Compression lock question

J

Jeo556

Joined
Nov 5, 2017
Messages
11
Proud new owner of a Para 3 and I have a question about the compression lock. First off the knife flicks open very smoothly and with authority. BUT, while disengaging the lock it feels really gritty. So being a tinkerer I started looking at the contact/bearing surface of the blade where the lock engages/touches it. Upon inspection of this surface there are two things that seem slightly unsettling.

First, there is only a small "polished" area on the surface that seems to indicate that only a very small area of the lock is engaging the blade.

Second, there is a visible line that looks like a "shelf" machined on the locking surface of the blade. Which I believe is adding to the gritty feel during disengagement of the lock.

So my questions are;

-Does anyone else have this gritty feeling during disengagement of their compression lock spydies?
-Does anyone else have this machined line on the locking surface of the blade?
-If I disassemble the knife and polish the surface do I risk voiding my warranty?

I did add a small amount of my preferred gun lube to see if that helped which it did. But there is still some grittiness that I feel shouldn't be there. I tried to include a photo but my camera will not focus that closely.

Just thought I'd pick the collective brain while I'm waiting to contact spyderco on Monday.

Thanks for any input & advice.
 
Jeo556 said:
Proud new owner of a Para 3 and I have a question about the compression lock. First off the knife flicks open very smoothly and with authority. BUT, while disengaging the lock it feels really gritty. So being a tinkerer I started looking at the contact/bearing surface of the blade where the lock engages/touches it. Upon inspection of this surface there are two things that seem slightly unsettling.

First, there is only a small "polished" area on the surface that seems to indicate that only a very small area of the lock is engaging the blade.

Second, there is a visible line that looks like a "shelf" machined on the locking surface of the blade. Which I believe is adding to the gritty feel during disengagement of the lock.

So my questions are;

-Does anyone else have this gritty feeling during disengagement of their compression lock spydies?
-Does anyone else have this machined line on the locking surface of the blade?
-If I disassemble the knife and polish the surface do I risk voiding my warranty?

I did add a small amount of my preferred gun lube to see if that helped which it did. But there is still some grittiness that I feel shouldn't be there. I tried to include a photo but my camera will not focus that closely.

Just thought I'd pick the collective brain while I'm waiting to contact spyderco on Monday.

Thanks for any input & advice.
Click to expand...

What you are experiencing is called lock stick. It will go away with time. DO NOT modify the lock or you are very likely to damage it, and Spyderco won't warranty that.

While I am not sure on the comp. lock I know that on liner and frame locks (similar design) the lock is supposed to only contact a small portion of the tang. I would assume it is the same on a comp lock.
 
If you take it apart and polish the locking surfaces you risk causing the lock to slip, possibly leading to inadvertant lock disengagement. That machined line is there for a reason.
 
Yup, the shelf is perfectly normal as is the lock only having a small contact point. The stick is not normal but should go away with time.
 
In order to smoother up the action a bit, you may take a pencil and rub the locking tab of the blade. The graphite will act as a dry lubricant.
 
Mine was like that at first but I put a drop of gun oil on the detent and then opened and closed it a bit and it's been fine ever since. It was stiff enough out of the box that I thought something might be wrong.
 
I use Nano-Oil (10 wt) in the bronze washers and on the lock surface.

Makes a huge improvement over new out of the box.

My Para 3 Cruwear initially had some minor lock stick,, open/close while watching movies quickly made it perfect.

Regards,
FK
 
Thanks again for the info guys. I knew I'd get set straight with the knowledge base here.

Para 3 in cruwear is what I had my heart set on, but it wasn't meant to be.
 
A few Para 3 Cruwear on the big internet auction site however, at a premium over initial intro. pricing.

Regards,
FK
 
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