Spyderco Maintenance Techniques

[Mstach07]

Wanting to share a few tips that I find useful for routine maintenance of my Spyderco knives. I kindly ask for you to post/share/discuss your methods as well. The intent is to help new Spyderco owners gain the confidence to perform similar tasks.

1. Removing lanyard tube: 1/4" Dowel. Purchase a 1/4 dowel in either basswood or oak. Must be 1/4" diameter. Basswood is softer and has more forgiveness. Disassemble knife. Insert dowel into lanyard tube. Gently pry scales and liners away from lanyard tube. This method does not scratch or damage the lanyard tube. I find it very effective.

2. Centering a Paramilitary 2 or Para 3 blade: Q-tip method. Tighten pivot screws to desired action. Loosen stand-off screws near the landyard tube. Insert a Q-tip to between the blade and liner. (insert on the side which the blade is leaning). Tighten standoff screws. Check and readjust as needed.

3. Refreshen G10 scales: Boiling water technique. Remove scales from liners. Clean with rubbing alcohol to degrease. Boil water, insert scales for approximately 2-3 minutes. Cool with cold tap water. This will remove any pocket clip marks and refreshen the G10 very close to factory new.

[Tucson Tom]

I've been meaning to post the following and I suppose this is as good a place as any.

Loctite.

I have two bottles of ancient locktite. One blue, one red. I was curious if this stuff was still good. The official word is that a sealed bottle is good for two years, but one year when opened. My experience indicates that this can be entirely ignored unless you work in aerospace and need to meet some regulations that require expiration dates on all things. I found a nut and bolt in my huge bin of hardware, applied red to one pair, blue to another. Left them overnight and the stuff set up as hard as anyone could desire. I intend to use a torque wrench and get a single data point on each, but haven't gotten around to it.

I needed to locktite some scale screws on a PM2. A couple years ago I did a rit dye thing on my first PM2 (not something I would do again, although it turned out just fine -- a topic for another post maybe). But after a while, lo and behold, one of the scale screws fell out and got lost. Hence my interest in loctite. Since Spyderco doesn't supply parts (and since it was my fault anyway), I bought 4 new scale screws from an Ebay seller at outrageous prices and got everything fixed up. But I never did get around to using the blue loctite, this is a good reminder.

By the way, if anyone reading this doesn't know. Blue is the stuff you want to use. The red is considered permanent, the blue is service removeable. And just for the record, both bottles are red (so if the label falls off, like my red is threatening to do, look at the color of the juice).

[Mstach07]

Loctite.

Thanks Tom.

4. Regarding loctite, sometimes less is more. Bathing the screws will cause the loctite to overflow onto the scales. Once hardened, the loctite cannot be removed from the G10. I am very conscious to immediately wipe excess loctite away after applying.

[anycal]

- PM2 lock stick - for one of my PM2s, when nothing else would work, I rotated the stop pin. Not just spin it in place, but pull it out and flip it 180 deg.

- PM2 and Para 3 lanyard tube - put it in a drill chuck, and run each end in a 400 grit sandpaper. Do it until the tube is easily installed, but still snug. Makes future work a lot easier.

[FK]

Torx head screws,,, to avoid stripping or deforming the socket area,,, always us Wiha Torx bits,,,, this is what Spyderco factory uses and if you place the knife down on a bench and use good downward force,,, screw head problems will not happen.

Loctite, if uncertain if you have red or blue from the factory,,, use a soldering iron with small tip,, place the tip into the screw head until heated then the Loctite will release easily. Spyderco recommends banging the torx bit with a hammer to shock the Loctite which will break the chemical bond.

Regards,
FK

[TkoK83Spy]

Wanting to share a few tips that I find useful for routine maintenance of my Spyderco knives. I kindly ask for you to post/share/discuss your methods as well. The intent is to help new Spyderco owners gain the confidence to perform similar tasks.

3. Refreshen G10 scales: Boiling water technique. Remove scales from liners. Clean with rubbing alcohol to degrease. Boil water, insert scales for approximately 2-3 minutes. Cool with cold tap water. This will remove any pocket clip marks and refreshen the G10 very close to factory new.

Though this way is certainly effective, for people who aren't confident or just don't want to take their knife apart...you can also use a children's tootbrush, warm water and a drop of Dawn liquid soap and scrub away at the scales. I just recently did this with my Para 3 with the natural scales, those scales look brand new once again.

[Crux]

Great! My children are gone so what am I to do now?

