Sage carbon fiber...help me fix it!

einsteinjon

einsteinjon

Platinum Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Messages
1,870
Hi all,

I was cleaning my carbon fiber Sage this weekend and stripped one of the scale screws because it is so tight (and so I found out, disassembling the knife voids the warranty). Against my better judgment, I grabbed the bushing (is this the right word? I'm talking about the spacer that the screws screw into) with a pliers and tried to twist it to get the screw loose. The pliers obviously nicked up the bushing/spacer pretty good, but it doesn't seem to be bent. I also tried using a stripped screw remover tool with my drill, but that just stripped the screw head further.

I contacted customer service to try to get a new screw and bushing, even though I can't get the screw out, but they told me they don't carry those and I had to contact the Spyderco factory outlet store, plus that disassembling the knife voids the warranty. The SFO told me to talk to customer service (nice circular path haha). Anyway, I got voicemail at customer service and hung up.

Bottom line is...does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix the knife? Or who to contact to get this knife fixed, even though I apparently voided the warranty?

Thank you for the help guys!
 
If you have a dremel and feel confident, you could try and cut a slot in the screw to fit a slot head screw driver....


Edit: Also heating the screw with a soldering iron before removal will soften the lock tite.
 
Not a bad idea, but the screw head is flush (or slightly below) the carbon fiber scale. Cutting it with my Dremel would also mean cutting the carbon fiber.

I wish I had known the soldering iron trick a couple days ago haha...
 
Well, depending on what equipment you have handy, a 1/32nd carbide end mill would be able to reach down there and slot the top of that screw fairly easily, without cutting up the scale around it. Have to go REALLY light on the feed, though, those things snap at a touch.

Another possibility might be to very carefully measure out the spacing, and drill two holes in the screw head for a "spanner" type drive. Not sure if they make them that small, though.
 
Last edited:
Just send in the knife to Spyderco and they will take care of you. Probably for a minimal cost since you voided the warranty. Its probably because you were specifically asking for parts to send you that they couldnt help you out quickly. Just ask nicely if you can send your knife in and they will find the parts to repair your knife. Not sure why you would even ask for replacement parts to fix yourself when you cant handle disassembling the knife on your own :p.
 
Is the screw remover you have similar to a drill bit that is tapered and the splines are opposite the direction the threads on the screw? Does it have a square head on the end? All the ones I have seen won't work in a drill as it turns too fast. You are supposed to drill a hole in the head of the screw and then slowly turn the extractor in counter clockwise. The square head is to go in a tap holder and a slow turn with lots of downward pressure has worked well for me. Holding a soldering iron to the screw head for 20 seconds beforehand won't hurt either. You might be able to get new stand offs from a knife maker supply store. I haven't looked at what they carry but I imagine they carry ones that are threaded. Just get enough to replace all of them so it doesn't look weird as well as extra screws that fit them. I'm sure you could also send it to someone to have fixed. If Spyderco doesn't have the parts not sure they will be much help and they will charge you a fee.

Good luck.
 
Komitadjie said:
Well, depending on what equipment you have handy, a 1/32nd carbide end mill would be able to reach down there and slot the top of that screw fairly easily, without cutting up the scale around it. Have to go REALLY light on the feed, though, those things snap at a touch.

Another possibility might be to very carefully measure out the spacing, and drill two holes in the screw head for a "spanner" type drive. Not sure if they make them that small, though.
Click to expand...

How would an end mill cut a slot in a little screw head?
 
Fixture the knife in the vise such that the screw head is facing upward and perpendicular to the spindle, and make a series of passes with the x-axis only, lowering the cutter by about five thousandths per pass. Couple drops of cutting oil into the head recess would help keep things flowing smoothly. I'm guessing on the 1/32nd mill, you might need to go a tad smaller depending on the size of the head. Those are probably #2-56s?
 
kawr said:
Just send in the knife to Spyderco and they will take care of you. Probably for a minimal cost since you voided the warranty. Its probably because you were specifically asking for parts to send you that they couldnt help you out quickly. Just ask nicely if you can send your knife in and they will find the parts to repair your knife. Not sure why you would even ask for replacement parts to fix yourself when you cant handle disassembling the knife on your own :p.
Click to expand...

I have some pretty handy friends (who I haven't asked about this as of yet) and would prefer not to have to send in the knife, plus I like the satisfaction of doing things myself. BUT...it may just be easier to ask Spyderco to fix it for a fee.
 
If you completely rounded it out have you tried smacking in a slightly larger torx bit, or even an allen wrench appropriately sized? I use a soldering iron on my loc tited screws and then remove them.
 
Worst case scenario, the screws can be drilled out. Places like Texas Knifemakers Supply sell standoffs and screws, but they will probably require fitting. A safer bet might be finding someone like Steve Rice (STR) who has his own forum here, to fix it for you.
 
Silly question, but did you take out all the other screws or did you strip the first screw you tried and then became focused on getting that one out?

If only one screw is stripped and stuck, can't you just clean the knife and then put it back together? If it's just one screw, you should be able to completely take the knife apart except the one scale and liner that will be stuck together, but you can still clean the majority of it by rotating the scale and liner around the stuck screw.
 
The CF Sages often have too much Locktite on the threads, therby you cannot remove the screws. In the future drop the whole knife into very hot water for 3-4 min, then unscrew.
FOR NOW:
The standoffs are "locked" into the liners, so don't try to remove them by unscrewing them, work on the screw only.
Use the "hot bath", and try again on the screw.
 
gull wing said:
The CF Sages often have too much Locktite on the threads, therby you cannot remove the screws. In the future drop the whole knife into very hot water for 3-4 min, then unscrew.
FOR NOW:
The standoffs are "locked" into the liners, so don't try to remove them by unscrewing them, work on the screw only.
Use the "hot bath", and try again on the screw.
Click to expand...

That's what I did. The rest came out, and I put it back together. It works fine, it's just that the screw is stripped and the standoff is chewed up a bit. I may not care, but I like the look of this knife as a "dress knife." I'm probably gonna send it to Spyderco...$20 + $5 shipping if they can fix it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top