SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

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Airlsee
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SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#1

Post by Airlsee »

This will be the first knife that I have had to send back to Golden. I disassembled, cleaned and lubed the knife after a few days carry and upon reassembly the clip screw slipped (while barely snug)...I tried it a little more and it cleanly stripped out. I didn't panic and didn't push it any further. I emailed Spyderco and they sent out new screws.

The screws arrived today and at first I tried to just press the T8 very firmly into the head of the screw to get grip and get the stripped screw out, and...no dice. So then I decide to file a small slot into the top and use a flat head screw driver. Well, this was definitely a screw that was not hardened properly. It gave way like it was made of aluminum, I'm out of ideas and figure I'll just send it back to Spyderco tomorrow and have them replace the screw.

It's frustrating but not that big of a deal. It's the first time I've ever need more than a screw from the factory. I hope that they are not too back up.

A very mangled screw...

Image
So it goes.
SG89
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Re: SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#2

Post by SG89 »

Did you try disassembling the rest of the knife or are those screws soft too?
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Airlsee
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Re: SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#3

Post by Airlsee »

Spydergirl88 wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:43 pm
Did you try disassembling the rest of the knife or are those screws soft too?

Yeah, this occurred when I was reassembling. I wouldn't have even removed the clip screw if it wasn't necessary for disassembly.

That was the biggest bummer was the fact that it was all put back together and this was the last screw, haha!!

I've carried it with the stripped screw for a couple weeks and wasn't too worried about it until the replacement screws showed up and the manglement proceeded...
So it goes.
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Some Spyderco fasteners are trash

#4

Post by RustyIron »

Harsh words, to be true, but this needs to be said.

Perhaps the fastener problem with your Lil Native isn't entirely your fault. It could be defective screws. I first spotted this a couple years ago on a Dragonfly. I was doing something with the clip, and while tightening the fastener, it felt "odd." WTF?! Did I choose the wrong torx driver? That would be a boneheaded move, but I'm no stranger to boneheaded moves. It's entirely possible I picked up the wrong size or that the fastener was a hex. I double checked, and no, I had the correct driver. So why was it not fitting correctly?

I broke out the magnifier and took a look. WTF indeed! The fastener wasn't torx. And the fastener wasn't a hex. It was as if a drunken monkey was running the screw machine that day. So I contacted customer support, and they promptly sent me out new clip screws. Well guess what? The new ones were just as bad as the first. At that point, I gave up and made due with the shoddy fasteners.

The funny thing is, I could go to the Dragonfly photos on knife dealer webpages, and if the pictures were clear, they showed the same malformed screws.

Now get this! It's been a couple years, and the Dragonfly's still ship with malformed clip screws. I just checked a web page with recently released models, and the clip screws are still malformed.

I don't know if the Lil Native uses the same clip screws as the Dragonfly. But it might be good practice to closely examine parts, even if they come straight from the factory.

Here's pics from my Dragonfly.

Photo on 7-14-20 at 6.51 PM.jpg
Photo on 8-24-20 at 9.28 PM.jpg
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Airlsee
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Re: SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#5

Post by Airlsee »

Spydergirl88 wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:43 pm
Did you try disassembling the rest of the knife or are those screws soft too?

On a more positive note, this guy also showed up today!

It was much more used than I was anticipating, but it was surprising in a good way. The pictures were more general and weren't detailed, but this knife has been carried a lot. The G-10 is very smooth around the edges from bouncing around in someone's pocket with change and things. There was no corrosion at all though so that was awesome!!

It has lived a life before now and that is cool to know. Anyway here are a couple pictures, it got cleaned and lubed. It had a lot of grit, lint and dirt but now is ready for another 10 years.

Image
Image
Image
So it goes.
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Sharp Guy
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Re: SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#6

Post by Sharp Guy »

Could it be possible they use relatively soft screws intentionally? Easier (and less expensive) to replace a screw than a stripped thread in a threaded insert or liner.
Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most!
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Airlsee
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Re: SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#7

Post by Airlsee »

Sharp Guy wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:49 pm
Could it be possible they use relatively soft screws intentionally? Easier (and less expensive) to replace a screw than a stripped thread in a threaded insert or liner.

