Changing Blade Finish?

[SamMaxRay]

Probably been asked before so I apologize in advance but I am sure it's worth talking about again.

Has anyone experimented with changing the blade finish on Spyderco's to something like stonewashed that Chris Reeve's knives have? Maybe use sand paper or something to get rid of that real shiny finish that looks kinda cheap with finger prints get on it.

Thanks in advance!

[gull wing]

Yes they have! Sage II hand sanded with tumbled finish.

[kbuzbee]

Beautiful, GW. So how'd you do that???

I'd love to do that to a couple of mine.

Ken

[Evil D]

I'll be doing something like this once mine gets scratched up good enough to justify it.

[SamMaxRay]

Thanks. Looks really good.

[hijjt]

I have re-stonewashed a Manix 2, and I have stonewashed a Tenacious. The
Tenacious took very little time. I will see if I can post a few pics when I get home. I used ceramic medium in a vibratory rock tumbler, some water, and a bit of dish soap. Let it go for a day or so for the Tenacious, almost 2 days for the Manix 2. They are both more scratch resistant, or rather already scratched to the point it doesn't matter.

[SamMaxRay]

I want to see if I can do it with sandpaper without dulling the edge.

[gull wing]

NOTE:
Hand sanding dulls the blade. :)
Tumbling dulls the blade. :)
That is when my Edge Pro comes in, to re profile the edge.

Sanding:
220, 320, 400, 600, 800 grit wet/dry. Clamp blade to a board and sand towards the tang. It will remove the BUG. If you want more details PM me, cause it's hard work.
Tumbling:
Harbor Freight Rock Tumbler and Ceramic Medium. This puts on a nice satin finish, you may not even need to hand sand.

Good luck

[FIMS]

Get the blade sand blasted.

A lot faster and more even finish.

Ive done it on a number of my Spydercos.

Do the same with the clip. Matches well.

[gull wing]

Sorry, but blasted finishes don't appeal to me.

[Slick]

I am afraid of taking apart spring loaded impliments. I fear things will not go back together correctly. It is like the time I did a brake job and had an extra spring when I was done. I went back and put that spring where it needed to go but I do not want to screw up a good knife.

I have a nice viboratory tumbler and various media but still hesitate to disasemble my knives.

Are there any comprehensive instructions as to the steps involved in dissasembly/assembly of Spyderco knives?

Yes, I know all warrenty is hosed but I do like the alternate finshes I could produce.

[LowTEC]

gull wing, how big of a tumbler u are using? 5lbs?, 18lbs?

[ChapmanPreferred]

Great job gull wing!

[MrCharlie]

Also, gull, whats the timeline on something like that?

[BearShark44]

Yes they have! Sage II hand sanded with tumbled finish.

…
@Gull Wing, any chance you could repost one of the photos here? Without it, bit lost on the thread. I got the Sage 1 Maxamet; it’s the only max blade with a Satin finish (why?) curious how to remove/reduce the satin shine so a cool working patina can form on this tool steel.
Also planning to tumble stonewash the liners and clip to darken it all up.

[ladybug93]

Yes they have! Sage II hand sanded with tumbled finish.

…
@Gull Wing, any chance you could repost one of the photos here? Without it, bit lost on the thread. I got the Sage 1 Maxamet; it’s the only max blade with a Satin finish (why? ) curious how to remove/reduce the satin shine so a cool working patina can form on this tool steel.
Also planning to tumble stonewash the liners and clip to darken it all up.

there are lots of good videos on youtube of how to do this. they will be far more useful than any explanation someone can type on the forum.