Nooooo, my beloved Centofante...

[jalcon]

Ugh, I feel sick, was using it to pick at a piece of particle board, and then came the worse sound ever...snap.. my heart dropped when I saw the carnage..I have to say I was extremely confused and surprised as well that it broke off like that...I mean, that's alot of steel! And a hollow grind at that! And it was soft particle board that I probably could have used my fingernail to achieve what I was trying to do, lol. Oh well..

This was my first Spyderco, and since then I've bought many much more expensive Spydercos...but this one, we've been thru alot together, and somehow this one ended up on my pocket more than any others, even these days. Love (loved) the blade shape, and how light the knife was...

RIP my ol friend..

[El Gato]

Why not carefully grind down the spine to a new point and bring your friend back to life again? It is not hard to do if you take your time and be careful not to heat the blade and draw the temper by dipping the bladed in water often as it heats while you grind. Make a project out of it. You might be surprised how much fun it is to bring a blade back to life again and it isn't hard to do. What have you got to lose? :)

[Sharp Guy]

Well that's a bummer! Sorry to see that. They are still readily available if you decide you want to replace it.

[jalcon]

Yeah, I probably would but...No grinder FTL. Maybe I'll pick one up sometime soon.

[El Gato]

Yeah, I probably would but...No grinder FTL. Maybe I'll pick one up sometime soon.

Well I can understand that not having a grinder might complicate things a bit. But to be truthful, I don't have a grinder either!!
What I do have however is a drill press and for regrinding blades I chuck a rotary stone in the drill press, securely tape the knife on a block of wood to keep it level and easy to handle and carefully grind to the desired shape. The slower speed of the drill press takes longer than a bench grinder but it also helps to prevent the blade from heating up too rapidly and drawing the temper. I've re-shaped several blades that way and it works good for me.

But then there is the possibility that a drill press is not an option for you either.
In that case life is just crap .... :mad:

Dave :D

[VashHash]

I feel like a drill press is more expensive than a grinder.

[El Gato]

I feel like a drill press is more expensive than a grinder.

True enough for sure.
It is quite possible that investing in a new knife might be less expensive than buying power tools. :D
I only meant to offer some possibilities to bring a favorite knife back to life again, using what equipment one might have available.

Dave

[Bloke]

Man, I feel for you!

I snapped an old Gerber Bird and Trout I'd had for over 20 years at the handle a couple of years back and still feel nauseous thinking about it. :o

[Stuart Ackerman]

Look through this list, and choose a maker near you...go with a six pack of beer, and ask him/her to grind a point for you...

https://www.google.co.nz/search?client= ... 81&bih=830

[archangel]

A factory repair seems out of option due to the size of the broken off tip...? I mean, it would look differently afterwards, sure, but it would still be your first spydie. That's gotta be worth something for you.

On the other hand, a knife that fulfilled good work and then broke still enriches your collection. Don't even know what *I* would do... :confused:

[docboy]

Just an idea, but maybe you can embrace the break where it happened.

Perhaps just do a chisel-type tip, like you see in a razel or give it slight belly to make it a mini-Captain? That way, you get another cutting surface and reduce the total amount of grinding/reshaping needed (given the cost of the knife, not worth buying equipment or paying someone to do it substantial reshaping).

Or, just keep using it as-is. You've still got a sharp tip at the front :p

[mb1]

I wouldn't give up on that knife. You'd be surprised what you can do with a simple hand file and some sand paper (ok and maybe some sweat). Others will chime in here that have much more experience than me. I believe many have done mods with just sand paper. But this is what I see:



Then you could blend the swedge with sandpaper to whatever profile appeals to you.

Here's a little (literally) project I played with. Now granted, this is a tiny pen knife, so a WHOLE lot less steel (and carbon steel at that). But this was with just a hand file and sand paper.

[Evil D]

This is why I always carry a multi tool. My knives are too expensive to pry with, even a little bit.

[palonej]

This is why I always carry a multi tool. My knives are too expensive to pry with, even a little bit.

Not to rub it in even more.....BUT yup!!
No prying!!!!! It is absolutely amazing finding out how many times a day this little guy comes in handy......and saves my knive's lives!!
Joe

[Knife Knut]

This is why I always carry a multi tool. My knives are too expensive to pry with, even a little bit.

I carry a Gerber EAB for this reason. Replaceable Utility Blade in a very small knife.

[Evil D]

My Victorinox Spirit has one flat head bit that's twice as thick as the rest for prying and it has gotten the job done many times. When that's not enough I just use the pliers themselves.

[timlara]

That sucks...!

Unfortunately, I think this is a big reason why thin blades like the Centofante seem to be a dying breed - it's really easy to break them if you push your luck even a little bit, and manufacturers don't want to deal with the user complaints. (BTW, not saying jalcon is complaining - I'm talking about unreasonable people who throw a fit.)

Bums me out because very few new knives coming out lately can slice on par with the Centofante, as the trend is definitely toward harder use for various reasons.

[El Gato]

That sucks...!

Unfortunately, I think this is a big reason why thin blades like the Centofante seem to be a dying breed - it's really easy to break them if you push your luck even a little bit, and manufacturers don't want to deal with the user complaints. (BTW, not saying jalcon is complaining - I'm talking about unreasonable people who throw a fit.)

Bums me out because very few new knives coming out lately can slice on par with the Centofante, as the trend is definitely toward harder use for various reasons.

Tim, I have to comment on this, because I feel you are absolutely correct.

Unfortunately this is the very reason I buy very few knives these days, including Spyderco. The trend does seem to be for thicker blades and that just leaves me out of the market because I want a knife that is an efficient cutting tool, and have no need for a sharpened pry bar. I have a personal rule that I will not buy or consider a blade thicker than .118" on any knife, but that is just a personal choice for me. Others needs and preferences will vary and I am likely in the minority, as usual, but that is the way I will continue to spend my money. Perhaps I am "spoiled" by my Chaparrals and the way they cut with their thin blades, but I also find those blades surprisingly strong in some of the cutting I do with them.

I suppose this post is totally meaningless as far as the original topic goes, but your comments just struck a cord of agreement with me. :)

[timlara]

Yep, I think we're on the same page...Everybody has different needs, and obviously the knife business is a business and they need to make what sells, but my vote will always be for more Chaps/Centofante type slicers! :)

[jalcon]

Well, I spent about a half an hour on it...all I used so far is one of those puck type stones..I'll hit it some more tomorrow maybe..