Southard assembly question

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Kylems11
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Southard assembly question

#1

Post by Kylems11 »

i took my southard apart to clean and re lube with nano oil. Now that its cleaned and put back together it is not flipping as smoothly as before. Im wondering if there is a specific way the bearings are supposed to be put in? And if so is there a way to tell what way they go? Thanks for any help.
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Evil D
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Re: Southard assembly question

#2

Post by Evil D »

Well, rule #1 is always pay super close attention to how it comes apart so you can avoid these issues.

That said, I believe the bearings are slightly offset to one side or the other, and I think the side with the balls sticking out more belongs on the blade side. However, you may also just need to lube them. If you're going to take it back apart to check the bearing orientation, I highly suggest adding a little dab of bearing grease to the bearings on each side. This has made the action on mine the smoothest of an knife I own by a very large margin.
pdptrow
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Re: Southard assembly question

#3

Post by pdptrow »

I am having the opposite problem; my southard does not completely flip open. I have wrist flick or manually open to finish opening the blade. After hearing some say how well it flips I wondered if there was some friction occurring preventing it from flipping open. So I decided maybe it needs a cleaning and inspect what it looks like inside. Much to my surprise one side of the steel washers was grooved from "excess force". This was the first time I have opened the southard. This is the picture of the washer as I saw it. Also the detent looks worn to me, is that possible. So first step is replace the washers. Should I be concerned about the bearings, (I think they are much harder)? Any other advice? Thanks

Image
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Johnnie1801
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Re: Southard assembly question

#4

Post by Johnnie1801 »

[quote="pdptrow"]I am having the opposite problem; my southard does not completely flip open. I have wrist flick or manually open to finish opening the blade. After hearing some say how well it flips I wondered if there was some friction occurring preventing it from flipping open. So I decided maybe it needs a cleaning and inspect what it looks like inside. Much to my surprise one side of the steel washers was grooved from "excess force". This was the first time I have opened the southard. This is the picture of the washer as I saw it. Also the detent looks worn to me, is that possible. So first step is replace the washers. Should I be concerned about the bearings, (I think they are much harder)? Any other advice? Thanks


Hi pdp, may I ask, did you buy that knife new or second hand and how long have you owned it?

thanks
Currently enjoying Spyderco's in - S30V, VG10, Super Blue, Cruwear x4, CTS XHP, S110V x2, M4 x3, S35VN, CTS 204P x2, S90V, HAP 40, K390, RWL34, MAXAMET, ZDP 189, REX 45


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pdptrow
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Re: Southard assembly question

#5

Post by pdptrow »

I did buy it new and have owned it for 2 years plus.
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Evil D
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Re: Southard assembly question

#6

Post by Evil D »

Both of my washers were cupped to the shape of the bearings, not sure if they're done this way on purpose or from the pivot being so tight that the bearings rolled on them enough to reshape them. One thing I made sure to note was which bearing was paired with which washer.
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razorsharp
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Re: Southard assembly question

#7

Post by razorsharp »

My southard wouldn't go back together properly due to the cupped washers ( I took it apart for a full-flat regrind) . They aren't meant to dish like they do- The steel is too thin. Spyderco sent me replacements and it went together correctly, I put it together with nano oil but dont want to take it down to lubricate again for fear it wont assemble correctly. My old southard I had before this had the same issues.

BTW, the bearings aren't orientated to one side, despite the nylon housing looking different on each side.
pdptrow
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Re: Southard assembly question

#8

Post by pdptrow »

My thought also that the washers were too soft and were worn down by the bearings. I was careful to keep the parts from each side of the knife separate to put it back together correctly, now it is opening slightly better. Will contact Spyderco about washers too for a fresh start . I'm going to try very light on the pivot tightness to start and go from there. And I was thinking of using this, which is something I have already, on the bearings, KEY-LUBE® Grease, is a general-purpose lubricant available for most grease found in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and personal care product industries. The aluminum complex thickener provides excellent resistance to water washdown. Unless there is something far better overall. Thanks for the comments.
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Kylems11
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Re: Southard assembly question

#9

Post by Kylems11 »

Evil D wrote:Well, rule #1 is always pay super close attention to how it comes apart so you can avoid these issues.

