is it possible to replace rivets with screws on lightweight manix 2?

rogerxd45

rogerxd45

Joined
Mar 12, 2009
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i recently bought my first spyderco which is a lightweight manix 2 in CMP-s110v.
to be honest even though i knew they werent i always thought that spyderco knives looked cheap, and just didnt care for the looks. Well i saw that i could get a knife with a blade made of CPM-s110v (which along with cpm-s90v are steels ive been wanting to try for a while) for just a little over a hundred bucks and that was just too good of a deal to pass up.

I am happy to say i really like my manix 2 and now im starting to like how spyderco knives look. dont get me wrong i still think there are better looking knives out there but the spydercos are growing on me thats for sure. This is an amazing knife for the money, i never would have thought it was possible to get such an awesome steel for such a low price. I have spent almost as much for knives with aus8, which isnt a bad steel but it doesnt hold a candle to s110v

the only thing i dont like about my manix is the fact it is riveted together which prevents me from taking it apart for cleanings, repairs or modifications. I love being able to work on my own knives and to make minor tweaks to make them better suit my needs and i really like being able to completely strip the knife down for a detailed cleaning. So with all the people on here that also like to tinker i figured someone else has wanted to remove the rivets as well.

so is it possible to replace the rivets with screws that screw into each other (im not sure what the male/female screw combo is called) or some other method that would allow me to disassemble my manix 2?
One thing i would like to do is try out different spring weights on the ball bearing lock. the factory spring is too strong IMO, im pretty sure it will soften up over time but i would still prefer to be able to try out different weight springs. this is just a EDC knife so im not worried about the possibility of this making the lock weaker since im sure that even with a very light spring the lock would still be very sturdy plus it appears that as long as the lock is engaged the weight of the spring shouldnt have much effect on its overall strength

thank you for any help and i am very glad i finally decided to give spyderco a try....except now that im starting to like the looks of them, i have a bunch of extra knives added to my wish list, i think my next knife will be the all black southard in CTS 204P or one of the knives made with ZDP-189
 
If you have a drill press you could go to town. Not saying I would do it but it's your knife. Lots of shops selling rivets an screws for building knives.
 
If the rivets in your in your Manix are 1/8" diameter or less, you can get some screw sets based on a 1/8' diameter threaded barrel utilizing 2-#2X56TPI screws to hold the handle slabs together. The tricky part is drilling out the rivets. I use a small automatic center punch to dimple the head of the rivet. Then I drill just through the rivet overhang with a small carbide center drill. With the "mushroom" head gone, the rivet can be removed with a punch. The handle holes may have to be enlarged to 1/8" diameter. The barrel and the screws may have to be cut to length. I recommend Loctiting 1 of the 2 screws into the barrel (one less thing to come undone). If all this unclear, I can post pix.
 
Looking at images of the Manix on the web, there seems to be at least 2 versions: 1 with rivets and 1 with screws. I would be inclined to get the screwed together version and drop a 110V blade in it.
 
I asked this question on the spyderco forum (albeit in an unrelated thread) and someone else mentioned the swap had been done by another member, but now trying to think back I cannot remember who...?
I'll try to search for it.

I've got an old 154cm saber ground Manix 2 that hardly sees use anymore that I'd like to drop another blade into. But that said, it is HEAVY and I may actually just prefer the LW Manix as it comes.
 
SpeedHoles said:
I asked this question on the spyderco forum (albeit in an unrelated thread) and someone else mentioned the swap had been done by another member, but now trying to think back I cannot remember who...?
I'll try to search for it.

I've got an old 154cm saber ground Manix 2 that hardly sees use anymore that I'd like to drop another blade into. But that said, it is HEAVY and I may actually just prefer the LW Manix as it comes.
Click to expand...

if you could find who did it that would be awesome. i would really like to talk to someone who had done it first.

i would like to have the screws i need before i start removing the rivets. i dont want to remove them and then have to track some down which would leave my knife out of commission for longer.

as for removing the rivets they actually look much easier then some other rivets ive had to remove before. i have a drill press with a mill like vise that allows very precise x,y axis adjustments so i could remove all three without having to remove the knife from the vise. I also have lots of tungsten carbide endmills and drill bits and dremel like bits with round or pointed heads or various shapes and sizes so removing the rivets should be a problem.

maybe when i have some extra cash i will buy an extra one to mess with just incase i mess up and its out of comission for a long time until i can fix it. i would rather not take my newest knife and my only spyderco out of its EDC role
 
Well sounds like you've just found yourself a justified reason to need another new Spyderco! :D

...and me too. I need a Manix LW.

I believe the username is MadRookie. I have not found his actual thread showing what his process was though.
But it sounds like you're more than equipped to ge the job done. Do you have a local fastener store where you can just take the rivets to and get something matching dimensionally?
 
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