New Super Blue Caly 3

I went ahead and got a few to give as presents. Every one of them has been perfectly centered, and nicely ground. They did change the pivot to torx from the standard hex on the older Caly 3 and 3.5 models. I do not like the new pivot pins, they're even clunkier than the old ones, and asymmetric now.
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My new EDC is white vinegar patina with a charcoal/burgundy RIT dyed handle. Sorry, my lighting sucks.
 
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PanChango said:
My 3.5 doesn't stay very clean, but I've come to terms with it.

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The patina actually looks really nice on your Caly 3.5!

As for the Caly 3SB, I got lucky and was able to score one from my local dealer. It will be fun to see how I like it, since I have no prior experience with any Caly models.
 
I should have mine in about a week, can't wait to give the SB a workout. I never did find a 3.5 at a reasonable price, hopefully the 3 will be enough for now.
 
PaleAleDude said:
The patina actually looks really nice on your Caly 3.5!

As for the Caly 3SB, I got lucky and was able to score one from my local dealer. It will be fun to see how I like it, since I have no prior experience with any Caly models.
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Thanks. That is about 14 months of pocket time and just my normal use. I did pick up a 3" version as well. For the most part I like it, but I do find myself missing the last half inch of blade every so often.

jkh said:
whats the best way to prevent rust on the SB?
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Use it.
 
Got mine today, and there's a lot to like: size, weight, F&F, solid lockup and the overall feeling of the handle. What I don't like though is the pocket clip and wiggle with it. Up and down it's solid, but sideways not so much. I find it very annoying. Didn't find a right sized torx screwdriver, so I couldn't try to tighten it. Maybe I'll remove it altogether.

I also wondered about the dirty, kinda stained blade itself. It's not rust, just stains (or at least I think so). This is my first experience with this SB steel, so I don't know if this normal. Anyway, any recommendations as how to clean it?
 
This is a patina, Super Blue is not stainless. You can try removing it with a little Flitz. Some people really like it and leave it.
 
The dirtiness is a patina, and it is normal. Super Blue has very low Chromium content which is what makes a steel stainless. The patina actually to my understanding creates a protective layer against rust. Some guys force a patina, although SB develops one very quickly to my understanding. The clip is held on by a T8 Torx screw most likely. I don't have that particular knife, but pretty sure that is what it is. Not sure how to clean it, I will be getting a SB Stretch when they come out, and that will be my first SB. I am going to let the patina naturally develop on that.
 
That blade should not have rust (sorry, it's not "patina") right out of the box. It will occur normally with use, but unless the knife got some exposure to a lot of moisture on its way to you (I see you are in Finland) it should have looked, well, new. ;) Was the knife new, still wrapped in the protective paper? Or did it perhaps get inspected by Customs personnel who handled it in ways that led to the rust?
 
Just got mine in last night. I am wondering if you guys noticed the blade is kind of tight. I haven't tried to adjust it yet, but it wont flick open like my PM2s, am I mistaken in expecting it to or does it just need a little adjustment? Overall the F&F are great, though it did feel a little "gritty" the first few times I opened it, that seems to be cleared up now, but it is still tight to open. One other thing I notices about it, the Spyder hole is a little on the sharp side, almost feels like with the right (or wrong) movement it could cut my thumb.
 
eschwebach said:
This is a patina, Super Blue is not stainless. You can try removing it with a little Flitz. Some people really like it and leave it.
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nccole said:
The dirtiness is a patina, and it is normal. Super Blue has very low Chromium content which is what makes a steel stainless.
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JNewell said:
Was the knife new, still wrapped in the protective paper? Or did it perhaps get inspected by Customs personnel who handled it in ways that led to the rust?
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Thanks guys for your thoughts and help. It was still wrapped in that protective paper. The stains themselves appear only on the other side of the blade, weird. In the end I actually don't mind it and am leaning towards the idea that it is indeed patina, because the colour of those stains (so to speak) is very close to the colour of the blade itself. Also they are only visible in direct light on a correct angle. Moving the blade to a different angle hides those stains so that they aren't visible.

