Police 4 LW (K390)

[Depenau]

The Police 4 LW is fast becoming my favorite Spyderco, but I've discovered it can be very hard to reassemble. There's a great video on line about putting it together, but I wonder if anyone knows:
1. Are there any metal backspacers available for the Police 4 LW? I'm thinking a metal backspacer would make it possible to not use the tiny pin that both holds the spring and makes assembly impossible.
2. Any sources of the tiny pin? (Mine is pretty mangled now.)

[Michal O]

I had oportunity to do dissasemble on my P4. I just assemble handle without blade, then lock handle in vice, secured with rubber, and assemble blade.

[cjk]

This is how I reassemble Seki lockbacks.
I quoted myself from this thread:
viewtopic.php?t=95403

You want to loctite the pivot screw and the lockbar screw for sure. None of the rest of the body screws have ever backed out on me.

It easiest for me to install the lockbar and lockbar barrel last (well second to last if you count the clip).
I assemble everything else except for the clip, lockbar and its barrel and screw. There's no parts under spring tension at this point.
I then mate the lockbar to the tang of the blade and rotate it into position.
When the lockbar first touches the spring, it will partially obscure the hole that the barrel goes into. to retain it, I put the barrel just into its hole in the scale and liner. It's still sticking partially out, but resting on the lock bar.
Then keep rotating the blade and lockbar together into the "knife open" position (now against the spring tension) until you can push the barrel through the hole.
Interfacing the lock bar to the blade helps line up the hole.

This way gets really easy after you do it a couple times.

[Depenau]

What about a Titanium backspacer? Ever heard of one?

[sal]

Hi Depenau,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[vivi]

me and the user Jeb have purchased G10 Police 4 LW scales from a seller called Dmytro from DHCustomKnives on etsy. He offers G10 backspacers that in my opinion make assembling the model easier, as they're more rigid than the FRN backspacer.

Not a fun model to take down, I agree with you there.

I haven't heard of any steel or Ti backspacers.

[Depenau]

Would be great to have a Stretch 2 "like" back spacer for the Police 4 LW. On the Stretch 2, the "pin" is part of the back spacer.

[Jeb]

I have to say you need to have a good eye, hand coordination to put the Police4 together, but if you get it started right from the start, they are not bad.

But I have messed with literally dozens of the Police4's and they gave me a run for the money the first couple lol.

The G10 scale V. has mentioned above are really from a next level jimo. They feel good in the paw too. Dimitri is a great Ukrainian to deal with too. He stays in touch with you and nothing shady about his operation.

[Red Leader]

Handled these at the Seconds Sale and now I’m a littled bummed I didn’t pick one up. That will change next year if I can help it…

[Depenau]

Finally got this beast assembled with no left over parts (washers)! Forum members gave me tips that were cooking in my head all day. It took a table vise, needle nose pliers, a flashlight (to find the screws I kept dropping) and some choice four letter words. Not even sure what sequence I used. I will never take this one apart again.

Thanks again to forum members. My other Spyders are:
- a PE camo Military 2 in S30V.
- a PE camo PM2 in S45VN.
- a SE Para 3 (LW) in CTS BD1N.
- a PE Endura (LW) in VG-10.
- a PE Delica (LW) in VG-10.
- a SE Delica (SS) in VG-10.
- a PE DF2 (SS) in VG-10.
- a PE DF2 (G10) in VG-10.
- a SE Tenacious (LW) in 8CR13MOV.
- a PE stainless steel Mariner in Gin-2.

[shunsui]

Nick appears to use cjk's approach.

[Depenau]

That's what I did. I used a dab of vasoline to hold the washers in place. When I got the blade in place the washers moved a tiny bit, but I inserted a tooth pick through the pivot hole and used it to get everything in place so that I could drop in the pivot pin. I used the table vise to hold the knife in place. When I locked the blade open, the lock bar hole felt into perfect position. I then used the needle nose pliers to hold the pivot and push it into the hole.

PS: Sal, I just noticed your welcome, thanks! My Police 4 LW in K390 is my most carried Spyderco. It's like a light saber and just keeps cutting. A few swipes on my "Double Stuff" is all it takes to get it back to "out of box" sharp again.

[yablanowitz]

Handled these at the Seconds Sale and now I’m a littled bummed I didn’t pick one up. That will change next year if I can help it…

If I had seen those, they would have gone home with me. Back ups are always handy to have.

[cjk]

Nick appears to use cjk's approach.

mostly. I have the knife half open, then interface the lock bar to the tang of the blade, then open it all the way keeping the lock bar in its notch in the blade. This lines up the hole for the barrel.

Nick messed with pushing the lock bar against spring tension without interfacing it to the blade, so it took him a lot longer.

[Depenau]

I'll buy another of these if I can find one.