Have you ever simply just NOT been able to remove a screw? Even when there's not thread locker?

[jojojaykay]

^as subject states: have you guys ever just NOT been able to get a screw loosened?

For background, I recently got one of the pink, breast cancer sprint runs of the paramilitary two from 2016. It was when Spyderco was still using red threadlocker, so I had it sent in to have the screws loosened. When I got it back, every screw I could get loosened except for the lock side pivot screw. Thought maybe a mistake happened, so I sent it back. Got it back today and STILL can't get it loose. I can tell that they did indeed service it however, because a new screw has been put on the knife.

I've always been able to disassemble my spydercos (even when they were using the red Loctite), including several pm2's, so I'm at a loss at what else to do. I've tried both the soldering iron and hammer method before sending it in the second time to no avail. I can put everything I have into trying to loosen it but the screw won't budge, so much so that my driver started to leave an impression at the "bottom" of the screw head, but the interface between the driver and head is starting to deform a bit.

Anyone have any suggestions on what I can try or why this "seizing" (if that) is happening? I'm about to try locking my driver in a vice and using the knife as a lever, but I am convinced it will strip the screw. I want to have the option to sell it should I decide, and can't do that in good conscience if a strip something.

[ferider]

Last ditch effort goes like this: take off the other side, and the blade, and heat the Pivot with a flame. Not too much of course.

Will both expand the Pivot a bit and soften any loktite in there.

[Evil D]

I've broke the tip off a bit once but still managed to get the screw out. I've had to hold bits in pliers to get enough torque but haven't stripped one yet either.

[youmakemehole]

I have a wise men fang that I've screwed on my bladehq para 3 with far too much loctite, and no matter what I do, it wont come off. Im trying to figure out if loctite is able to be dissolved in any sort of solvent. I've tried to warm it up to around 250ºF and was successful in doing absolutely nothing to it so you could write that one off as a possibility.


Edit: this reminds me of one time I had stripped out a nut the wheel of my car but I just had to remove it at all costs... we ended up epoxying the wrench to the nut. If you are desperate, epoxy will create a near permanent bond between whatever two things you want, no pressure or waiting time required.You will most likely ruin whatever it touches though so just be prepared for that.

[A.S.]

Here is how I've handled that situation in the past. If I come across a screw that doesn't want to come out or thread in correctly, I set my knife and Wiha aside for a few days. It is always is easier to come back and approach relaxed after a day or two. If I get frustrated initially, the torque I use is going to strip the screw out; every time. That's just me though.

[Daveho]

Nope, when they don’t budge I drill the bastards out.
I’ve been given/bought knives cheap who have stripped heads and sometimes that just how it needs to go, red loctite and small soft screws... super bad times.


loctites spec for threadlockers for the auto industry even blue is overkill for screws of this size and purple is what more called for.

[brainfriction]

loctites spec for threadlockers for the auto industry even blue is overkill for screws of this size and purple is what more called for.

I agree, with a good set of tools you should be able to torque everything down good enough to where it won't back out, although I do like blue 243 loctite for pivots that have a sweet spot.

[jojojaykay]

Last ditch effort goes like this: take off the other side, and the blade, and heat the Pivot with a flame. Not too much of course.

Will both expand the Pivot a bit and soften any loktite in there.

This would have been an interesting solution. I actually did take off the other side and use a soldering iron to heat the pivot screw from inside the pivot, but that didn't work either.

I wonder if maybe heating both pivot collar and screw would have worked.

FWIW it turns out that in the it wasn't a threadlocker issue. There wasn't any. For some reason it just wouldn't break loose. Only time it's ever happened to me. Something must have been causing it to seize.

[jojojaykay]

To all of you above that replied, thanks so much for your suggestions.

What eventually worked was that I clamped my screwdriver into a vise grip, put it into a corner of my toolbox, then used my knife as a lever.
It still took a lot, but it did eventually break lose, some deformation of pivot screw.

This knife has blade play side-to-side. So I wonder that if as a solution, Spyderco tried just cranking down on the screws to fix it (still had blade play regardless though. lol). After I got it loose, I could confirm that they didn't use any threadlocker. So I'm thinking that along with it being super tight, it must have seized somehow during transit as well. It did have that sort of "snap" when breaking free as if it did have loctite.