Polishing Spyderco Washers Tips?

djmarkbravo

djmarkbravo

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Hey Guys,

Im planning to mod a few of my Spyderco knives (Para3, Manix etc).

My question is, can I polish the washers using a metal polishing cloth? The ones I have are made for metals like bronze and copper. Ive watched a few videos and see most people using a strop or sandpaper. Are there any advantages to using those? Or would using a polishing cloth provide the same results?

Ive used to cloths before to polish stuff and they work really well on copper and brass and are able to produce a mirror finish with little to no effort.

Thanks in advance for any help / suggestions.
 
I have used 1000 or 2000 grit paper you could get at an auto paint store. Lowes or HD might have it too. I use a flat piece of glass and use even pressure on rubbing the washer in a figure eight pattern on the paper. If you wanted to remove material then a good set of micrometers that can measure tenths would be needed.

As mentioned above flitz or simichrome is another good approach. Mothers mag and aluminum polish sold at walmart would work as well. The polishes are probably better since they are less aggressive.
 
jjg6319 said:
I have used 1000 or 2000 grit paper you could get at an auto paint store. Lowes or HD might have it too. I use a flat piece of glass and use even pressure on rubbing the washer in a figure eight pattern on the paper. If you wanted to remove material then a good set of micrometers that can measure tenths would be needed.

As mentioned above flitz or simichrome is another good approach. Mothers mag and aluminum polish sold at walmart would work as well. The polishes are probably better since they are less aggressive.
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This is the method I use.

But be aware....polishing washers might not make as much difference as you think. If the mating contact surfaces aren't polished as much as the washers are, the washers will quickly return to the lesser finish, probably in just a couple opening/closing cycles.
 
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Thanks for all the replies guys! But I'm still confused. Will my metal polishing cloth do the trick? Or so i need to go out and buy the stuff people mentioned to get the desired results?
 
I use a ceramic sharpening stone for the initial polish. Helps with knocking down the high spots. Then I use some metal polish or just rub on a strop with polishing compound.

Remember to lightly rub with anything abrasive. You don’t want to change the thickness of the washers all that much.
 
115Italian said:
I use a ceramic sharpening stone for the initial polish. Helps with knocking down the high spots. Then I use some metal polish or just rub on a strop with polishing compound.

Remember to lightly rub with anything abrasive. You don’t want to change the thickness of the washers all that much.
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Yeah I'm def gonna take it easy. Like 8-10 figure eights on each side.
 
Are the knives not opening and closing smoothly enough for you? Polishing washers may help, but you' be amazed what a simple disassembly and reassembly can do. I can do nothing else but that and a quick cleaning of soil/debris with a touch of mineral oil on the washers and that alone usually fixes any wonky action and off center blades as a bonus.
 
David Mary said:
Are the knives not opening and closing smoothly enough for you? Polishing washers may help, but you' be amazed what a simple disassembly and reassembly can do. I can do nothing else but that and a quick cleaning of soil/debris with a touch of mineral oil on the washers and that alone usually fixes any wonky action and off center blades as a bonus.
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Hey thanks for the reply,

I'm actually planing a scale swap to some aftermarket titanium ones. So I figured while I'm in there I might as well polish up the washers, along with cleaning and lubing etc. Just waiting for my nano-oil to arrive before I start the project. Very excited indeed :D
 
You're only putting wear on the washers you'd normally put in over years or days if you're like those people that like to flick their knife all day. You're only wasting your time doing something you'll undo in the first couple of openings. Play some with the knives over a couple of weeks as they are, without adding lube. Then clean and relube. I usually wait until after I dull and resharpen the blade to clean it. I usually do a reprofile so it's a good idea to clean the knife afterwards anyways. By that time the pivot and locking surfaces have polished against each other and work smoothly.

If you do still wanna go that route, you can use a polishing cloth but make sure you have a hard surface underneath, I used a strop with hard leather you can also use cardboard covered with stropping compound. Do only one side, the side that is facing the blade. You want the other side as is, so it doesn't spin against the liner. You want a hard flat surface so you can maintain the flat profile of the surface. Don't overdo it, it's soft metal so even a few passes on 2000 grit sandpaper will produce very visible results.
 
Kryme said:
You're only putting wear on the washers you'd normally put in over years or days if you're like those people that like to flick their knife all day. You're only wasting your time doing something you'll undo in the first couple of openings. Play some with the knives over a couple of weeks as they are, without adding lube. Then clean and relube. I usually wait until after I dull and resharpen the blade to clean it. I usually do a reprofile so it's a good idea to clean the knife afterwards anyways. By that time the pivot and locking surfaces have polished against each other and work smoothly.

If you do still wanna go that route, you can use a polishing cloth but make sure you have a hard surface underneath, I used a strop with hard leather you can also use cardboard covered with stropping compound. Do only one side, the side that is facing the blade. You want the other side as is, so it doesn't spin against the liner. You want a hard flat surface so you can maintain the flat profile of the surface. Don't overdo it, it's soft metal so even a few passes on 2000 grit sandpaper will produce very visible results.
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Thanks for the great advice!
 
Triple_D said:
Can't hurt to try it. If it doesn't work, you can always buy something else later. I've always had good luck with Flitz.
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I Actually went through my tools in my garage and found a tube of Flitz. Would I just rub it on with a micro fiber cloth? Or q-tip? Any suggestions would be great!
Thanks!
 
If you do use a polishing cloth I would wrap it over something hard and flat. You don't want to remove metal and you certainly don't want a wavy surface.
 
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Take a flat piece of uncorrogated smooth cardboard, like the back of a notepad, lay it down on a hard flat surface like a countertop, smear a pea sized amount of flitz on the cardboard, rub it in until smooth with fingertip, then take your washer and using light steady pressure, guide it over the flitzed area using fingertip, clean excess polish off of washer with a soft cloth and reinstall.

If your still seeing scratches then the cardboard might be too abrasive, try a piece of clean paper the same way, but be easy, the paper tears easily once flitz is applied.

If you bend the washers at all, it will make your action worse.
 
Only the pivot needs lube, so you can use lube sparingly and avoid it getting all over the place, e.g. lock surfaces, pivot screws, etc. PB washers are "self-lubricating/polishing"; after reassembly, just give them time to break in.
 
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