Manix 2 reassembly

cesar · #21

No evolution. Disassembled it and reassembled 3 times... mint new. No ways to get the blade play. Still researching...

kbuzbee · #22

cesar wrote:No evolution. Disassembled it and reassembled 3 times... mint new. No ways to get the blade play. Still researching...

Thanks Cesar, I guess it's just me....

Appreciate your efforts,

Ken

enduraguy · #23

Not to steal anyones thunder, but why not just do like I did earlier with my millie. Spray thoroughly with gunscrubber, let dry and put a drop of CLP in the pivot?

kbuzbee · #24

enduraguy wrote:Not to steal anyones thunder, but why not just do like I did earlier with my millie. Spray thoroughly with gunscrubber, let dry and put a drop of CLP in the pivot?

CLP? Lubricant? That's what started all this. It's now nicely oiled, just a bit wobbly

Ken

DeathBySnooSnoo · #25

My only other suggestion would have been to flip the pivot and/or washers...things tend to wear themselves in a unique way and then want to go back together that exact way.

If you crank everything down, the backspacer screws and the pivot screw (obviously you won't be able to really move the blade) but does the wiggle go away? If it does, then just slowly ease off by the tiniest amount one screw at a time until you either get wiggle or the blade is back to moving freely.

Fred Sanford · #26

Hey Ken,

Yeah I meant not to flip the washers but to flip the pivot bushing. The thing that slides inside the blade pivot hole. :)

kbuzbee · #27

DeathBySnooSnoo wrote:If you crank everything down, the backspacer screws and the pivot screw (obviously you won't be able to really move the blade) but does the wiggle go away? If it does, then just slowly ease off by the tiniest amount one screw at a time until you either get wiggle or the blade is back to moving freely.

Actually, I've tightened the pivot screws as tight as I dare. The blade still swings down freely once the lock is released. That is part of why I said it "seems" like the pivot is too long.

I'll flip the pivot and let y'all know.

Ken

kbuzbee · #28

So I flipped the pivot. Much worse. It won't seat properly the other direction.... Sigh... I have no idea what's going on here...

(edit - I did FINALLY get it set this direction. Had to start with the pivot on the other side of the knife. But the result was the same. Loose blade, mild amount of wobble)

Ken

jackknifeh · #29

:)

kbuzbee wrote:So I flipped the pivot. Much worse. It won't seat properly the other direction.... Sigh... I have no idea what's going on here...

Ken

In "flipping the pivot" are you talking about the post that goes throught the blade tang? If so, doesn't that thing have a flat side on one or both ends? I can't remember.

When I have an issue like this I like to get a second pair of eyes on it. Sometimes it's so simple it pi**** me off when someone figures out what I wasn't (or was) doing. :mad: But it's worth it all the same. Do you have a local friend to take a look? You may want to send it to Spyderco. If you did that I don't know how much explanation you would get. OTOH, they may disassemble it and put it back together perfectly and not know what was wrong. That's worse than knowing what I was doing. If the problem isn't identified I'd be afraid of it happening again.

Good luck.

Jack

kbuzbee · #30

jackknifeh wrote: :) In "flipping the pivot" are you talking about the post that goes throught the blade tang? If so, doesn't that thing have a flat side on one or both ends? I can't remember.

Yes, that's the part and yes, there is. It's easy for me to see on the pivot. Tougher on the liner, but it's there. If you don't line them up the pivot won't seat at all.

jackknifeh wrote:When I have an issue like this I like to get a second pair of eyes on it. Sometimes it's so simple it pi**** me off when someone figures out what I wasn't (or was) doing. :mad: But it's worth it all the same. Do you have a local friend to take a look?

Possibly my son in law. But they are very busy.... But now that you mention it, David isn't VERY far away....;-)

jackknifeh wrote: You may want to send it to Spyderco. If you did that I don't know how much explanation you would get. OTOH, they may disassemble it and put it back together perfectly and not know what was wrong. That's worse than knowing what I was doing. If the problem isn't identified I'd be afraid of it happening again.

