52100

matfox · Mar 14, 2020

Saw a picture of an interesting military with cf scales, which looked amazing. The steel on the blade was just a number, 52100. Found some information and videos on youtube. I learned that it is a carbon tool steel which is also used for bearings and forged blades, but it seems to be very susceptible to rust. I like patina on blades, but rust? Could it even have some negative affect on the spydie mechanism? Would be interested if anyone has some experiences to share.

yablanowitz · Mar 14, 2020

I haven't had any issues with mine, but I live in a rather dry area. Yes 52100 will rust if you don't take a little care of it. So will 1095, O-1, 5160, M4 or Maxamet for that matter. Patina is a form of rust. It is an iron oxide, it just doesn't flake away and expose new metal to further oxidation the way red rust does.

lieferung · Mar 14, 2020

Lots of popular knives have blades that could rust. It takes only a little maintenance and care to prevent it. Or you could go ahead and force a patina so you don't have to worry at all.

mitch13 · Mar 14, 2020

52100 is good, holds a real nice edge and easy to touch up.
Some Custom makers like it for it's forging, such as Ray Kirk MS.
Yes being carbon steel, it will rust if not cared for and stain. I prefer a patina which helps protect the blade & I like the look.
It becomes habit to wipe the blade off or clean.
If you prefer shiny then maybe stainless.
This is just my opinion though.
Good luck.
mitch

DA170 · Mar 14, 2020

matfox said:
Saw a picture of an interesting military with cf scales, which looked amazing. The steel on the blade was just a number, 52100. Found some information and videos on youtube. I learned that it is a carbon tool steel which is also used for bearings and forged blades, but it seems to be very susceptible to rust. I like patina on blades, but rust? Could it even have some negative affect on the spydie mechanism? Would be interested if anyone has some experiences to share.

I've been carrying a Para 3 52100 in rotation for over a year now. I initially let the blade take on a natural patina (mostly around spydie hole) from my hands in use. I decided about 2 months in I didn't like how it looked and buffed the blade with semi chrome polish. There was small pitting under the patina that's permanent now if you look close. I use EDCI periodically and haven't had a problem since. I also live in a dry climate too!

matfox · Mar 15, 2020

yablanowitz said:
I haven't had any issues with mine, but I live in a rather dry area. Yes 52100 will rust if you don't take a little care of it. So will 1095, O-1, 5160, M4 or Maxamet for that matter. Patina is a form of rust. It is an iron oxide, it just doesn't flake away and expose new metal to further oxidation the way red rust does.

Thanks for clarification. I have some 1095 on my traditional pocket knives and M4 on two of my spydies. From my experiences, the Bradley takes patina rather slow, 1095 pretty fast.

matfox · Mar 15, 2020

lieferung said:
Lots of popular knives have blades that could rust. It takes only a little maintenance and care to prevent it. Or you could go ahead and force a patina so you don't have to worry at all.

I think I was just a little afraid how fast it will actually rust. As I try to take care of my knives, I think I should give it a try.
Thanks for your input.

matfox · Mar 15, 2020

mitch13 said:
52100 is good, holds a real nice edge and easy to touch up.
Some Custom makers like it for it's forging, such as Ray Kirk MS.
Yes being carbon steel, it will rust if not cared for and stain. I prefer a patina which helps protect the blade & I like the look.
It becomes habit to wipe the blade off or clean.
If you prefer shiny then maybe stainless.
This is just my opinion though.
Good luck.
mitch

Thank you for the hint to the custom knife makers. Edge retention sounds good, and I like the look of patina too.

matfox · Mar 15, 2020

DA170 said:
I've been carrying a Para 3 52100 in rotation for over a year now. I initially let the blade take on a natural patina (mostly around spydie hole) from my hands in use. I decided about 2 months in I didn't like how it looked and buffed the blade with semi chrome polish. There was small pitting under the patina that's permanent now if you look close. I use EDCI periodically and haven't had a problem since. I also live in a dry climate too!

Thank you. Hope the pitting doesn't get worse, but from what you wrote it seems to be okay. Haven't seen a Para 3 with this steel so far, but I guess it looks good. I assume they also used cf for the handle?

DA170 · Mar 15, 2020

matfox said:
Thank you. Hope the pitting doesn't get worse, but from what you wrote it seems to be okay. Haven't seen a Para 3 with this steel so far, but I guess it looks good. I assume they also used cf for the handle?

Yes, An exclusive, With Peel-ply Carbon fiber scales like the S90V Sprint! I sanded the peel ply off the scales (to bring out the fibers) and contoured the edges. 52100 has been good steel in use and holds an edge longer then its simple chemistry implies! Hope you enjoy using it.

matfox · Mar 15, 2020

Great, makes me curious. If you have a picture, I would be interested to see.
Maybe here, or in the "Which Spyderco are you carrying today" thread?
Have a nice sunday,
mat

Cscotttsss · Mar 15, 2020

I only own one Spyderco 52100 knife but it's DLC.