I have disassembled A LOT of my knives going back probably 5 years or so and this screw was an anomaly in my experience.
So it goes.
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nerdlock
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Re: Some Spyderco fasteners are trash

#8

Post by nerdlock »

RustyIron wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:41 pm
Harsh words, to be true, but this needs to be said.

Perhaps the fastener problem with your Lil Native isn't entirely your fault. It could be defective screws. I first spotted this a couple years ago on a Dragonfly. I was doing something with the clip, and while tightening the fastener, it felt "odd." WTF?! Did I choose the wrong torx driver? That would be a boneheaded move, but I'm no stranger to boneheaded moves. It's entirely possible I picked up the wrong size or that the fastener was a hex. I double checked, and no, I had the correct driver. So why was it not fitting correctly?

I broke out the magnifier and took a look. WTF indeed! The fastener wasn't torx. And the fastener wasn't a hex. It was as if a drunken monkey was running the screw machine that day. So I contacted customer support, and they promptly sent me out new clip screws. Well guess what? The new ones were just as bad as the first. At that point, I gave up and made due with the shoddy fasteners.

The funny thing is, I could go to the Dragonfly photos on knife dealer webpages, and if the pictures were clear, they showed the same malformed screws.

Now get this! It's been a couple years, and the Dragonfly's still ship with malformed clip screws. I just checked a web page with recently released models, and the clip screws are still malformed.

I don't know if the Lil Native uses the same clip screws as the Dragonfly. But it might be good practice to closely examine parts, even if they come straight from the factory.

Here's pics from my Dragonfly.


Photo on 7-14-20 at 6.51 PM.jpg

Photo on 8-24-20 at 9.28 PM.jpg

You have me worried about my incoming DLT Cruwear Dragonfly 2. As a leftie the very first thing I do is to transfer the clip to the other side for left-hand carry. I hope this will not be the case.
8Cr13MoV:N690Co:VG10:S30V:S35VN:S45VN:Elmax:SPY27:H1:LC200N:4V:MagnaCut:CTS-XHP:204P:M390:20CV:Cru-Wear:Z-Wear:M4:Rex-45:10V:K390:15V:S90V:Z-Max:Maxamet
SG89
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Re: SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#9

Post by SG89 »

Airlsee- glad to see you got an Air!
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Re: SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#10

Post by Abyss_Fish »

Whoa!

I read the title and thought it was a stripped screw, this is an OBLITERATED screw. Absolutely send that back to Golden, no excuse for that kind of failure.
Lightly insane.

Current spydie collection: Watu, Rhino, UKPK Salt G10 bladeswap, Yojimbo 2 Smooth G10 Cru-Wear, Manix lw “mystic” 20cv, SmallFly 2, Waterway, Ladybug k390, Caribbean
Current favorite steels: sg2/R2, lc200n/Z-FiNit, 3v
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Re: SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#11

Post by Sharp Guy »

Do a forum search for "soft screw". There's actually several discussions

viewtopic.php?p=1485294#p1485294

^ I mentioned that maybe the screws were spec'd that way for a reason. Apparently, Bolster put that idea in my head. I used to work for a company that made threaded fasteners. Certain screws didn't get heat treated because the company that we were making them for wanted them to be soft. I still think this is the case here
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not_the_sharpest
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Re: SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#12

Post by not_the_sharpest »

If they've put too much Loctite on them, that doesn't help the situation. I ended up turning mine into slotted screws with a Dremel.
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Airlsee
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Re: SOFT clip screw in S90V Lil' Native

#13

Post by Airlsee »

Update:

Got this one back from Golden today...took about 2 weeks which wasn't bad at all. There was actually no communication, I just mailed it off and got an email that it would be delivered today.

They replaced the clip screw, and I think the rest of the screws as well, not entirely sure. They also sharpened/reprofiled it, which I wasn't expecting, the bevels are significantly taller than the last time I saw it.

There was a letter in the box but it was pretty generic other than just listing the knife model serviced.

Overall I am pleased, and felt like I should post a conclusion.
So it goes.
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