be careful

L

Lukers

Joined
Jul 17, 1999
Messages
571
I bought a Dodo not to long ago. It is a great knife and very well made. Just be careful when moving the pocket clip. The screw head on mine twisted off easy. Luckily I have access to a lathe after hours at work and made a new screw. 4/40 screws a tricky to make because they are easy to bend.
-Luke
 
I was going to post this a while ago, but I never got around to it. Seeing that other people are having problems with the new spyderco pivot screws I figured I'll add my input now.

I have a Para that I have been edcing since NewGraham got their second shipment in from Spyderco. First off I absolutely love the knife (I now see why the millie is so popular.) After a few months of heavy use at work I decided it was time to disassemble the Para so I could clean and lube it real well. In the meantime I have read a lot of posts concerning the vertical blade play on the Para. One of the solutions offered was to tighten the pivot pin. Since I have owned this knife there has always been the most minimal amount of vertical blade play... so I figured if I tightened it a little bit it would solve the problem. Well, I slowly started to tighten the pivot the head twisted right off!! Honestly, I did not even torque it, I went as slow as possible checking to see how easily the blade would move out of the handle.

I called the warranty dept. and left a message and about a week later they sent me another pivot but only the female end!?! I clearly stated in my message that the screw broke off in the pivot and that I needed the entire assembly. No big deal, I used one of my left over Dodo pocket screws and now the Para is back on duty 24/7.

My assessment of the problem (and maybe because of your experience as a machinist you will agree/disagree) It seems to me that when the broaching process is completed there is not much material left connecting the thread to the head of the screw, making it weak. Sorry for the long winded post.
 
Shady,

That is exactly what happened to me. When they broached the hex head it looks like it went too deep and thinned the metal too much. Very light pressure and it sheared off. I am sure that any standard 4/40 thread screw would work. I am sure there are knives out there that will never have this problem because the owner won't tinker with them. Now that you mention the pivot screw problem, I may go ahead and make a new one for that just so it can't break later. This is NOT a criticism towards Spyderco at all. You make awesome knives!(I only buy the ones made in the USA though) and I hope that you can straighten out the screw problems. The Para military is the ideal sized knife and the lock is very strong. It makes the big Milie feel flimsy(which it is not)
 
I have a Para that I have been edcing since NewGraham got their second shipment in from Spyderco.
Click to expand...

are there any differences between those two runs ?

Well, I slowly started to tighten the pivot the head twisted right off!! Honestly, I did not even torque it, I went as slow as possible checking to see how easily the blade would move out of the handle.
Click to expand...

So, from which side you tried to adjust the pivot pin ? From the clip side screw or from the opposite ? As far as i know, you should adjust male part of the chicago screws (not female-joint) so my question is which one is a male (yeah, i know - a funny question :) ).
 
The first shipment from Spyderco still had the blanked part of the blade that was meant for the detent exposed in open position. A lot of people complained about the look and they eventually changed it. So mine was one of the updated versions.
In order to tighten the pivot you need a wrench on either side in order to keep the pivot from spinning around otherwise you'll never get it tight. I held one side secure with the wrench and turned the screw with the other wrench.
 
The first shipment from Spyderco still had the blanked part of the blade that was meant for the detent exposed in open position. A lot of people complained about the look and they eventually changed it. So mine was one of the updated versions.
Click to expand...

Sorry for being pain in the ass but can you make any pictures or explain it more "idiot friendly" ;) ? I still do't get it and i'd be very glad if I'd finaly understand it. :footinmou

In order to tighten the pivot you need a wrench on either side in order to keep the pivot from spinning around otherwise you'll never get it tight. I held one side secure with the wrench and turned the screw with the other wrench.
Click to expand...

right - you held female - joint part of chicago, and you screw male part . But my question still remain - where is male part? On the clip side or on the opposite ?
 
Sorry I don't have any pics to post but if search the web I'm sure you could find a pic of the old Para prototype. Basically, there is a recess in the blade tang near the choil. When the blade is closed the compression tab fills the recess so it acts as a detent to keep the knife from opening. On the first run the recess was clearly visible when the knife was open. There were complaints about how it looked and Spyderco found a way to fix it.

About the screw, I think I was turning it opposite of the clip side, but I don't see why that would make any difference. Hope I answered your questions.
 
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