My Spyderco - Part 2

 

Spyderco  Part 2

C179 - Spy-DK

Many European countries and American cities prohibit knives that lock open.  As irrational as it is, the view claims a non-locking knife is less dangerous than a locking knife.  I don’t know.  It is hard to believe a stabbing or slashing wound is less serious if it is from a non-locking or slip joint. 

Spyderco  Spy-DK

The Spy-DK is based on the UK Penknife, with its blade length reduced to comply with Danish law.  The 68 mm flat grind blade is made from Böhler-Uddeholm’s premium N690Co stainless steel.  N690Co is similar to 440C but with increased levels of molybdenum and cobalt.  It has excellent resistance to corrosion, even in acid media, and high impact strength.  The downside seems to be a slightly reduced edge retention.

The Spy-DK has Spyderco's trademark round hole, but the hole is purposely small to prevent one-handed opening methods.  Following that theme, a powerful spring holds the blade firmly closed and precludes a one-handed opening.  Closing this knife is an adventure in injury as it requires significant force to close it.  This difficulty in closing may be why the knife was only manufactured from May 2014 to Nov 2016.

The Spy-DK’s handle is injection-molded fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) scales with fine square checkering.  Interestingly, the bottom of the blade’s choil is jimped to provide a friction surface to keep your index finger from sliding onto the sharp blade.  The form of the handle almost forces you to use that grip.  I don't like it; it makes me feel like I will slice my finger open.

The front of the tang is stamped Spyderco, N690CO, and the reverse is marked Maniago, Italy.  The back of the blade is marked with Sal Glesser’s trademark, a stylized SAL.

The question in my mind is, is the knife a winner?  As an American living in a relatively knife-restriction-free community, I would say no.  Still, that is not really a question for a collector.  Our question to you is, "Do you have one? 

C65BLP - Blue Lum

My first Spyderco Lum Chinese folder was green-handled, and I liked it so much I stopped carrying it and made it a safe queen. 

What’s a Lum Chinese folder? 

You really need to get out more.

Spyderco Lum Chinese Folder  You can see Bob's name and chop next to the thumb hole

Bob Lum was 3rd generation Chinese born in Astoria, Oregon, USA, in 1943.  As a keen fisherman and hunter, he honed ideas about knife design.  In 1976, Bob began making knives and took the world by store.  He worked with Spyderco, Benchmade, and Seki-Cut, as well as in the custom field.  He is credited with introducing the Tanto-style blade to America.  Bob passed in 2007.  His Spyderco Chinese folder is perhaps the loveliest knife I own.

The C65 Bob Lum Chinese folder’s blade is tapered like a broad, flat leaf made of VG-10 sporting Bob Lum’s Chop and last name.  VG-10 is a Japanese super-steel developed for the horticulture industry by Takefu.  It is a favorite of Japanese chefs. 

The leaf shape pays homage to Bob’s cultural background.  It has been around in China for centuries.  It’s a definite winner for general utility and hunting.  The lack of a guard limits its tactical value.

While I have a green one, I was fortunate to get a C65BLP.  That’s a blue Almite coated Chinese folder made in the early months of 2002.  It is reported that only 800 to 1000 were made.  Spyderco has a buyer’s club.  It’s limited to 999 members.  Here’s the inside: You must buy every new knife they produce that year, with no exceptions.  The blade comes stamped with your three-digit number.  What you do with your knife is your business.

My Lum came stamped with 071V.  The V signifies variation.  Several variations have been reported, and perhaps the rarest is a cranberry Almite prototype.  Does it actually exist?  I don’t know. 

SC01PS - SpyderCard

Perhaps the most intriguing Spyderco is the SC01, the SpyderCard.  Eduard Bradichansky designed only two knives for Spyderco.  One is part of their ethnic series, and the other is the SpyderCard.  You can read more about the Spydercard and Bradichansky at https://knifesearch.blogspot.com/2016/04/spyderco-spydercard.html.

SpyderCard -  Don't leave home without it

The Spydercard first came to my attention at the 2000 Shot Show.  The knife is a full-sized folding knife with similar dimensions to a credit card.  It is about the thickness of three credit cards, but does fit in your wallet.  I’ve always believed it was an attempt to hide a cutting tool in the wallet of potential hostages.  Considering Bradichansky death in a terrorist attack on the West Bank, Israel, it is not surprising his design tended in that direction.  I also think if he had not been killed, he would have refined and matured his design.

