Lil Temp Advice

C

cliff355

Joined
Apr 19, 2003
Messages
1,232
For the past few weeks I have been carrying my Lil Temp with the clip in the tip-up position, but this is about to change. The reason being that last weekend I did some landscaping work and got a little "dirty," and this resulted in the pivot point getting all gritty in operation. Part of the problem appears to have been the clip holes left unplugged when the clip is not mounted for tip-down carry. Fine dirt appears to have gotten in there and really gummed things up.

If the holes in the other end of the handle are left unplugged there is no problem, because dirt will just go inside the handle and fall out. However, you can see the blade pivoting behind the holes at the other end and this is not good, dirt-wise.

The knife cleaned up o.k. under faucet water and lubed back up smooth with Miltec-1, but I'm switching the clip anyway. It would help if we could get some filler screws for unused holes, but it is not a huge deal because tip-down carry is o.k. too.

BTW: this Lil Temp cuts better than a big fixed-blade. The blade-length to handle ratio is such that you can really bear down on tough cuts. I have been reaching for it in preference to a block plane (trimming boards) and in some cases an axe (shaving stakes, etc).
 
I'd suggest going to a good hardware store and finding some screws to fit the holes, then trimming them to the right length and installing them with locktite.

I'd also like to hear more about your usages of the lil temp. I've been debating back and forth on this knife for year but haven't been able to decide to get one. Is yours the leaf blade?
 
Nobody:

I was thinking about checking out hardware screws too, but it seems to me Sal commented in some other thread that they were a non-standard size. If anyone can cite what size/thread they are it would be a big help.

My Lil Temp is a leaf blade and I can't recommend it highly enough as a hard-use knife. I'm left handed and have been carrying a small axis-lock in the left front waistband, but also the Lil Temp in the right rear pocket, which is the only place on me not occupied carrying something else anyway. This works out well, because when used right-handed the compression lock is just as handy and fast as an axis is for the left hand. You just compress the lever and snap it out.

The handle is big and offers a very secure grip either with or without gloves. Also, the blade is short enough that you can make full-length contact and rip it through just about any material. So far I haven't seen any other folding knife this tough and frankly it seems like it would be harder to break this knife than many of the fixed blades I have.

Lately I have been using it alot for shaving things down to size and the leaf shape seems well suited to this. Sometimes it is necessary to use fingertips of the other hand to help the blade along and the leaf blade provides ample surface on the spine for this. The other shape may be fine too, but the leaf certainly works well.
 
How about contacting Spyderco Warrantee and Repair to see if they would send you a set of screws? You could shorten those and you would have all spydie parts in your Lil Temp.

Edited to add:

Spyderco Inc.
Attn: Waranty and Repair
820 Spyderco Way
Golden CO 80403
Phone 800-525-7770

Chuck
 
Contact Mike Hayes in the Spyderco Warranty and Repair department. Mike is at Spyderco Monday- Friday 8-5 MST. You can reach him directly at

800-525-7770 X255
-or-
303-279-8383 X255
-or-
mhayes@spyderco.com

The telephone works better. Mike doesn't seem to be an email kinda guy :)

Hope this helps!

David
 
4 s ter said:
The telephone works better. Mike doesn't seem to be an email kinda guy :)
Click to expand...
Indeed! ;)

About the clip, you could try to get an extra clip also, and saw off the ... uhh ... part with the 3 holes in it, and use what's left to fill the space. That way you won't have to shorten the screws, and it might look good also.

Ted
 
Ted:

Thats an excellent idea, particularly in the case of the Lil Temp which has the end of the clip recessed into the G10. It always looks like there is a part missing at the other end regardless of which way the clip is mounted. Not that I spend alot of time fretting about it, since overall this is a very nice looking knife. Thanks for the contact info.
 
Hello,
I cut out a piece of grey rubber grip tape to put in the indention where the clip would go when carried tip down. It has lasted over a year w/ many coats of militec not affecting its adhesiveness. Also, I put the grip tape on the clip to cover the shiny and sharp steel, that maybe should be redesigned. :eek:

bob7
 
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