I've got a Paramilitary 2 pivot screw question...

Undertow82 · Feb 18, 2011

So I received my black bladed Para 2 yesterday and love it. This is my third Para 2 and the lock on this one is by far the most buttery. That's not what this is about.
I was at work today and I pulled my knife out to gaze upon it for a little while. I noticed that one of the pivot screws looked like it was risen above the G-10 and sure enough, it was loose. I could spin it with my finger tip. I didn't have any torx bits at work so I spun it down with my finger tip as tight as I could get it, just long enough to get it home and tighten it down properly.

I got home and proceeded to tighten the loose screw. I gave it a super light turn, I emphasize "super light." After this the blade was very tight and was hard to swing open/closed. I tried to back it off a little bit but it was barely tightened in the first place so it came loose.

If I just barely tighten the screw down the blade will swing normally but the screw is ready to spin out any time and I can do it with my finger tip.

What's up with this and dose anyone know how to tighten these double-sided pivot screws on the newer Spyderco's?

Frozy · Feb 18, 2011

I just received my Sage 1 today. I can't buldge any pivot screws at all. Looks like we got opposite problems. I suggest u use loctite.

freedoom · Feb 18, 2011

put a drop of blue loctite on the pivot screw. find your sweet spot and wait for the loctite to cure. I just had to to that on my new UKPK. after a day the pivot loosened up and i had all kinds of blade play, a drop of loctite and i'm right as rain.

Lenny · Feb 18, 2011

Do what freedoom says after you find the sweet spot.
If it's still too tight, loosen the blad stop pin screws till it smooths out.
Worked for mine, now the action is perfect.
BTW, my Para 2 and Sage 1 are the 2 most perfect knives I've ever owned.
Lenny

JNewell · Feb 18, 2011

Remember that loctite won't work properly unless you clean oil/grease off the treads and let it cure.

Frozy · Feb 18, 2011

So what should i do about the screws that can't be unscrewed. I know im not supposed to dismantle my knife but...

The Deacon · Feb 18, 2011

Frozy said:
So what should i do about the screws that can't be unscrewed. I know im not supposed to dismantle my knife but...

Heating the screw will soften the thread locking compound, assumign that's the culprit. Dipping the pivot end in a pan of boiling water for a few seconds just prior to unscrewing it would be one way to accomplish that. I suspect that only one side of the screw on your Sage can be turned, probably the right (lock) side, and the other side is a D bolt that fits into a matching cut in the liners. I could be wrong about that, but it's the case on some other models.

Paul

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Undertow82 · Feb 18, 2011

Thanks guys. I'm curious as to why one of my pivot screws has the 'lock-tight' on it and the screw that was coming loose didn't. Spyderco doesn't call it 'lock-tight' though. I can't remember what she called it but she did say lock-tight would work fine.

What's with the double screw system anyway? It seems like it's more complicated and harder to tune than a single male/female screw system.

How is this design better than the pivot screw system on the Millie for instance?

eloreno · Feb 18, 2011

I had the same problem as the OP.
I would not put loctite on it yet. You only want to tighten one of the screws. Its the one that looks "risen".
When I got mine, if I tightened the pivot all the way the blade would not move.
This is what I recommend: tighten the pivot screw until its a little tighter than you would like. After a while tighten it more. After a while tighten it more etc.
I found that after a while I could tighten the pivot screw the entire way and the blade would move freely.
Hope this helps.

Frozy · Feb 18, 2011

Ok, i managed to free my Sage's screws but screwing is left and right continuously and it came loose after awhile.
Hey undertow, my sage has the double pivot screw too if it's the same concept as your para2, maybe this will help you- Close your knife and adjust both sides of the pivot screw until the blade centering is 100%. Usually u will over tighten, but it's alright, just unscrew alittle and adjust somemore accordingly. Hope that helps =)