[Tucson Tom]

I bought a set of Wiha Torx drivers some time ago, and have never regretted it. I agree that a lot of trouble with stripped screws is due first to cheap tools and second to poor technique. Push hard and don't let it slip! With experience you know when you are twisting so hard that simply cranking harder is going to break something and will know enough to go to plan B, but without experience .....

That aside, since I had my drivers out and was applying blue loctite to my PM2, I thought I would pull out some other knives and make a list of the drivers a person would need. In summary though, 3 drivers will do unless you want to work on the Military: T10, T8, and T6, for the Military add T15 and T9. Also note that older models just might use different drivers.

PM2 -- T10 for pivot, T8 for scales, T6 for clip
Manix -- T10 for pivot, T8 for scales and clip
Native 5 -- T10 for pivot, T8 for scales, T6 for clip
Military -- T15 for pivot, T9 for scales, T6 for clip

[TkoK83Spy]

Great! My children are gone so what am I to do now?

Hahaha, wellllll you could always use an adult one. I just opted for one of my daughters that she hasn't used yet, because it's smaller and easier to be more precise with where I'm scrubbing so it doesn't get all over the pivot screw and down inside. Very pleased with the outcome!

[Basetta70]

What's about the original oil used on carbon steels at spyderco factory?

[Crux]

I have a couple of these and they work great!

CRKT GET-A-WAY DRIVER - TORX

[Mstach07]

All great feedback. Let’s try to keep this about techniques and methods as compared to tool brands. I think we all agree good tools are a worthy investment. But once in hand, share any secrets you use with those tools.

Tom, thanks for the torx screw sizes. Very helpful.

[Mstach07]

What's about the original oil used on carbon steels at spyderco factory?

I prefer mineral oil. It’s cheap, odorless, food grade consumable, something my wife was concerned over. And just sticks to the blade. It does collect dust and pocket lint though.

For the action, I like something lighter weight, nano oil or benchmade pivot lube has worked well for me.

[brainfriction]

As far as loctite, clean the screw with isopropyl alcohol really good before you put the loctite on and you'll get a nice strong hold. Any oil or grease will weaken it, 243 is a little more oil resistant than 242 also.

[Mstach07]

Wanting to share a few tips that I find useful for routine maintenance of my Spyderco knives. I kindly ask for you to post/share/discuss your methods as well. The intent is to help new Spyderco owners gain the confidence to perform similar tasks.

3. Refreshen G10 scales: Boiling water technique. Remove scales from liners. Clean with rubbing alcohol to degrease. Boil water, insert scales for approximately 2-3 minutes. Cool with cold tap water. This will remove any pocket clip marks and refreshen the G10 very close to factory new.

Though this way is certainly effective, for people who aren't confident or just don't want to take their knife apart...you can also use a children's tootbrush, warm water and a drop of Dawn liquid soap and scrub away at the scales. I just recently did this with my Para 3 with the natural scales, those scales look brand new once again.

Good point Rick. It is easier.
I also use a mr. clean eraser sponge.
I consider the boil method “sharpens” the g10 and removes pocket clip detent, something that cleaning doesn’t do. It must be something with the heat.

[Tucson Tom]

Oiling the pivot. I hear a lot about Nano Oil, but have never used it. I use CLP because I have it on hand. It is a very light oil. Honestly anything is better than nothing, except of course WD40 which should be avoided (maybe it is better than nothing?).

I oil the pivot primarily to forestall corrosion, not to achieve a better action. Here again, use less than you think and wipe off excess. Excess just attracts grit and causes trouble. You may also want to think about whether your chosen lube is food safe. Some people go with grease, which only makes sense if you are going to disassemble the knife to apply it.

Bloke has recommended Eezoz, and I just received a bottle I ordered on his recommendation. It is an anti-corrosion agent that you apply and then it dries. The idea as I understand it is that you disassemble the knife and apply it to the pivot area of the blade. It is all about preventing corrosion in this tricky area where water wicks in by capillary action and then corrosion gets going where you can't see it. Particularly a concern with carbon and tool steels, but wouldn't hurt on any steel, especially if used in harsh conditions. Maybe Bloke will chime in with first hand information.

As for locktite, 242 and 243 are both blue (this is all new to me, my "blue" is the older 242). 243 is an upgraded blue with more oil tolerance and a bit more strength. So if you don't have any and are buying blue, get the 243. If you have 242, clean things up with isopropyl alcohol before applying and you should be good. Red (271 or 262) should be avoided unless you just know you never want to take those screws out again.

