's not glue?

Joe

phaust · #4

It kind of looks like the dry on lube Spyderco uses now. This isn't the greatest comparison because it's a knife with dlc, but here are some snaps of what I'm talking about http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... these-days

On satin knives it looks similar to the tip of yours. Wonder if a bottle of it spilled, they wiped it off, but some had already bonded to the blade

bh49 · #5

MrCynical,

Welcome to the forum.
I agree with all above, also I wouldn't use WD40 for lubrication. Just mineral oil will be better.

KardinalSyn · #6

I should share a photo of the scratches/lines on my M390 Millie which came about when my hand slipped on the SM.

Creepo · #7

Try rubbbing alcohol or another solvent cleaner and or dishwashing liquid and try first if it cleans out with those.
If it doesn't might be some little oopsy in the blade finish, as previously mentioned, you can try Flitz or other metal polish to even the finish out a little.

MrCynical · #8

bh49 wrote:MrCynical,
Welcome to the forum.
I agree with all above, also I wouldn't use WD40 for lubrication. Just mineral oil will be better.

It wasn't really for lube, it was to work out whatever sort of grit was in the locking mechanism (it was kinda terrible at the start, but smooth as silk now). Any reason I should avoid the WD40?

phaust wrote:It kind of looks like the dry on lube Spyderco uses now. This isn't the greatest comparison because it's a knife with dlc, but here are some snaps of what I'm talking about http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... these-days

On satin knives it looks similar to the tip of yours. Wonder if a bottle of it spilled, they wiped it off, but some had already bonded to the blade

I think I'd agree...Might seem like a silly question, but if it were, it's still fine for food prep right?

Creepo wrote:Try rubbbing alcohol or another solvent cleaner and or dishwashing liquid and try first if it cleans out with those.
If it doesn't might be some little oopsy in the blade finish, as previously mentioned, you can try Flitz or other metal polish to even the finish out a little.

Tried the dish soap, nada. I'll find some alcohol and give that a shot, I'll be a bit put off if I have to go buy metal polish too...Didn't think I'd have to put much work into a ~$120 knife, but it looks like it'll be worth it. ****, after a while, whatever stuff that is will probably just come off through regular use.

Thanks for the welcome and advice folks!

MrCynical · #9

bh49 wrote:MrCynical,
Welcome to the forum.
I agree with all above, also I wouldn't use WD40 for lubrication. Just mineral oil will be better.

It wasn't really for lube, it was to work out whatever sort of grit was in the locking mechanism (it was kinda terrible at the start, but smooth as silk now). Any reason I should avoid the WD40?

phaust wrote:It kind of looks like the dry on lube Spyderco uses now. This isn't the greatest comparison because it's a knife with dlc, but here are some snaps of what I'm talking about http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... these-days

On satin knives it looks similar to the tip of yours. Wonder if a bottle of it spilled, they wiped it off, but some had already bonded to the blade

I think I'd agree...Might seem like a silly question, but if it were, it's still fine for food prep right?

Creepo wrote:Try rubbbing alcohol or another solvent cleaner and or dishwashing liquid and try first if it cleans out with those.
If it doesn't might be some little oopsy in the blade finish, as previously mentioned, you can try Flitz or other metal polish to even the finish out a little.

Tried the dish soap, nada. I'll find some alcohol and give that a shot, I'll be a bit put off if I have to go buy metal polish too...Didn't think I'd have to put much work into a ~$120 knife, but it looks like it'll be worth it. ****, after a while, whatever stuff that is will probably just come off through regular use.

Thanks for the welcome and advice folks!

sumo99 · #10

I just received my Caly 3.5 and it has the exact same discoloration as yours

mikerestivo · #11

WD40 is for water displacement. That's actually what the "WD" stands for - "water displacement". It's not designated as a lubricant.

If a part has been exposed to water/wetness, it works to take the "push out" the moisture, and then it dries out after awhile. I use WD40 for cleaning and flushing, either alone or after washing with soap and water. After the WD40 dries a bit, I then apply lube.

The Deacon · #12

mikerestivo wrote:WD40 is for water displacement. That's actually what the "WD" stands for - "water displacement". It's not designated as a lubricant.

If a part has been exposed to water/wetness, it works to take the "push out" the moisture, and then it dries out after awhile. I use WD40 for cleaning and flushing, either alone or after washing with soap and water. After the WD40 dries a bit, I then apply lube.