The SpyderCard came with a plane or a partial serration.  The blade is crafted from AUS-6.  I prefer the cutting power of serrations on a small blade like this.

AUS-6 is stainless steel by Aichi Steel Corp. similar to 440A.  You used to see this steel in the introduction of knife market models because it is easy to sharpen and has excellent corrosion resistance.

SpyderCard - Open with 50/50 blade

Mine is from 2002 and has what Spyderco called a 50/50 edge.  I think of it as partially serrated.  The hole in the handle isn't the Spyderco trademark, it's designed to give you access to the integral lock.

It’s a very cool and perhaps a bit impractical knife.  Make sure you don’t have it in your wallet if traveling by plane for two reasons.  One, it will literally make the TSA agent’s head explode, and two, you’ll lose an interesting knife.

C11ZFGYBLP - Delica Zome

Delica Zome Blue Gray

The last knife tonight is a sprint run.  It’s the C11ZFYBLP or, as I know it, the Delica Zome Blue Gray.  Knife Magazine published a delightful article about this knife in the July 2023 issue. 

Sprint run knives are a unique manufacturing lot of established knives with different steels, often with hard-to-work steels, handle materials, and colors.  In many respects, Spyderco is a small custom shop experimenting with novel steels, constructions, and processes.  From a selling point of view, Spyderco is a little like Case knife: you'll never collect a sample of all the variations.

Sprint runs are always in limited quantities and sell out quickly.  You usually must buy almost as soon as you see the advertisement.  There is quite a following for sprint runs.  The Zome has a laminated blade with SuperBlue steel sandwiched between two slabs of SUS410.

If you look careful, you can see the differential polishing line in the blade

A laminated steel blade was the answer the ancient knife makers discovered to an old problem.  High-quality steel was never abundant, and while it held an edge, it was brittle.  Softer steel (steel is a mixture of iron and carbon) was flexible and stood up to hard use but couldn't hold an edge.  But laminate the hard steel in a sandwich of soft, flexible steel, and you have a winner. 

The FRN handle is a blue-gray polymer which is hand-dyed to produce color splotches reminiscent of Japanese Ai Zome, a fabric coloration process.

Delicas are one of my favorite knives and the flat grind blades, like this one, have amazing cutting properties. 

 

 

Swimming With The Dolphin

Collecting factory knives is the definition of jumping down the rabbit hole.

I recently obtained a 7-inch switchblade with a tang stamp ‘Dolphin D.M.’ I checked the few hard copy resources I have, but they were of little or no help.

My newest auto

Where does one go when you need information?

I used to go to public or university libraries, but in today's world, you try the Internet. It was quickly revealed that the company is called Dolphin D.M. and is in Maniago, Italy.  Oh!

Well defined tang stamp,  Note the meaning on the pivot 

I think of Maniago as a factory city. Orders for cutlery are spread out into the community, and different cutlers make knives to a general specification. Every cutler does it differently, so knives might be slightly different in length or with a different finish. The blades are stamped the same, and Bang!  Bob's your uncle!

Speaking of Bob, I want to thank my friend Bob for his insights on Italian switchblades.

Locking tab and blade stud

Dolphin D.M. is the brainchild of two men, Francesco Mariani and Lucio DeBon. Lucio DeBon is the acknowledged expert on natural scales in Maniago, and he is patronized by all the local makers.

The tang stamp has two dolphins, DeBon is the larger of the two. He has hand-selected the scale material used by all the shops making Dolphin D.M. By now you should be guessing that DeBon is the D. in the logo.

Francesco Mariani, I'm told, is the marketing guy at Dolphin D.M. He is the little dolphin on the tank stamp and the M in the logo.

But who actually made the knife? Here's the rub. You must guess based on workmanship. Francesco Mariani Dolphin's website states, "We collaborate with some of the most talented Italian master knife makers, including Renzo Pascotto, Giovanni Beltrame, Lelle Floris and many others."

5-pin back    Lovely stag, isn't it?

The locking hole is round and doesn't go through the ricasso. That eliminates some makers. The back of the knife has five brass pins, which I'm told is special. It is a picklock (the slang term 'pickle' sent me in circles for a while), and the ears are solid. The brass frame is continuous and follows the ears, but you can see machine marks and slight overgrind. The foot or J at the end of the back spring shows heavy grind marks.

