Spyderco Forums

Hi everyone
I am new to the forum and was hoping to get some feedback. I recently bought a purple cruwear pm2 with black blade from dlt. I have been using the knife and want to clean it but there are two screws, one body screw and one pivot screw that will not loosen. I have very good drivers and have taken apart alot of knives. This is the only time I have encountered this problem with a spyderco. I partially stripped of the screws and do not want to make it any worse. My question; if I send the knife in will spyderco fix this so I can get the screws out?

One remedy people have suggested in the past is to tap on the Torx driver with a hammer to loosen the threadlocker.

Maybe if you go easy on it it’ll come out, but if you send it in they’ll probably remove it and put a new screw in. Let them know about the issue and ask if they can use 242 removable threadlocker.

Ever since I purchased this Craftsman 1/4 mini ratchet I haven't had that problem any more. This little, inexpensive, GEM, has broken free the toughest of frozen Spyderco screws for me. It's just long enough to provide enough torque to do the job. I highly recommend.

Before I got the 1/4 ratchet, I used a soldering iron placed on the screw until it heats enough to break the locktite. It works but it can be somewhat difficult if you don't know what you're doing. Good luck!

https://www.amazon.com/CRAFTSMAN-Screwd ... 125&sr=8-1

Scottpomeroy wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 06, 2023 2:37 pm

Hi everyone
I am new to the forum and was hoping to get some feedback. I recently bought a purple cruwear pm2 with black blade from dlt. I have been using the knife and want to clean it but there are two screws, one body screw and one pivot screw that will not loosen. I have very good drivers and have taken apart alot of knives. This is the only time I have encountered this problem with a spyderco. I partially stripped of the screws and do not want to make it any worse. My question; if I send the knife in will spyderco fix this so I can get the screws out?

Hi,
Spyderco uses lock-tight. The best way to remove hardware that has lock-tight is to heat it. Use a heat gun, hair drier, or a soldering iron, to heat up the hardware. Be careful not to burn or melt the scales. The lock-tight will let go once the hardware has been sufficiently heated. Good luck.

My go to way to apply the heat needed to loosen loctite is too drop the knife in some hot water for a bit. Seems the least risky way to me.

benja-man wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 07, 2023 5:51 am

My go to way to apply the heat needed to loosen loctite is too drop the knife in some hot water for a bit. Seems the least risky way to me.

+1. Definitely worth a try in the first instance.

As Pokey mentions above....

Several years ago someone mentioned on here that the Spyderco Warranty & Repair department uses the shock method to break the bond of the thread locker. I tried it and it works great. No messing around with head or hot water, etc.

I set the knife on a wood block or firm surface (but won't scratch the knife). Insert the torx bit into the pivot screw and give a few good raps with a small mallet. Hit it fairly hard but not so hard that you damage the knife. Try the loosening the screw. If it's still too tight hit it a few times again. It'll break loose at some point. I've done this on literally dozens of knives and it's never failed to loosen the screw

Also, it might be relevant to mention that the standoff and the stop pin on a PM2 are both free spinning. When this is an issue, I use a Knipex mini pliers wrench 86 03 125 to keep them from spinning. This is the 5 inch mini pliers wrench model.

Welcome Scott!
If you're already partially stripped a screw... you should contact Spyderco's customer service dept and see what they have to say. Can't hurt to ask.

Thank you all for the advice. I'm going to call customer service instead of risking voiding the warranty and see what they say. What I expect to hear is the knife will be fixed and returned to me in stellar working order free of charge. Anything less than this will be completely unacceptable. I consider the knife a defective product. I'm quite disappointed since every other spyderco I own has been completely free of issues. Hopefully they make it right.