How to improve the action on Spyderco knives (Applies to all knives with bronze washers) 

Thats a great idea 👊🏼

You’re welcome brother! 👊🏼😁

Happy to hear it! You’re welcome!

Awesome bro let me know how it works for you!

Thanks man!! I did a updated version of this video last week if you want to check it out!

Yes I have, the black compound scratched the washers. Not sure why other than the bronze must be softer than the compound.

Thanks brother! I actually did a newer updated version of this video, just a heads up 👊🏼

Hey brother, I have a video on how to fix lock stick with several different things you can try!

That’s a great idea and thank you! 👊🏼😁

how to make such recess? i'm thinking hammering a washer of the same diameter but much thicker into the wood?

Nope not at all! No blade play once all screws were snugged down. I’ve done this on every spyderco I’ve ever owned and have never had any issues! You’re just trying to polish out the imperfections so you won’t be removing much material at all and will still be within the factory tolerances. Thanks for watching!!

All of my Spydercos have come with 2 except for a lightweight para 3. Some lightweights are designed with only one. Id give them a call if I was you unless its a lightweight model, might be how its supposed to be by design.

I recently tried .5 gunny juice on the cotton dremel polishing wheel and it worked excellent! This video is pretty old, I have a more recent one that is better but I’ll have to do another updated version because I’m always trying different things and finding better ways! 👊🏼

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL that .5 gunny is exactly what I had in mind 😉

I am in Maryland and what do you want done to it?

I’ve never had to replace them. If you accidentally damaged or lost one, you could try KnivesPlus.com . Thats the only source id completely trust for replacement hardware.

Rips Garage Tech

Thank you! I made a newer version of this video that’s a little better. I’d recommend checking out that one! 👊🏼

Believe it or not it’s actually the contrary but I do prefer the strop method now because its just way easier and faster

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL what microns do you use?

As well as compounds, etc.

I use a cheap Walmart dremel and it works great. You don’t need a fancy dremel they all do the same thing! For the bits I use a cotton buffing wheel that came in a dremel polishing kit which I also got from Walmart and it includes the polishing compound!

Just the Yojimbo 2

Hey brother, to answer the first question, sometimes you dont need loctite. It really depends on the specific knife and its tolerances and fitment. Some knives can operate perfectly smooth with the screws tightened down all the way to wear they wont back out on you. But with Spydercos how good the action is out of the box is kinda luck of the draw. With Spyderco you’re paying for top tier cutting performance, excellent blade grinds, excellent blade steels and optimal heat treatments which makes them out perform 99% of other companies when it comes to edge retention and toughness. They also are made in the USA (well most of them) which is more expensive to make. They also come with some of the best and sharpest factory edges out of any company I’ve experienced. They also are a industry leader when it comes to research and development to bring new super steels to market and offer knives in just about every super steel known to man, far more than any other company. I say all that to explain the value that Spyderco offers and where their efforts are prioritized! Also the majority are on bronze washers instead of bearings which increases durability and reliability and CAN be just as smooth and fast as bearings but occasionally may need a little attention if you want to optimize the action. Because of that they are not ALL always drop shut right out of the box but sometimes they are. These things are not mandatory and sometimes they just need to break in and can smooth out on their own over time. These things are just ways you can improve the action if you happen to get one that isn’t super smooth and don’t want to wait for it to break in!

And thanks brother, essentially you would want to use loctite if you can’t achieve smooth action with pivot screws all the way cranked down tight. If you do decide to adjust pivot screws just keep in mind that you don’t want to have any blade play and if you do then your pivot is too lose. Also, I did a updated version of this video that might be even more helpful to you and I believe its called “Improving The Action On Spyderco Knives Pt. 2”

If they are the same thickness and have the the same diameter hole for the pivot!

Thats a tricky one, the best thing to do is get quality torx drivers like the wihas that I use and recommend constantly. They will save you all the headache. But if you have screws that are stripped so bad you can’t get anything to bite on it, your best hope is that the screws on the opposite side are good and get them out. Then with one scale off, you can try grabbing the standoffs with pliers and unscrewing them from the stripped screws. If they are stripped on both sides you might have to get creative because there isn’t much you can do without risking damaging the other components.

