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Sprint run Mini Mariner

Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:24 am
by DutchBlades
As many of you already know, I've been on the hunt for a Mini Mariner for a long time now.
It's very unlikely that there are enough of them out there for me to finally own one.
And the people that do have one or more, will most likely not gonna part with them :o

So, I was wondering....
Is there any chance that there might be a small sprint made out of these?
I know the knife is from 1989-1990... So it might be a little late for it :(
But there has to be interest in this knife!
A sprint version of it or any version would be more than welcome for more people that just me :D
The blade steel was ATS-34, but that could be swapped with VG-10 any day of the week.
The stainless steel handles or the combination with Abalone would be great.
But at this point, anything would do and still look awesome.
G10, Carbon fiber, wood, plain stainless, turqoise, etc.
Could even be a different knife, like the Mini Police there can also be a Mini Endura :rolleyes:
Let's get some new tiny grail knives out there! :D

Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:16 pm
by Drahkis
Id buy 1 for sure.

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:08 am
by Parhelion
I'm in

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:17 am
by M80
Mini mariner/SpyderKeys/Mini polices are all on my list to get but when they show up the people selling them either don't ship to where I live or they ask for way too much id be down for a sprint of any of the old miniatures :D

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 4:06 am
by DutchBlades
M80 wrote:Mini mariner/SpyderKeys/Mini polices are all on my list to get but when they show up the people selling them either don't ship to where I live or they ask for way too much id be down for a sprint of any of the old miniatures :D
I know that feeling all too well... :mad:
Last time one went for $70 and I couldn't bid, other ones go for 10x MSRP... :( :(
I just need one so bad and I don't think there's any stock left after all these years.
Might as well cross my finger a thousand times for a sprint run :P

Mini PE Endura with carbon fiber inlays in the scales would look amazing :D

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 12:29 pm
by DutchBlades
I mean, come on...
How awesome would this be? :D

Image

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 12:45 pm
by sal
Hi DutchBlades,

The maker has long since retired. He was in Seki City. Even if we were to make the knife again, or somthing similar, the cost would be much higher due to the change in valuation of the Japanese Yen. We would also have to make new tooling.

sal

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 1:01 pm
by The Deacon
One practical solution would be to buy a Bug. If you want it fancier, consider finding someone to engrave it, add overlays, or perhaps even mill the rear 3/4 of the handle down a bit to create the illusion of front bolsters then add scales behind them.

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 1:14 pm
by DutchBlades
sal wrote:Hi DutchBlades,

The maker has long since retired. He was in Seki City. Even if we were to make the knife again, or somthing similar, the cost would be much higher due to the change in valuation of the Japanese Yen. We would also have to make new tooling.

sal
Thank you for informing me Sal, I didn't know this yet...
In today's market the prices would be allot higher and if the maker stopped,
it would be hard to find a new one for knives that small.
In the end you would make a few people happy but it would be more likely to cost Spyderco money on the long run :(
I understand the situation and am thankful for the information.

I'll just have to wait and hope for my own Mini Mariner ;)

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 1:19 pm
by DutchBlades
The Deacon wrote:One practical solution would be to buy a Bug. If you want it fancier, consider finding someone to engrave it, add overlays, or perhaps even mill the rear 3/4 of the handle down a bit to create the illusion of front bolsters then add scales behind them.
That would be an idea...
I've had a Honeybee engraved by a local jeweler,
might as well go even smaller and give him the bug :p
Mill out a little of the handle so there's space for an inlay,
engrave the bolster and maybe a really light acid wash on the blade.
Thanks for the tip ;)

I have to admit, it's a really nice idea, but I don't know if it will ever be put into action...
It's allot of work for something that (in my eyes) wouldn't turn out as beautiful as the Mini Mariner.
There's just something about that knife...
But, it's probably the closest I'm ever gonna come to one :(
If I were to try it some day, I'll post a few ideas and pictures ;)

Re: Sprint run Mini Mariner

Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2017 3:09 pm
by marcospy
I'm curious...did you find It?

Re: Sprint run Mini Mariner

Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2017 3:13 am
by DutchBlades
marcospy wrote:I'm curious...did you find It?
Thanks to a very generous member of the forum, I did in fact!
I made some pictures for my profile pic when I got it, but I'll post a higher resolution one:

Image

Amongst all the Spydies, the Mini Mariner is definately one of the crown pieces to my collection (despite it's size :p).
I had faith in finding one years ago after seeing the Mini Police up for sale quite frequently.
Well... 3 Mini Polices later and I still haven't had the chance to buy another Mini Mariner!

But I'm not giving up on collecting these little gems.
I might even get my hands on an Abalone Mini Mariner some day :rolleyes: