Tag Archives: Spydercoknives

Tuscan Raider #2 – cheese and wine, boar, scorpion and Delica.

20/09/2017 nemosandman Leave a comment

For now this post has only been edited on my smartphone. It’s more of a journal kind and some thoughts I wanted to share. It is the occasion also to share some pics of knives being used.

Once arrived in Tuscany one of the first duty of my Delica was to open a wooden crate.

Delica are thin bladed. Snapping the point is very easy.

The trick is not to apply leverage but simply to twist the blade. Even with a thin point you can apply a lot of torque. The crate was open easily.

The good thing with that knife is how well it is accepted by people and sheeples.

Tonight it has been borrowed a lot and ladies used it when a keen edge was requested.

Liver…

Boar and mash potatoes…

So far HAP40 is stainless from being used everyday as silverware. No patina has been spotted. It seems more resistant than CPM M4…

A delicacy from Naples.

Hard crust and soft inside. You need a very thin edge to cut all those blades of pasta’

The dog was playing with a scorpion. Nobody seems to care about it. But it was the chance for a bug picture…

Eventually the dog was alive despite annoying that poor scorpion for a very long time.

The scorpion escaped somewhere. Tuscany country life.

And as I’m writing now in the shade of the evening a mosquitoes has decided to taste my blood. Smallest animal are feeding in the biggest.

Sunday morning we will go hunting.

Tomorrow time to test the Euroedge.

Folders, Photos, Uncategorized

Spyderco Persian C83BM — Ed Schempp’s Prince of Persia.

08/09/2017 nemosandman 4 Comments

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There is one special knife which is my EDC rotation. It’s not the last steel, not the last lock but this is one of the most beautiful Spyderco ever made. I had pictured it with my Tuff
It was designed by Ed Schempp and quoting Spyderco product presentation:

“Custom knifemakers are way more than just steel junkies. Many are great artists and deep thinking intellectuals with their own specialties and talents. They continue to bring spice, variety and new ideas to the knife world. Custom maker Ed Schempp is a wheat farmer who while driving his tractor through his fields has time to think. He thinks about knives and everything surrounding them: steel, designs, heat treat, metallurgy properties, and he also thinks wheat, but only because he has to. His signature symbol, wheat sheaves are found on all his knives. He recently collaborated with Spyderco in a design called the Persian Folder — a well thought out mixture of classic Western meets the exotic East.

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The shapely Persian blade is traditionally found in fixed blade form but Ed incorporates this Eastern influence into a folding knife. Made of VG-10, the hollow-ground blade is deep-bellied, ending in an upswept tip with a curvy spot on the spine where your thumb rests. The blade’s curves flow through into the handle, which is black Micarta topped with polished steel bolsters. Not only do the curves add visual appeal, they create a finger choil and a crook in front of the index finger then end in a tail, for a myriad of grip positions. A custom designed steel pocket clip positions the knife so it carries right-handed, tip-up. Balance combined with top-notch fit and finish mark this model an Ed Schempp design and a true Spyderco.”

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This knife was a gift from JD when he came to visit at the occasion of the SICAC in 2012, five years ago. It has been sharpen and honed by him and it came really really sharp. Once thing I have noticed is how VG10 can take a very keen edge easily. This one is no exception. His deep belly and thin edge makes it a great slicer really easy to touch up on white ceramic of on leather.

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Made in Seki Japan, the Persian is pure elegance and ergonomy. It spouses my hand gently and brings the blade right where it needs to be: in the extension of my arm. Ed Schempp’s ergos are legendary.

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Shown here with one of the last Spyderco made by Schemp: the Legend of The Fall.

Cutting is easy and even on a board you got control on your pressure. There are no hot spots on that handle and the index can rest before our after the quillon on the choil. This is a bolt constructio: there no screws but on the very exotic mounted clip. Tip up carry for this relatively heavy folder as heavy as my Zero Tolerance.

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This is a true Legend of Spyderco manufacturing, bolt in design and highly praised by users and collectors. Mince is of one of the first batch and it keeps going strong.

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The action is as smooth as the all realisation.

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Folders, Photos, Uncategorized

Starmate C55 — Blast from the Past.

31/08/2017 nemosandman 1 Comment

Spyderco’s C55 Starmate wasn’t just a knife—it was a statement. In the ’90s, it stood as a refined alternative to the Millie: same precision engineering, nested liners, CPM440V (S60V) steel, identical blade thickness, and uncompromising materials. Twins on paper, yet worlds apart in feel. The Terzuola captivated with its rugged, workhorse demeanor, while the Millie thrived on rapid-response agility. Then there was the C36—alive in the hand, delivering unparalleled penetration and slicing power. The Starmate, measured and deliberate, carried the quiet confidence of a blade built to endure.

I was happy to have a thick blade made of that alloy as I was afraid to snap it. I used it as my main edc in rotation with M2 AFCK, ATS34 Sebenza.
And soon, the steel—what we simply called “CPM”—revealed its true character. It held an edge far longer than anything we’d seen before. The initial razor-sharp bite dulled quickly, yes, but then it kept slicing, again and again, without faltering. At the time, this was revolutionary. CPM420V (S90V) was rare; it wasn’t until 1999 that I finally had the chance to test a Darrel Ralph design in S90V. The only way to bring it back to full razor sharpness? Fred Perrin’s backstand.

S60V felt like an entirely new animal. Its wear pattern was unlike anything we’d seen with ATS34, 1095, XC75, D2, or M2HSS back then—and that was thrilling. You could set out on a trip, leave your sharpener behind, and your Starmate would keep cutting for two full weeks without complaint.

Twenty years on, the contrast is striking: the Starmate on the left, the AFCK on the right. Titanium liners show noticeably more wear. That’s where Bob Terzuola’s genius comes in—his improved Walker LinerLock features a concave ramp on the blade’s lock face. Pioneered in his custom knives, this geometry delivers far greater strength and security than conventional flat lock ramps—and it’s showcased proudly in the Starmate.

Twenty years between those two great knives.

And 2026 with the M2 CPM15V.

The Starmate stands as a testament to Spyderco’s rich history of collaboration with one of knifemaking’s most talented and innovative craftsmen. In just two weeks, I’ll meet Bob Terzuola at the Paris knives show—an ideal moment to capture some photos and shoot a video right here.

Folders, Photos, Uncategorized

MILITARY C36PIN PART IV: Deep Carry Clip in Titanium

30/08/2017 nemosandman 3 Comments

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After the part III where I built a patina by worshipping various acids, here comes the part IV of improving my old classic Spyderco: installing a better clip.
My first attempt in custom deep carry titanium clip has not be good. It was for the Yojimbo2 and I’ve been mounting the original clip back.
Then I have ordered a titanium clip for Ghost my Millie.

Actually I was disappointed again, once mounted the action was not smooth anymore.
For some reason the clip was exercising some forces on the pivot and the opening and closing were stiff. Also the mate finish was not helping the insertion of the knife is the pocket.

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So I have bent the clip for it to be less strong and also I have sand it to smooth it.
It made a difference.

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Talking about differences, the titanium clip is very well designed and comes with two flat torx screws. It’s a little higher/thicker than the original one but it’s not a problem and does not change the ergonomy.

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Also by sanding the clip, I have obtained a worn look which goes well with the patina.

I have also rounded all the edge on the G10 with P1000 sandpaper to have it smooth in the pocket.

But I felt some resistance when I put the knife in my pocket and I also found that now the lip of my pocket was obliged to go through a new threshhold: the base of the clip.

You see ? There is step formed by the attached base of the clip which can be hard on my pocket, tearing a hole of my worn denim.

So I was back to sanding on P500 this time to smooth the steep and avoid wear.
And it worked !

Eventually I was able to ease the clip spring pressure and get my C36 back to smooth operation.

So it was not an issue with screws length but a slight deformation at the pivot due to too much spring tension.

So I’m happy, the C36 Military now disappears in the pocket but it also easy to “spyder-drop” it in the blink of an eye. The action is a little stiffer but some nano-oil helps it. I’m not able to have the blade closing by gravity anymore. Anyway the Millie as never as smooth as the Ed Schempp Bowie and not as easy to carry.
But now I can carry that C36 in the city with no afterthought. It’s almost invisible and the Jade Natural G-10 helps a lot in its invisibility and sheeple friendly carried tool.
Hence the name “Ghost”.

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