Drilling Out and Replacing the Pins on a Stainless Spyderco

[TIZWIN]

Hey there STR and his fans...is it possible to drill out and replace the pins on an all steel Spyderco like the original Police model or any of the other all stainless models? The pins are almost invisible, but they must be there. I imagine the all steel Spydies are constructed like most of their brethren, albeit with stainless steel scales. Can it be done, and can the pins be replaced by Torx screws?

 

[STR]

Most of those are near impossible for me to get apart cleanly. The scales are damaged the way I take them apart so there is no real clean way to remove them on the stainless other than drilling them out and even that can go awry if the bit goes off. So no.

Unlike the FRN models which I have done that on and also some of the pinned G10 versions its not the same as one with a pin head out where you can just remove the head of the one side and punch it through. In my experience on those stainless models from Spyderco most of the time punching it doesn't do much at all. Pressing it has not helped with the press I have which does put quite a bit of force on it but it didn't work to press those out like I've managed in some Buck models and others. But even in those Buck knives on some of the softer brass models its easy to deform the liner or bolster if you are not careful doing that also depending on how well you prepare for it.

Basically the short of it is no for a quick answer. Sorry. I'm not saying there isn't someone out there with equipment to do something more than me but I can't do it no. Most of the time when I get one of the stainless its just to take those slab sides off and discard them so its no issue. Keeping them is something that has never come up but the tolerances in those are quite tight usually.

STR

 

[TIZWIN]

Thanks, mi hermano. I figured as much. I had this fantasy of getting a Krein regrind on a ZDP Endura and then swapping the blade to a stainless handled model. Maybe in an alternate universe. See ya on the flip side!

 

[STR]

Yeah when I first started doing rebuilds on those stainless models I just figured my 10" hydraulic press with 1/2 ton capacity would push those right out but it didn't work like that for some reason. It was hit or miss really and I never bothered to figure it out as to why but the pins are softer than you might think so they deform rather than push through usually. I managed to start a couple and actualy remove others but gave up trying that method because just as often I deformed the scales which was no big deal for that part but it became evident in doing that that it could and would also deform and bend the lock bar/rocker arm and spring holder damaging those parts as well. So since the scales did not need preserved anyways I just stuck a big square shaft flat head screw driver in the wood vise and stuck the body of the knife open down over the flat head and twisted popping the scales off that way so I'd be able to remove the scales without hurting any of parts I needed to keep and reuse. Its the faster easier and better way when the scales were to be discarded anyways.

STR

 

[TIZWIN]

As a wanna be tinkerer, I dig the shop talk. My fantasy of the steel handled Endura with the ZDP blade came from my love for the slim, slick style of the steel handled Spydercos. There's something about the way they feel; that special "snick" when the blade locks. And I wanted that with the edge-holding of a ZDP blade. Maybe Mr. Glesser will fullfill my dream someday. Thanks again.