I may, eventually. Like you say, though, I'd really prefer to figure out what the heck I'm doing wrong here. This is a little complicated, as knives go, but it isn't rocket science

Ken

DeathBySnooSnoo · #31

Hmm, are there any gaps that are larger than the others anywhere? I look at mine and the spacing is very even and the tolerances very close the whole way around when the blade is open. Using a flashlight I can't even see the washers, you can't slip anything much thicker than a piece of paper between the tang and the scales at any point. Maybe if there is a larger gap it will point you in the right direction.

kbuzbee · #32

DeathBySnooSnoo wrote:Hmm, are there any gaps that are larger than the others anywhere? I look at mine and the spacing is very even and the tolerances very close the whole way around when the blade is open. Using a flashlight I can't even see the washers, you can't slip anything much thicker than a piece of paper between the tang and the scales at any point. Maybe if there is a larger gap it will point you in the right direction.

None I can see. There's no light coming through between the liners and the back spacer. The tang "seems" centered between the liners (maybe I need to get a set of feeler gauges to check that - but they look equal) The pivot screw on one side is slightly deeper than on the other (I can't see it but I can feel it with my thumb)

As to the distance from the tang to the blade, it's definitely thicker than one piece of paper. I can barely slide three.... Wait... I can slide three on one side but only two on the other. Viola! Feeler gauge! Okay, so the tang is slightly off center.... Hmmm...l

Ken

cesar · #33

I read all discussion and what I recommend to you by now is to send your Manix to a repair center and pay for the service. I think the things can become worse and you may damage even more your knife. This assembling/disassembling will stress the parts and the hole knife may become dangerous.

kbuzbee · #34

Thanks Cesar, I may at some point. It works. It locks up solid. I can live with it....

If anyone else has thoughts, bring them but unless I have some sort of revelation, I'm just gonna leave it be at this point

Ken

kbuzbee · #35

So..... This will make most of you cringe....

After easily a dozen take downs I think I now know this knife inside and out. I can take it completely apart and back together in around a minute. There is no explanation I can find for the wobble in this blade. Everything is tight and gap free so....

I took out the pivot screws and covered that area of the handle and put it in a vice (yeah, you heard me) Tightened it down pretty much as firmly as I could and left it there for a couple hours. Removed it and put the pivot screws back in. Even tightened all the way down the blade still swings free when the lock in released but now 90% of the wobble is gone. Good enough for daily use.

I guess it is what it is at this point.

Ken

JEFF B · #36

When i first got my Manix 2,it had pretty bad blade play when closed but not open. I did alot of research,and found out this was somewhat normal.What i had to do was take it apart and do a little fine sanding to the pivot.I took a piece of 1500 and folded it over a credit card and lightly sanded the pivot shelf on both sides.I kind of sanded and turned the pivot at the same time. I also lightly sanded the liners around the pivot holes in case there were any burrs.Put it back together,now its a tank.No play open or closed,perfectly centered.Hope this helps.Did you have any play before you took it apart ? Before i did mine you could shake it and the blade would hit the liners. Sand lightly,doesnt take alot.

kbuzbee · #37

JEFF B wrote:When i first got my Manix 2,it had pretty bad blade play when closed but not open.

Yeah, the ball seems to hide blade play pretty well. Mine was the same way.

JEFF B wrote:I did alot of research,and found out this was somewhat normal.What i had to do was take it apart and do a little fine sanding to the pivot.

Cool. At some point I'll do that.

JEFF B wrote:Did you have any play before you took it apart ?

A bit but nothing like it developed. I was actually kind of shocked no one asked this until now. I guess they assumed not. Reasonable.

JEFF B wrote:Before i did mine you could shake it and the blade would hit the liners. Sand lightly,doesnt take alot.

Yep, that's how it was after I reassembled (not before I took it apart) Subsequent reassemblies it got a bit better. Now it's "pretty good".

Thanks for the suggestion. Which direction did you sand? Around the shaft or toward the center? (sounded like the latter)

Ken

JEFF B · #38

I just sanded around it holding the paper as flat as i could.Thats why i used the card.Be careful not to hit the pivot shaft,just the shelf.If you have everything back together properly,i think this should solve your problem.I was scared at first but i just went for it.Glad i did,its now my second favorite knife.I just did the liners first and that helped a little,but not all the way.The way they're designed, a tiny little burr = alot of bladeplay.

kbuzbee · #39

Again, really appreciate it, Jeff.

Ken