If you can get a bigger size torx into the screw and get it to bite, you can also do that.

So when you reassemble you can keep your screws from backing out without the need to crank them down as tight as possible. This mainly apples to the pivot screws and the screws behind the pivot near the lock. The tightness of these screws have the biggest effect on action. You just want to make sure you don’t have blade play.

Technically you could mess with the tolerances depending on your process and the abrasive used. If you remove enough material to get it out of spec then you missed the mark. You’re just trying to refine the surface, not completely resurface it!

Ah damn, yeah most people switch the clip position right away so I didn’t even think about that but honestly you can still get some improvement just polishing the one that you have out. Also I highly recommend getting these wiha soft touch torx drivers, they come in a pack of 6 that includes all the sizes used on knives. They will save you alot of grief because they don’t easily deform and strip out like every other bit ive tried before which will cause you to strip screws ESPECIALLY the t6’s! Ive been using the same set every day for over a year and never damaged a single screw, they make a huge difference and if you plan on doing more knife maintenance Id strongly advise you to get the set. The wiha bits are ok but not nearly as good as the steel they use on these drivers!

But yeah if the clip position doesn’t bother you then id try just polishing one of your washers to start with and see how it does. I really wouldnt advise messing with those t6s unless you get the wiha “soft touch” drivers!

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL I totally agree on the wiha torx drivers. I broke a T6 on a tight screw and saw a great strength test video on these drivers and immediately ordered the wiha. The bit that broke came off a tool truck like maybe Snap-on or MAC. Has any of this polishing reduced the thickness of the washers?

@craigcarroll6161 nope, ive polished washers on dozens of spydercos and never had a problem. Only thing it’s done is give it s smoother action!

Yeah bro I agree, I’ve always been able to get the action smoothed out though on the ones that weren’t perfect out of box. Anytime something is mass produced there is going to be imperfections and room for improvement. In order to have them all come perfect they would cost several times more so I don’t mind giving them a little love to get them to my satisfaction!

That is certainly a component that can affect the action however adjusting the lock bar tension can also create undesired consequences. In all my experimentation I have found that increasing or decreasing the lockbar tension is too likely to create new problems and that my desired action can be achieved without messing with the lockbar. Feel free to experiment yourself but I don’t find that to be a good solution!

This is a old video, I did a updated version that’s better but similar method and it’s been working great for me. It’s improved the action on every pivot washer knife I have and several other peoples knives (atleast 100 knives) and never had a single issue, like I said it’s greatly improved all of them! I do understand what you are saying though because when I strop on basswood after sharpening, the contact between the edge bevel and the basswood literally creates a vacuum and it feels like it’s suctioning to the strop. For whatever reason when it comes to pivot washers I’ve had nothing but positive results! I definitely recommend checking out my updated version of this video if you are interested though! I think it’s called (Perfect action for Spyderco knives) or something like that!

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL I have also polish the washers on my R2 D2 and a few others, it definitely helps. I think you realize this, but everything written in my last comment above the very last paragraph didn't have to do with polishing washers for knifes. I was speaking on how ultra-flat polish pieces of similar metal attract each other in two different ways👍. I will definitely check out your updated video not so much for a technique on how to do it, because I do the same thing. But because I'm interested in seeing Spyderco Knives taken apart since I don't own any. I've been wanting to try a Spyderco for a long time now, I'm not sure if I would easily be able to one hand open like my other knives. The only knife that l have ever open that is somewhat similar, is a Gerber EZ out. It was very difficult to flick the blade out and I even had a little trouble slow rolling it sometimes. As I don't have the greatest finger dexterity. The D shape hole in the Gerber EZ out is about a quarter of the size of a Spidey hole, and I was fighting against the lock back spring also. So it really isn't Apples to Apples. I guess there is only one way to find out, I need to drive to Cabela's and try out a Spyderco before making a purchase through online, and finding out the design just isn't for me. Being that l live smack dab in between Ka bar and Ontario knife company's, both just a short 10-minute drive to the factories, l tend to buy a lot of OKC and Ka-Bar Knifes. ✌

Thank you! And just so you’re aware, I did a updated version of this video!