Grind marks... I can't help wonder if 30 seconds more work would have eliminated the marks and increased the value?  

 The ones I see on the Internet read Made in Italy   Note the open "O" in Maniago

The stag scales are beyond lovely, and they should be as they were hand-selected by Lucio DeBon.

I like the deep color on quality stag

The tang stamp is interesting. All the internet images I could find read, 'Made in Italy,' not 'Maniago Italy' with an open 'O' resembling a backward 'C.' I'm unable to determine when that was changed. I'm told the company started in October 2023, and my knife resembles what was made in the fall of 2024.

The knife has minor pocket wear, and of course, the blade is dull enough to be considered unsharpened, a common feature of many Italian switchblades. I'm delighted with it. It's a nice little knife that fits in my small collection well.

The question everyone wonders about, with good reason, is, "What's it worth?" Did I get a deal or taken to the cleaners? You know the answer if you have been in the collecting market for long. It's worth what the last person paid for it.  What you paid for it.

 

Taking Care of Business

            You come to own a few knives, maybe more than a few, you'll discover you’re a knife collector.  Smart knife fanciers know they need to take care of their investments.

Every folder needs a drop of oil in its pivot, spring, or release.  The same goes for any metal blade.  Maybe your blade is a super stainless, or perhaps it is a nice 1085 carbon steel, but it still needs a drop of oil.  Stainless steels are literally called stain-less because they are more resistant to rust, not impervious.

These are all non-food grade

There is a sub-class of collectors that like to corrode their blades.  They say they are adding a patina.  I've heard collectors claim they like the patina older carbon blades form. 

No matter what you call it, it’s corrosion/oxidation.  Most corrosion is rust; to prevent it, we need to keep the steel dry and protected.  The easiest protection is oil.

But what oil?

As Rhett told Scarlet, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."  Almost any oil, 3 in 1, some high-tech silicone or mystic rendered unicorn horn will work.  The better question is, which will harm my knife?  And which ones are safe for food?

A few years ago, everyone was excited about a mixture of hexane and paraffin wax.  The hexane would evaporate, leaving a thin coating of wax behind.  This product was often found lubricating bicycle chains.  The wax didn’t attract and hold dirt like sticky oils and was thought to be cleaner.  But I suggest you consider what hexane could attack on your knife.  At the very least, hexane can attack some plastics and finish.

Food-safe oils aren't that difficult to find.  Basic mineral oil is considered food-safe in small amounts.  If you anticipate your knife will be used to build a fire and prepare your meal, food safety oil is an excellent idea.  Giving yourself the Texas-two-step trots is not survival-oriented or conducive to a good time at cabin or camp.

Check your label in advance, if it doesn’t say food safe or safe for consumption, it isn’t.

Sooner or later, you'll need to clean your knives.  Maybe there’s a little discoloration of brass from age or storage.  Has your blade picked up a smudge of gunk, marks from sharpening a pencil, or a discoloration that needs to be removed? 

I've polished a lot of electron microscope parts with this

Try a solvent like Goo-Gone first to remove pine tar, adhesives, and organic gunk.  Super Erasers work well, but leave rubber sawdust everywhere. 

Paste polish is useful to bring back a shine.  I’ve used toothpaste, Simichrome paste, and several others for that purpose.  They have advantages and disadvantages.  The biggest is leaving a residue behind, especially in checkered areas or other depressions too small for a rag to wipe cleanly away.  Simichrome often leaves a reddish discoloration that is hard to wash clean.  I found a rinse with 95% isopropyl alcohol (that’s rubbing alcohol to most of us) removes the paste media.   I follow up with hot water and a little detergent to wash away the pigment.

More polishing paste

But you need to get rid of that water, right?  I hope so.  I turn to WD-40.  I generously hose the knife out over a trash can, and blow out the residue with compressed air or a hot air hairdryer. 

WD-40...Good stuff when used properly

Don't let it get too hot!  Then, add a small drop of oil to all the moving parts, including the back springs.  WD-40 isn't an oil; it's more of a surface treatment. 

My old can of Renaissance Wax next to Wicker Cleaner and Wax.  The gray reangle is a Super Eraser.

Recently, I've been using Renaissance Wax to preserve surfaces.  It's acid-free, which means it doesn't contain any organic acids that would react with brass, copper, and, to some degree, silver.  They have a polishing form that contains very fine powdered chalk.

Chalk is just calcium carbonate.  It's very soft, so it doesn't scratch metal, but we can use it to polish away slight oxidation like the green verdigris. 

I have used Wicked Wax and Wicked Cleaner successfully.  I used the cleaner to polish an old Buck 110, which cleaned up the brass and gave a nice shine to the wood.

I also treated the Buck's leather pouch with Neatsfoot oil.  It's a natural product, and I didn't soak the leather; I just wiped it inside and out. 

Leather can be damaged by salt, bacteria, and moisture.  All of these can occur when you use a knife.  I've heard of people removing old, worn, or damaged leather surfaces with very fine sandpaper.  There are so many possible variations of how manufacturers make leather washer handles that no simple procedure will fit them all.  On working knives with stacked leather handles, I wipe them off with a damp cloth, followed by a dry cloth and ambient air drying.  A thin film of a quality leather oil might be needed.

If necessary, I wash my collectible knives with saddle soap, allow the leather to completely dry, and wipe them down with Neetsfoot oil. 

Neetsfoot oil is a distillation of the long leg bones in cattle.  It is the closest natural plasticizer to leather there is.  But I use it sparingly.  Nobody likes soggy leather, which can happen from too much oily treatment.

Wrapping your knife in leather can be corrosive too.  Leather contains moisture and fatty acid salts that will attack brass and copper. 

For working knives, I actually prefer synthetic handles, which I can wash, dry and go.

If you collect, keep your knives where they are cool, dry, and protected so they don't scratch each other.  There are soft single knife pouches available that protect and save your knives.  Take advantage of them.

Working knives should be sharpened when needed, cleaned and oiled when dirty or wet, and made ready for more use.

I used to go to a flea market where Richard would display metal tools and steel vices.   All of them were rusted from being left out in the rain, significantly dropping interest and value.  Don’t be like Dick.  Protect your investment.

Spyderco

 

Spyderco was established in 1978 by Sal Glesser.  Surprisingly, his first product wasn’t a knife but the Portable Hand, a device created in 1976.  It was a spider-shaped device with ball joints, angles, and alligator clips that helped hobbyists and jewelers work with small parts.  Following the success of the Portable Hand, they produced the Sharpmaker in 1978.

Over the years, they have driven other companies to use new steel to stay competitive, and were the innovators of the one-hand opening folder.  They have become one of the drivers in the knife community.  Undoubtedly, success didn't come overnight but through hard work.  I greatly admire them.  Spyderco lives up to their motto: "Integrity is being good even if no one is watching."

I have been fortunate enough to acquire a mix of Spyderco folders.  In the pre-911 days, I flew with two Spyderco Delicas, and my wife also carried one.  I still carry a Spyderco almost daily.  Let’s take a shallow dip into my favorite Spyderco knives.

C28 - The Dragonfly

The Dragonfly was originally introduced in 1994.  The original steel was GIN1/G2.  G2 was Spyderco code (Good Shit 2) for the steel used.  Mine came in a little solid black box made in December 1997.  By this time, they were using AUS8.  AUS8 is a slightly better steel than GIN1.  Spyderco was still using plastic clips on FRN handles.  The clips worked well but tended to deform if caught in a seatbelt or such.  Unlike metal clips, first used on the Worker in 1981, a damaged plastic clip was bent for life. 

The Dragonfly

I like the Dragonfly.  It was a compact knife you could carry while wearing suit or dress slacks.  The small size makes it compatible with the tiny pockets in women's slacks. The weight of 1.2 ounces didn’t tug at the lines and deform your trouser pocket.  It is a classy knife.

C11 - Delica

The Delica has always been in the top ten best sellers at Spyderco.  You can get it in an amazing variety of steels.  Perhaps my first two were a green FRN and a black FRN Delica.  At the time, Spyderco serrations were still suspect.  We weren't sure about sharpening serrations or what to use them for, and even today, they are a polarizing feature for many knife owners.   Sal Glesser designed the Delica in 1990.  The early ones did not have the type of steel used stamped on the tang and were tang stamped with the acknowledged knife capital of the world, Seki, Japan.  Later ones were stamped Seki-City.  At the time, all the FRN (short fiberglass reinforced nylon.  Engineers often use it for high strength and low weight.) knife bodies had a molded clip.  The clip helped make the knife popular as a tactical knife.  You could fix it at a specific location, and it would remain there.  No hunting in your pocket trying to determine the knife’s orientation.  The clip held the knife tip up, and if you carried on the right side, the blade would nestle against the back seam of your pocket, out of the way until you needed it.

The Green Delica

The green FRN became first available in 1990.  Spyderco started stamping their knife steel in 1992.  I purchased it sometime between 1990 and 1991.

The plastic clip was always something of a question mark.  While it was convenient to anchor the knife in pocket, pouch, or shirt neckline, the clip could be deformed if caught on a seatbelt or forced around thick fabric.  Unable to remove the clip, re-bend it and re-install or replace it, Spyderco responded by grinding the clip off and fixing a metal clip with small screws.  Over time the screws would deform the FRN plastic and loosen.  Most owners who went that route ended up taking the clip off and dropping the knife in a pocket.  I would have bought a new one and exiled the bent one to the car glove compartment or tackle box.

Green Delica - Classic Plastic Clip

The black-handled Delica is marked AUS8A.  The A means the steel was factory-annealed.  AUS8 is very similar to 440C with a slight addition of vanadium, which forms very small and hard carbide particles.  These carbides represent an improvement in steel properties.  At the time, AUS 8 was one of the best available steels for knife blades.

The Black Delica

The tang stamp reads Spyderco AUS8A Stainless.  The reverse is stamped Seki-City Japan.

The Plastic Clip - Everyone loved them until the bent beyond repair

Both knives have the traditional ‘volcano checkering,' a margin defined raised square with a slight spherical depression in its center.  The pattern improved your grip with wet, soapy, or bloody hands.

AUS8A tang stamp

C71 - Salsa

Spyderco's Salsa was made in Taipei, Taiwan, and sports a green anodized finish with a pepper engraved.  It came with a shallow pocket wire clip and top compression lock.  The blade is AUS8.

The Salsa -  Still sorry I didn't get other colors too!

It’s not the first Spyderco with a compression lock, that honor goes to Bram Frank and his design, the Grunting.  The green Salsa was only made in 2002.  The blade is 63mm long with a cutting surface of 53 mm.  The thumb hole is 14 mm in diameter.  As a point of reference, the thumb holes on the two previous Delicas were 12 mm in diameter.  The Salsa thumb hole also has a cobra hood over the hole to promote the blade opening.  Then the blade is locked open, the hood becomes a wide, jimped thumb rest. 

Salsa top compression lock and Cobra Hood opener

My Salsa is partially serrated.  Serration increases the cutting ability of a knife by changing the geometry and increasing the cutting edge.  This is especially valuable in a short-bladed knife.

I'm sorry I didn't buy some of the other colors when they were available.  That is the life of a knife collector, one regret after another. 

C242 - Ikuchi

Ikuchi is one of Spyderco’s ethnic line knives.  This line pays tribute to many diverse cultures and their contribution to knives.  The Ikuchi is named after a mythical Japanese eel-like sea monster.  Paul Alexander designed it with a tapered, curved handle.  Skeletonized stainless steel liners and bitchingly cool carbon fiber/G-10 laminate scales.

The Ikuchi

You can find an excellent description of the Ikuchi in the August 2022 issue of Knife Magazine.

The knife was first shown in Spyderco's 2019 product reveal and was still available in the 2024 catalog. 

The Ikuchi top compression lock and finger opener.

The blade is full-flat ground 83 mm long graceful curve of CPM S30V and sports a tiny 6 mm Spyderco thumb hole.  The thumb hole on Spyderco folders has become a trade make.  I remember when Benchmade lost the rights to Spyderco’s thumb hole and had to change to an oval opener.  The clever thing is, when closed, the blade thumb hole lines up with two holes set in the handle.  That's mega-cool.

The top of the tang is slightly enlarged and becomes the flipper to open the knife.  The index finger of either hand works quite well when opening the Ikuchi.  The closed knife tang rests on a stop block, protecting the blade from hitting the pin connectors between the handle sides.  I like Spyderco's top compression lock, as I don't have to have my fingers in the path of the closing blade.

The wire clip is reversible, but the knife can only be carried tip-up.  I don't see it in the same light I see the Delica.  The Ikichi is much more of a formal dress knife.

We will see what's next!