I guess I'm in the minority but I don't like Patina so no experience there. Mine is DLC coated and IMO is a great steel, touches up easily and gets sticky sharp. I keep it clean and wipe it down with Balistol.

matfox · Mar 15, 2020

Cscotttsss said:
I only own one Spyderco 52100 knife but it's DLC.

I guess I'm in the minority but I don't like Patina so no experience there. Mine is DLC coated and IMO is a great steel, touches up easily and gets sticky sharp. I keep it clean and wipe it down with Balistol.

Steel quality seems to be really good from what I read in the other posts and yours. Great that spyderco offers 52100 also in dlc coating, for those who like the steel but want to minimize patina. On the other hand, it could also be of interest for the patina girls and guys. A few weeks ago I saw a post, a spoon whittling picture, with a pm2 in M4 and a worn out coating including patina, which looked absolutely georgeous.

Cscotttsss · Mar 15, 2020

matfox said:
Steel quality seems to be really good from what I read in the other posts and yours. Great that spyderco offers 52100 also in dlc coating, for those who like the steel but want to minimize patina. On the other hand, it could also be of interest for the patina girls and guys. A few weeks ago I saw a post, a spoon whittling picture, with a pm2 in M4 and a worn out coating including patina, which looked absolutely georgeous.

Yeah, it's a sweet one, I'm really surprised it took so long to sell out. It's my most carried Manix 2 I own.

Untitled by Caleb Bender, on Flickr

hopsbreath · Mar 15, 2020

It so happens that’s my carry today. All the way from humid Central Florida, this is all the patina of my preferred EDC after almost two years. Not pristine by a long shot, but sharpens and performs like a dream.

matfox · Mar 15, 2020

Cscotttsss said:
Yeah, it's a sweet one, I'm really surprised it took so long to sell out. It's my most carried Manix 2 I own.

Untitled by Caleb Bender, on Flickr

It's a beauty! Thanks for the picture!

matfox · Mar 15, 2020

hopsbreath said:
It so happens that’s my carry today. All the way from humid Central Florida, this is all the patina of my preferred EDC after almost two years. Not pristine by a long shot, but sharpens and performs like a dream.

It's the "millie", right? Looks perfect to me! Thanks for the pictures! Great to see this model after two years of use.

DA170 · Mar 15, 2020

matfox said:
Great, makes me curious. If you have a picture, I would be interested to see.
Maybe here, or in the "Which Spyderco are you carrying today" thread?
Have a nice sunday,
mat

Here's the 52100 Para3 next to the S90V Sprint. I've sanded the Peel-ply texture down on the scales to highlight the weave and increase gloss. You can see in natural light, That it's hard to pickup the removed patina, By the opening hole on the 52100. In the flash picture (closed knife) it shows itself more readily.

hopsbreath · Mar 15, 2020

matfox said:
It's the "millie", right? Looks perfect to me! Thanks for the pictures! Great to see this model after two years of use.

Yep, that’s the larger Military. I’ve owned a PM2 in this setup as well but have since sold it. Best built PM2 I ever handled: really wanted to like it but at the end of the day, I’m a Military guy over the smaller PM2.

My Military mechanics aren’t as perfect as I’d like. This was an eBay save, I got it cheap but the seller didn’t disclose how bad it really was — just that it needed the edge touched up. Side to side wiggle was terrible, the screws were all mucked up, blade was almost touching the scale, it had obviously been taken apart; I took it all apart and found locktite everywhere in the pivot, washers, and blade. The carbon fiber scales were frayed at the pivot, it was a mess... but salvageable. Cleaned it up, trimmed the frayed fibers, replaced most of the screws, forced a patina with white vinegar and sharpened it up. The only way to reduce the side to side play was to tighten the pivot virtually all the way down. Super tight to open and close for a year or so, but it’s actually flippable now with no blade play. Centering is literally perfect, lockup a little late but I’d say in the 60% range so definitely more life left. I wouldn’t want to take this apart again though, it’s not going to be getting any better.

matfox · Mar 15, 2020

DA170 said:
Here's the 52100 Para3 next to the S90V Sprint. I've sanded the Peel-ply texture down on the scales to highlight the weave and increase gloss. You can see in natural light, That it's hard to pickup the removed patina, By the opening hole on the 52100. In the flash picture (closed knife) it shows itself more readily.
View attachment 1303270 View attachment 1303271 View attachment 1303272

Great, more pictures...thanks!
The pattern on the handle really came out nice! I guess it feels smoother now? Did you take the scales off for this modification?
Somehow, I wouldn't have thought about the spydiehole to patina, before I saw your pics. A hidden place to keep in mind...