That said, I believe the bearings are slightly offset to one side or the other, and I think the side with the balls sticking out more belongs on the blade side. However, you may also just need to lube them. If you're going to take it back apart to check the bearing orientation, I highly suggest adding a little dab of bearing grease to the bearings on each side. This has made the action on mine the smoothest of an knife I own by a very large margin.
I ended up getting it back together but it still isnt as smooth as before. I used nano oil on the bearings. Does grease work better then lube for bearings?
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Kylems11
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Re: Southard assembly question

#10

Post by Kylems11 »

pdptrow wrote:I am having the opposite problem; my southard does not completely flip open. I have wrist flick or manually open to finish opening the blade. After hearing some say how well it flips I wondered if there was some friction occurring preventing it from flipping open. So I decided maybe it needs a cleaning and inspect what it looks like inside. Much to my surprise one side of the steel washers was grooved from "excess force". This was the first time I have opened the southard. This is the picture of the washer as I saw it. Also the detent looks worn to me, is that possible. So first step is replace the washers. Should I be concerned about the bearings, (I think they are much harder)? Any other advice? Thanks

Image
Mine was doing the same thing at first. It would not completely open unless i gave it a wrist flick. The problem ended up being the bearing must have been installed the wrong way. I flipped them around a few times and found the balls stick out a little more to one side like Evild mentioned. You might wana try flipping the bearings around. It worked for me.
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Evil D
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Re: Southard assembly question

#11

Post by Evil D »

Kylems11 wrote:
Evil D wrote:Well, rule #1 is always pay super close attention to how it comes apart so you can avoid these issues.

That said, I believe the bearings are slightly offset to one side or the other, and I think the side with the balls sticking out more belongs on the blade side. However, you may also just need to lube them. If you're going to take it back apart to check the bearing orientation, I highly suggest adding a little dab of bearing grease to the bearings on each side. This has made the action on mine the smoothest of an knife I own by a very large margin.
I ended up getting it back together but it still isnt as smooth as before. I used nano oil on the bearings. Does grease work better then lube for bearings?

It made such a difference in my Southard that I took apart half my knives and put the same grease in them, and the results are pretty dang significant. In most cases I'm also able to tighten the pivot down to the point that there isn't even a hint if side to side wiggle, and the blades still drop by gravity. The only real down side is having to take the knife apart to apply it.
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Kylems11
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Re: Southard assembly question

#12

Post by Kylems11 »

Evil D wrote:
Kylems11 wrote:
Evil D wrote:Well, rule #1 is always pay super close attention to how it comes apart so you can avoid these issues.

That said, I believe the bearings are slightly offset to one side or the other, and I think the side with the balls sticking out more belongs on the blade side. However, you may also just need to lube them. If you're going to take it back apart to check the bearing orientation, I highly suggest adding a little dab of bearing grease to the bearings on each side. This has made the action on mine the smoothest of an knife I own by a very large margin.
I ended up getting it back together but it still isnt as smooth as before. I used nano oil on the bearings. Does grease work better then lube for bearings?

It made such a difference in my Southard that I took apart half my knives and put the same grease in them, and the results are pretty dang significant. In most cases I'm also able to tighten the pivot down to the point that there isn't even a hint if side to side wiggle, and the blades still drop by gravity. The only real down side is having to take the knife apart to apply it.
I just took mine apart and put some chris reeve grease on the bearings. It did make it smoother, but still not as smooth as it first was. I also noticed my washers were also cupped in. Have you found out if they are supposed to be like that? Or does that mean they are worn out and need to be replaced?
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Evil D
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Re: Southard assembly question

#13

Post by Evil D »

Kylems11 wrote:
Evil D wrote:
Kylems11 wrote:
Evil D wrote:Well, rule #1 is always pay super close attention to how it comes apart so you can avoid these issues.

That said, I believe the bearings are slightly offset to one side or the other, and I think the side with the balls sticking out more belongs on the blade side. However, you may also just need to lube them. If you're going to take it back apart to check the bearing orientation, I highly suggest adding a little dab of bearing grease to the bearings on each side. This has made the action on mine the smoothest of an knife I own by a very large margin.
I ended up getting it back together but it still isnt as smooth as before. I used nano oil on the bearings. Does grease work better then lube for bearings?

It made such a difference in my Southard that I took apart half my knives and put the same grease in them, and the results are pretty dang significant. In most cases I'm also able to tighten the pivot down to the point that there isn't even a hint if side to side wiggle, and the blades still drop by gravity. The only real down side is having to take the knife apart to apply it.
I just took mine apart and put some chris reeve grease on the bearings. It did make it smoother, but still not as smooth as it first was. I also noticed my washers were also cupped in. Have you found out if they are supposed to be like that? Or does that mean they are worn out and need to be replaced?

I assumed they were meant to be that way since both sides were the same and they looked purposely cupped. Some have said in this thread that they aren't supposed to be, but like I said I got mine back together and it's smoother than ever with the washers still being cupped. You can probably call Spyderco and get a new pair and that'll probably fix it for ya.
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