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Pocket knife screw tightening/marring OCD

vnvman

vnvman

Basic Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2024
Messages
208
This is a pretty embarrassing post to make.
Please bear with me.

Whenever I get a new knife I disassemble it to adjust the action or mod and polish little things here and there. Nothing wrong with that right?

Then it starts. I want the screws to be tight just the right amount so I tinker with them for days. Eventually the driver section of the screw gets kinda marred, even if the screw it's not stripped, works fine, just has maybe some degree of cosmetic damage to the head.

For unfathomable reasons this bugs me so so I take the screw out and polish it with sandpaper and buff it to the point that the damage isn't visible. Then I proceed to put it in place again. Sometimes I nick it again and that kickstarts the process all over again.
Eventually I give up, and after some time pointlessly obsessing over it, I kinda forget about it....Kinda not, and it still bugs me from time to time. Comes and goes.

I know this is just OCD borderline insanity.
Anyway, is there anyone else here can relate, getting annoyed stupid pet peeves like these?

Knowing that I'm not alone kinda soothes me lol...
 
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^I get being ocd though........ the twinge i did have of this was a fear of using stuff and marking it up. Ive learned to not care and its made life much more enjoyable.
 
Maybe this helps: ;)

When you use blue locite on the pivot, you have about 5-10' for adjustments. Then you need to let the knife sit for 24h, better 48, i.e., don't play with it; I just put it on a shelf somewhere.
 
jbmonkey said:
^I get being ocd though........ the twinge i did have of this was a fear of using stuff and marking it up. Ive learned to not care and its made life much more enjoyable.
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Yeah it gets me the most when I'm not at my best mentally, tired, idle... Then I go in the woods and use my stuff there, hell maybe even just around the house for some small task and that feeling slowly fades away.

The weird part is that I don't mind scratching up stuff while actually using it, it brings me smiles to go through the marks on tools that I have actually used to build good moments.

Maybe I hate things like marred screws more because all they can remind me is pointless fidgeting and acting silly because of silly reasons.
 
vnvman said:
Yeah it gets me the most when I'm not at my best mentally, tired, idle... Then I go in the woods and use my stuff there, hell maybe even just around the house for some small task and that feeling slowly fades away.

The weird part is that I don't mind scratching up stuff while actually using it, it brings me smiles to go through the marks on tools that I have actually used to build good moments.

Maybe I hate things like marred screws more because all they can remind me is pointless fidgeting and acting silly because of silly reasons.
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you're already half way there and ahead of where i was years ago. Just leave things be til they need to be taken apart. use that fidget time instead to spend with, family, friends, your gal, out using your tools.....etc.
 
vnvman said:
I know this is just OCD borderline insanity.
Anyway, is there anyone else here can relate, getting annoyed stupid pet peeves like these?
Click to expand...

Whether we're talking about common pocket knives, collectable guns, Swiss watches, or your McLaren W1, buggered up fasteners are the mark of a hamfisted craftsman. The first thing is to get top-shelf tools. If your screwdrivers come from Harbor Freight or some no-name Amazon brand, then you're setting yourself up for failure.
 
RustyIron said:
Whether we're talking about common pocket knives, collectable guns, Swiss watches, or your McLaren W1, buggered up fasteners are the mark of a hamfisted craftsman. The first thing is to get top-shelf tools. If your screwdrivers come from Harbor Freight or some no-name Amazon brand, then you're setting yourself up for failure.
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I don't have very expensive tools but I always make sure the bit part is in great condition, and get new ones when they're not so anymore.
Any good ones to suggest?
 
There's a lot of variation in the quality of the hardware used in knives. Sometimes, even a quality bit doesn't fit as tightly as it should in the screw head and will show marring very easily. I use Wiha bits and replace them often. I've also been able to buy new hardware for some knife brands.
 
Even (or in particular) if you use the best drivers, you can damage softer screws, depending on how much force you apply.

For example, Hinderer screws (made by RHK) are soft and easily damaged. In particular if you use his brass - or even worse - copper hardware. Allen screws damage easier than Torx, etc.

Also drivers can be damaged. I've had to replace Wiha T6 drivers a couple of times, they need to be checked routinely. If you come across red loctite too often, that's what happens.

If you continuously disassemble/assemble your knife, it will take damage - only a matter of time. Plus, say the knife has PB washers or bearings - it needs to break in, i.e., after some use it will not behave as you adjusted it during assembly.
 
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ferider said:
Even (or in particular) if you use the best drivers, you can damage softer screws, depending on how much force you apply.

For example, Hinderer screws (made by RHK) are soft and easily damaged. In particular if you use his brass - or even worse - copper hardware. Allen screws damage easier than Torx, etc.

If you continuously disassemble/assemble your knife, it will take damage - only a matter of time.
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Yes I can vouch for this. I almost never ruin the head of a screw on Spydercos, more ofter so on Cold Steel and Fox for example. These is definitely something different to be said about each brand.
 
I get it. On thing I did recently is I bought 2.5 x 45 screws and some 4-40 screws in bulk so I can replace buggered up ones. Also the hardware on some knives is lower quality than others. The same is true for your tools some drivers will bugger up a screw faster than others. You could also try a little teflon tape on the bit to see if takes up the slack between the tool and the screw.
 
donnord said:
I get it. On thing I did recently is I bought 2.5 x 45 screws and some 4-40 screws in bulk so I can replace buggered up ones. Also the hardware on some knives is lower quality than others. The same is true for your tools some drivers will bugger up a screw faster than others. You could also try a little teflon tape on the bit to see if takes up the slack between the tool and the screw.
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That's a wonderful idea, thanks.
 
I don’t like messing with a brand new folder, it should be ok. Got a Viper 2 weeks ago, carried for a little bit for maybe 3 days. Day 4 and I see the clip screw in gone like a freight train. Had to send knife back for replacement. Still waiting. Never thought I needed to locktite screws on a new knife. Also noticed one pivot finger tight. Screw on clip goes all the way thru and Atlantic couldn’t send another fastener. IMG_1071.jpeg
 
vnvman said:
Yes I can vouch for this. I almost never ruin the head of a screw on Spydercos, more ofter so on Cold Steel and Fox for example. These is definitely something different to be said about each brand.
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It's kind of funny, because over on the Spyderco home forum there are frequent complaints about soft screws. At least there were months ago.
 
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vnvman said:
get new ones when they're not so anymore.
Any good ones to suggest?
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Others have made some good recommendations regarding good quality tools.

It seems to be common practice to throw away tools when they become a little worn. That's not how it's done. We have bench grinders for a reason. Allen wrenches, torx wrenches, screwdrivers, drill bits--they all wear. When they start to show a little wear, don't wait until it's a rounded knob. Dress it right away on the fine wheel of your bench grinder. Tools will not only last longer, but you'll be able to do better work.
 
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