Spyderco Stretch notes/questions on adjustment

S

Scott321

Joined
Jul 20, 2016
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I recently purchased a Spyderco Stretch with HAP40 steel off of Amazon. If anyone sees anything to indicate that this is a counterfeit please pipe up.

Anyway, upon disassembly to clean, lubricate, and inspect, I was surprised to find out how small the washers were (Pics 1 & 2 below). The picture with one scale off was during disassembly. I learned the hard way how to reassemble this (lockbar in last after the rest is assembled plus roll of tape to push the nut through). Yes, it was a pain in the butt.

I included a side-by-side picture with my Paramilitary 2 as a comparison (Pic 3).

I had to tighten the pivot screw down to adjust for minimal-to-no side to side play. However, it is pretty stiff at that adjustment. I will break it in over the course of the next few weeks, but I was wondering if anyone knows if the scale screws might have an effect on the stiffness while opening and closing the blade.

For the record, I checked to make sure that the scales are not rubbing on the blade. Some other notes, the spring had a small spot of surface rust, and was twice the thickness of my CS Mini Recon.

Pic 1
20161006_172100.jpg


Pic 2
20161006_172912.jpg


Pic 3
20161006_185423.jpg
 
The lockbar pivot is the key. Too tight & you have stiffer action than it should be.
Another tips is to smooth the lockbar & spring interface.

Washer being small is normal. All Stretches are like that.
Hope this helps. Congrats to getting a very good specimen of Stretch!
 
Chris "Anagarika";16548875 said:
The lockbar pivot is the key. Too tight & you have stiffer action than it should be.
Another tips is to smooth the lockbar & spring interface.

Washer being small is normal. All Stretches are like that.
Hope this helps. Congrats to getting a very good specimen of Stretch!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried adjusting the lockbar pivot and main pivot after reading your post. Unfortunately, it made no difference. I'll keep working it throughout the next week or two and see how it breaks in.

This leads me to another concern. The Spydie hole is very sharp. This only becomes and issue when actions (such as this one) are stiff. Would it be worth doing a little high-grit sanding on the whole?
 
Initial action of lockback is always stiffer as the lock keeping pressure against blade tang througout. After some more use/breaking in, it'll smooth out. One cannot compare this with liner lock or compression lock.

Additional thing to try: spraying some WD40 against the tang/lock interface when the blade is open, from below. It usually helps with removing heavier grease and letting it 'glide' smoother. Actually I like the tension from lockbar against tang. It inspires confidence but that's maybe just me. ;)

I like sharp edges on the hole, especially on this model where the outer steel is soft, it'll get rounded from normal use anyway.
 
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