Overall I really like this knife. I'll give it my personal likeability/coolness rating of 99.2% rating (deducting just a little bit because of that pocket clip) :D
 
PaleAleDude said:
Thanks guys for your thoughts and help. It was still wrapped in that protective paper. The stains themselves appear only on the other side of the blade, weird. In the end I actually don't mind it and am leaning towards the idea that it is indeed patina, because the colour of those stains (so to speak) is very close to the colour of the blade itself. Also they are only visible in direct light on a correct angle. Moving the blade to a different angle hides those stains so that they aren't visible.

Overall I really like this knife. I'll give it my personal likeability/coolness rating of 99.2% rating (deducting just a little bit because of that pocket clip) :D
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I know you are in Finland, so any warranty work had better be worth it, but take the clip off and have a look at it. Make sure it sits straight, and looks "right" You may be able to get Spyderco to ship you a new clip if yours is bent wrong, or doesn't work just right. I personally love the wire clip, it is my favorite clip from any manufacture. That being said, I have noticed that the clip on my Sage 2 has a bit more side-to-side wiggle where it contacts the knife than all my other wire clips, and it looks funny when removed. It has never bothered me too much, but I may buy a replacement for it anyway.
 
nccole said:
...take the clip off and have a look at it. Make sure it sits straight, and looks "right" You may be able to get Spyderco to ship you a new clip if yours is bent wrong, or doesn't work just right.
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Thanks, I'll be doing this when I find the right torx screwdriver to get it "opened" first. Shooting an email to Spyderco is also pretty easy, so I might just do that too (if I end up thinking there is indeed something wrong with the clip).
 
@knifephan:
The pivots on compression locks and liner locks are essentially free moving and have a detent in the closed position whereas backlocks have a springy resistance designed to keep the knife closed. If you look at how the backlock works you'll see there's an inherent amount of metal-on-metal friction going on, which can feel gritty. Like my grandaddy always said, 'a certain amount of maintenance helps things run smoothly' ;) I think backlocks have a certain gentlmanly quality and I don't hesitate to carry them tip-up on my waistband. Welcome to the (now less exclusive :grumpy: ) super blue folders club! :)
 
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eschwebach said:
It's not really abrasive, so it shouldn't "wear it out".
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Just wanted to clarify for those who decide to use Magic Erasers. They absolutely are abrasive and that's how the Magic Eraser works. Using one for extended periods of time on plastics and some anodized metals can bald the surface. Should you use one, be sure to use light pressure and use the eraser evenly across the entire surface. This might not be much of an issue with G-10, but if you're constantly cleaning the same area, the worn spots will begin to show under certain lighting.
 
allyourblood said:
Just wanted to clarify for those who decide to use Magic Erasers. They absolutely are abrasive and that's how the Magic Eraser works. Using one for extended periods of time on plastics and some anodized metals can bald the surface. Should you use one, be sure to use light pressure and use the eraser evenly across the entire surface. This might not be much of an issue with G-10, but if you're constantly cleaning the same area, the worn spots will begin to show under certain lighting.
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Yup, they are like using very very fine sandpaper: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine_foam
 
So -- this SB Caly 3 is a sprint run, right?

Wouldn't mind picking one up sometime this year, but sounds like availability may be an issue before long
 
I got my new Caly3 SB last night and it looked so nice I almost couldn't bear to patina it like I was planning but I knew what I had to do ;)

White Wine Vinegar (some fancy stuff that seemed to have a higher acidic content (6%)) and a preserves jar, dunked knife in it for 30min (submerged pivot too). The only thing I did to prep the knife was wipe it down and flush it with BlueLube Cleanser and then wipe a tuf-glide cloth just on the bevel to keep it from rusting too much. After it's bath I flushed it out with tap water and then sprayed it out with compressed air and applied tuf-glide all over the place. The one thing I forgot to do was close the blade right away and fully clean the inside of the tang and I wound up with a little bit of orange on the surface. I've been trying to clean it out and oil, I think it'll just get scraped off opening and closing. After all this I stropped the bevel to shine it up a bit and voila!

The fit & finish is superb on the SB, I'd rate it the same as my ZDP and better than my VG10.

Before:
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After:
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