Not the first time someone has said that, probably won't be the last. It's one of those "urban legends" that just won't die. However, WD-40's manufacturer labels it as a moisture displacing penetrating lubricant with rust preventative properties. It's not the world's best lubricant and it's almost certainly not be the world's best rust preventative, but it most definitely does both reasonably well. The fact it dries makes it less likely to attract pocket lint and other debris. Personally I can't stand the smell, and am not comfortable using it on any knife I might use to cut food, but that's just me.

As for the OP's knife, if it was purchased from a dealer, the oddity is annoying, and normal cleaning products won't remove it, I suspect Spyderco could polish it out.

mikerestivo · #13

The Deacon wrote:Not the first time someone has said that, probably won't be the last. It's one of those "urban legends" that just won't die. However, WD-40's manufacturer labels it as a moisture displacing penetrating lubricant with rust preventative properties. It's not the world's best lubricant and it's almost certainly not be the world's best rust preventative, but it most definitely does both reasonably well. The fact it dries makes it less likely to attract pocket lint and other debris. Personally I can't stand the smell, and am not comfortable using it on any knife I might use to cut food, but that's just me.

As for the OP's knife, if it was purchased from a dealer, the oddity is annoying, and normal cleaning products won't remove it, I suspect Spyderco could polish it out.

I don't agree about the "urban legend" moniker and would state that my opinion is based on "practical experience". I would not use is as a lubricant unless I had no other option. For that matter, saliva and mucus would work as a lubricant - for awhile.

I've used WD40 for 30 years and it is pretty weak as a lube, despite the fact that my aunt Yola swore that it helped her arthritic knee when directly applied. It does work to flush out water and can act reasonably well as a solvent.

Compared to the other lubricants I've used (White Lightning, Tri-Flo, parrafin wax, Finish Line ceramic dry lube, Finsh Line dry wax lube, white lithium grease, Phil Wood waterproof grease, 3-in-1 oil, mineral oil, vegetable oil - you get the picture) I think WD40 is lousy.

phaust · #14

mikerestivo wrote:I don't agree about the "urban legend" moniker and would state that my opinion is based on "practical experience". I would not use is as a lubricant unless I had no other option. For that matter, saliva and mucus would work as a lubricant - for awhile.

I've used WD40 for 30 years and it is pretty weak as a lube, despite the fact that my aunt Yola swore that it helped her arthritic knee when directly applied. It does work to flush out water and can act reasonably well as a solvent.

Compared to the other lubricants I've used (White Lightning, Tri-Flo, parrafin wax, Finish Line ceramic dry lube, Finsh Line dry wax lube, white lithium grease, Phil Wood waterproof grease, 3-in-1 oil, mineral oil, vegetable oil - you get the picture) I think WD40 is lousy.

You're confusing two things here.

Being a "lousy" lube and not being a lube at all are not the same. First you said it wasn't designed as a lube, which, as The Deacon points out, is untrue, and that's what his "urban legend" claim addresses. Now you've changed the story to it is a lousy lube, which isn't the same argument (but I agree it isn't the greatest).

sumo99 · #15

OP, if you find what it is, or a way to get it out, please let me know. So far I only used dish soap & hot water and some frog lube, neither did anything.
Like you mentioned, I'm sure I won't even notice it once I actually start using the blade.

mikerestivo · #16

phaust wrote:You're confusing two things here.

Being a "lousy" lube and not being a lube at all are not the same. First you said it wasn't designed as a lube, which, as The Deacon points out, is untrue, and that's what his "urban legend" claim addresses. Now you've changed the story to it is a lousy lube, which isn't the same argument (but I agree it isn't the greatest).

Yes - you are correct - after actually reading my post I did say it was not a designated lubricant. So Paul is right too. My intent was to say that it's not a great lubricant. The Italian in me likes to argue first, then assess logic later...

JudasD · #17

mikerestivo wrote:The Italian in me likes to argue first, then assess logic later...

This hit my funny bone for today! Thank you for this.

JD

Holland · #18

JudasD wrote:This hit my funny bone for today! Thank you for this.

JD

i agree, got a good chuckle out of that haha :D

SpydieHole · #19

Did you ever figure out what the issue was? Does it ever clean off or buff out? I've purchased two Caly 3.5s and they BOTH had this issue, one also had a dent in the blade. Every Spyderco I've purchased from the other plants has had quality fit and finish. The "Japan" plant has been a bit disappointing so far.

Evil D · #20

I'll tell ya this much about WD40...we use it in the BMX world to install handlebar grips, and when that stuff dries your grips are essentiallyglued on and will NOT budge unless you wedge a sscrewdriver under one and spray water or more WD40 in underneath them. That alone tells me not to use it as a lube. Now, that doesn't mean that growing up we didn't use it for all manner of lube needs, but we also used motor oil we found in empty jugs in trash cans lol.