It’s definitely a possibility, just have to have a flat surface that you don’t mind polishing. Obviously you don’t want to polish your kitchen table or countertop. Might have a angry spouse lol!

What the hell… who did you buy it from?!

@SharpestEdge just got last Friday from Blade hq. But I opened it and it only had one washer on one side no washer on the other and the blade got scratched from the liner. I probably have to send it in for warranty work. I don't think bhq would replace it.

@@jfklover9960 they should replace it, you need to call or email them asap!

If thats how it came and you havent taken it apart or messed with it, I’m almost positive they will replace it but you’ll have to ship it back to them before they send you a new one.

I adjust to the point the action is smooth with no blade play and loctite the screws if necessary. The only reason to polish the washers is if you can’t get the action smooth with zero play. You shouldn’t need blade play for it to be smooth.

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL ok thanks bud

400 and 600 grit is far more coarse than you want for a knife pivot washer. If you actually tried it you would see it doesn’t work out well in reality. Nothing wrong with theorizing but you have to actually do it to find what really works well! You do not want to resurface the washer, that will remove too much material and put it out of spec leaving you with blade play. I am only polishing the surface. The washers are already flat and a specific thickness, completely resurfacing them is going to lead to problems.

It didn’t matter for this application

I agree

I’ve handled atleast a hundred compression lock Spydercos and they are definitely not all free dropping! Some are and some break in nicely or pivot loosens up but to get it smooth and free dropping with zero blade play does take a little attention on some of them! Most are alright but it’s really luck of the draw, definitely some stiff ones out there!

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL well I guess I'll consider mine the lucky ones 👍

I feel ya but it’s not always, sometimes they come great out of the box and sometimes they break in quickly on their own but every once in awhile you gotta give it a little love to get it good. I agree that they should all come drop shut but it’s just the nature of production at their scale. I do have to say Spyderco Quality Control seems better than some of their competitors. My main objective with this video was to help people simply get the action better and smoother even if it’s already good, not necessarily that it’s needed because that’s rarely been the case in my experience. I’m just OCD and like making things better whenever there’s room for improvement! Thanks for watching!

Just the nature of bronze washers.

to be fair i just did this with some similchrome and a piece of envelope paper in about 20 mins, and got my knife to freely drop shut with no play :D

My PM 2 Wharncliffe in CTS XHP and Orange G10 scales came perfectly centered with the best factory action as an exclusive from Cutlery Shoppe. I think they still have some blacked out hardware PM2s in XHP available. I hope to get a 2nd one

The best factory action I came across as good as the Para3 that I tuned myself. General cleaning and light mineral oil lube

True but tbh with these wiha soft touch drivers I haven’t had to heat up any screws and havent broken or damaged a single screw. With any other drivers or even wiha bits id agree but with these drivers you really don’t need to heat anything up!

Ive done it that way before and found that removing that much material can leave you with blade play. Even though it’s a faster and sure way to get them perfectly smooth and polished with emerey paper it has always removed too much by the time it was completely polished, and I’ve never had it turn out uneven when using a cotton wheel on a dremel. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL Fair enough, was just saying the correct way to do it. Whatever works for you, use it.

These washers do not bend easily, youd have to intentionally bend them using 2 sets of plyers or hit it with a hammer on a uneven surface. You aren’t going to bend a Spyderco phosphorus bronze washer by accident!

Polish on a piece of thick poster board or a gage stone like marble or granite that is flat and smooth . Using polishing compound or jewelers Rouge. Us figure 8 polishing pattern.

@@kenneely7899 there’s many different ways to do it. Ive tried the the figure 8s like you said many times and it never gave me the results I wanted. The dremel however did as well as 3 micron Gunny Juice on a Kangaroo strop. Not doubting your method or anyone elses. I just share what has worked the best for me.

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