Disassembly of a Compression Lock Spyderco

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Peakbagger46

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As a follow up to my other post, Spyderco just sent me a replacement Shaman after the one I purchased had vertical play that could not be fixed.

I want to take this new Shaman apart to thoroughly clean and lube the pivot to smooth it out. Now I’m a bit parinoid though. Is there any way disassembly could cause vertical blade play in my new knife?
 
It's not an Emerson. You shouldn't have to take it apart and break it in.

If the action is rough, rinse it out with hot soapy water, dry it well, put a couple drops of oil on the pivot, and you should be done. It has washers, which means the 600 or so grit finish left on the liners from the factory is going to have a minimal effect on the action.
 
Peakbagger46 said:
As a follow up to my other post, Spyderco just sent me a replacement Shaman after the one I purchased had vertical play that could not be fixed.

I want to take this new Shaman apart to thoroughly clean and lube the pivot to smooth it out. Now I’m a bit parinoid though. Is there any way disassembly could cause vertical blade play in my new knife?
Click to expand...

You can actually clean and lube the pivot without taking the knife apart. Squirt zippo lighter fluid into the pivot area to flush out any old lube or gunk. The chemical will strip any old lube or grease and dirt out of the pivot.

Then just put a couple drops of lube down in the pivot on either side of the blade. Use just one or two drops because excess lube attracts dirt and lint.

Work the blade back and forward a few times and voila!
 
I wouldn't do it. This one is a good replacement, right? Plus, it didn't work the first time...
 
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I clean my knives with a cheap ultrasonic cleaner filled with hot tap water and dawn. Then blow them out with canned air, then oil the pivot and wipe it down with marine tuf cloth.
 
been cleaning pinned folders for decades. can't take those apart without major effort. I see no reason to take a folder apart.........

I'd advise not to take apart.
 
Thanks guys. I’m going to wash it out, lube, and adjust the pivot without taking it apart. It’s already pretty smooth, I just have the desire to tinker sometimes.

Sal, excellent job on the design of this knife. It’s going to see some use for big game processing in edition to pocket carry.
 
I can 100% understand why the end user might not want to do so, and why companies are so averse to it, especially given the stories of knives mailed back to the warranty department in disparate parts. On the other hand, I've disassembled and tinkered with every Spydie I've owned, and I'll likely continue to do so for any others I purchase. Is there a chance of screwing something up? Sure, but that's on me. If the knife doesn't work out of the box, I'd send it back, but the moment it's it's in my hands and confirmed to work it's my choice to do what I want with it- and I want to see the internals to understand the design philosophy behind the knife, and usually to polish and buff some points of contact.
 
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