[Tucson Tom]

Oops, wrong button, sorry.

[Bloke]

Oiling the pivot. ...

Hey Tom,

I’m sure you’ll be happy with Eezox. I stumbled on it looking for a Dry Lube to lubricant the ram on my Rock Chucker reloading press many years ago. It’s not much of a lubricant and it’s not exactly dry either. Ah, hahaha! :rolleyes: It does however, in my experience shine at rust prevention and I use it on guns, blades, tools, vehicles ...

Most recently I used Eezox on my Rex45 Millie. I disassembled the knife and cleaned the blade with brake cleaner because it was close handy. I then gave the entire blade a wet coat of Eezox, put a string through the pivot hole and hung it in the sun for a while to “dry”, buffed lightly with a cotton cloth and repeating the process (because I’m anal :o).

When I assembled the knife I used Shimano Ace-2 grease (as used in their fishing reels) sparingly in the pivot, on both sides of the thrust washers and I filled the detent hole too which lubes the ball and track it takes.

I reckon any spinning reel I own would do more revolutions in one fishing session tossing plastics than any folder I own will do in a lifetime. Obviously there are many variables but I mightn’t have to service a reel in years and my S30V Millie with one application as above of Ace-2 grease is still going strong, smooth and silent after eighteen odd months or more of service and I can’t pick any discernible difference between it and the Rex I just tuned.

Back to Eezox ... what I don’t know is, how it may react with other lubricants so I ensure I buff the pivot hole and washer contact points on the blade (where the grease will be), nothing special but I ensure these areas are dry. The lock face and rest of the tang not so much and so far so good. I also don’t know what effect Eezox may have on G-10, FRN, etc. so I’m careful not to splash it around. :)

[Tucson Tom]

I have two bottles of ancient locktite. One blue, one red. I was curious if this stuff was still good. The official word is that a sealed bottle is good for two years, but one year when opened. My experience indicates that this can be entirely ignored unless you work in aerospace and need to meet some regulations that require expiration dates on all things.

I am going to eat my words on this. I just put the two nuts and bolts (6-32) I used to test my ancient locktite in a vise and fooled around with a torque wrench. The end result is that I could not get any kind of sensible reading. Both nuts move with less torque than the wrench can read (less than 20 inch-pounds). And the blue test piece offers more resistance than the red!

I am almost curious enough to buy a fresh bottle and do some tests with it. The nuts were not "locked" in place, but just gummed up and reluctant to move. I had expected a snap when the stuff broke loose, then free motion, but it ain't like that.

Conclusions -

1) A single data point isn't worth much.
2) My red is ancient, my blue is "not that old" so maybe the stuff does degrade with time!?
3) Proper cleaning might have made a difference.

But using either would be much better than nothing at all, even out of date stuff.

So clean your threads with isopropyl or brake cleaner or something and pay attention to the 2 year shelf life (1 year when opened)
if you want to "do it right".

[Bloke]

I have two bottles of ancient locktite. One blue, one red. I was curious if this stuff was still good. The official word is that a sealed bottle is good for two years, but one year when opened. My experience indicates that this can be entirely ignored unless you work in aerospace and need to meet some regulations that require expiration dates on all things.

I am going to eat my words on this. I just put the two nuts and bolts (6-32) I used to test my ancient locktite in a vise and fooled around with a torque wrench. The end result is that I could not get any kind of sensible reading. Both nuts move with less torque than the wrench can read (less than 20 inch-pounds). And the blue test piece offers more resistance than the red!

I am almost curious enough to buy a fresh bottle and do some tests with it. The nuts were not "locked" in place, but just gummed up and reluctant to move. I had expected a snap when the stuff broke loose, then free motion, but it ain't like that.

Conclusions -

1) A single data point isn't worth much.
2) My red is ancient, my blue is "not that old" so maybe the stuff does degrade with time!?
3) Proper cleaning might have made a difference.

But using either would be much better than nothing at all, even out of date stuff.

So clean your threads with isopropyl or brake cleaner or something and pay attention to the 2 year shelf life (1 year when opened)
if you want to "do it right".

If you must use thread locker, anything more than Loctite 222 is overkill.

I’m sure you’ll find nail polish will hold any scope mount and knife screws in place with the added advantage of easy clean up of any mess or overburden.

Fo what it’s worth, I use nail polish on all knife screws and I’m currently using plumber’s Teflon thread tape on the pivot screw of my Rex45 Millie. :)