Spyderco typical blade centering?

R

RyanMM

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Aug 25, 2008
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57
I have two Spyderco knives; they are a D2 Para-Military and an orange Military. The blades on both aren't centered with the scales. I followed the advice on this thread: http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37735 I hate to ask because I really like the designs but I want to know if misaligned blades are commonplace.

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On the orange Military the blade was nearly touching the lock side scale. First I tried removing the pivot and blade and reinstalling them with a paper wedge between the blade and lock side scale. It made a slight difference but was mostly negligible. Failing that I: used a hair dryer (to soften Loc-Tite?) unscrewed all the screws along the scales, wedged the blade with folded-up paper, tightened the pivot, then replaced all the screws and pulled the paper out.

After multiple attempts (over a dozen) I've achieved the highest order of straightness which is still off-center. On the Military I managed to center the blade with the pivot fully tightened but the lock wouldn't engage and after a few tries opening and closing it the blade drifts back to the lock side. Adjustments on the Para-Military haven't really affected it so far.

What I'm getting at is do I need to live with this? I'm sure to most I've blown the issue out of proportion but cosmetic details are important to me. Aside from the straightness thing the knives are excellent and I'm very fond of them. It isn't a fair comparison but my razor and X-acto knife have centered blades --- I don't feel crooked blades are fitting to the level of craftsmanship with these Spyderco knives and their price ranges. I would welcome dings and scratches, but nobody can really argue for the aesthetics of crookedness.

Should I try to return or trade? Will I just get another misaligned knife if I do? I did manage to get them very close to centered and if need be I will learn to ignore it but I want to do so informedly.
 
Well, my CPM D2 Millie was slightly off center (very slightly), and I was able to center it when I was adjusting the pivot. That is unlike my much pricier Benchmade 760, which had the blade touching the handle and took serious working and torquing on it just to get the blade from touching the handle. I personally am not a big complainer about slightly off center blades, but touching the handles or close to it definately gets my attention.

Mike
 
Take it apart and put it back together or try loosening the scale screws along with the pivot then tighten the screws up in succession from the heel forward
 
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It's not totally the pivot, sometimes it's the stop pin screws that are pinching it. When in doubt, send it back. If it's functional it's fine, just don't be so anal. :D
 
Never had much issue with mine, all my Spydies (~30 or so) have come centered, from the inexpensive ones to > $100. That said, sometimes, when centered, the action is a bit looser than I like (not actual bladeplay - just detent). The Lum Chinese is a good example, but I prefer a strong, smooth action generally these days.

My Tenacious is rather weird, I have the pivot fully tightened, but it's still a bit off-center (away from pivot screw head) and has a very smooth, low-detent opening. This might have something to do with the number of people cut by this knife (besides taking a very fine edge fairly easily).
 
I had a orange millie with an off-center blade like yours. All i did was loosen the pivot pin and the screws along the handle. I then tightened the handle scews in succession towards the blade and then tightened the pivot and it centered it perfectly. I did not use a paper gap.

I was amazed that it worked so easily and effciantly.:thumbup:
 
My old single liner Mili does it. I just figure that it's do to the powerful spring action of the liner, and it doesn't bother me in the least!
 
Reeek said:
Take it apart and put it back together or try loosening the scale screws along with the pivot then tighten the screws up in succession from the heel forward
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, I did this along with several other methods. In all likelihood the drilling for the pivot hole must have been done at a minuscule angle (is G-10 always perfectly flat?) The problem is the closer I get the blade to the center the less the lock engages. Once it's spot-on the lock doesn't work anymore.

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This is how the lock is now. I had to compromise between centering and locking. The picture quality is horrible on account of it being taken with a cell phone. It connects over half but less than completely. It worked fine originally but I could press the blade into the scale when thumbing it open. This picture corresponds with the original post as after adjusting it.

The aggravation has convinced me to return the Orange Military. The D2 Para I've had for 2 months so I'll probably just trade it eventually. All in all, this has convinced me that I love the Military but I have to buy it in person. I'm around Portland, Oregon and haven't seen a store that carries it yet. Am I mistaken in my understanding that, for an issue like this, Spyderco's warranty is "caveat emptor" :confused:

I suppose the Military is the nicest knife I've ever owned and I just prefer it to be fault-free in order for uninhibited man-on-knife lovin'. I do appreciate the feedback, friends, and am still interested in hearing more observations.
 
Well, it's been a week and I'm still in the same spot. I sent the orange Military back and sent an email to a different store asking if they would check the centering before shipping me another. They said yes so I repeated my request on my order for a new orange Military. Yesterday I got the package and to my disappointment the condition was nearly the same. I just sent it back the day after, earlier today, so the situation is still unresolved but I am currently very unhappy about it. On the plus side, I got a free Spyderco Bug as a promotional offer. The funny thing is I actually love it; it's on my keychain now. The blade isn't perfectly centered but it's closer than the Mili was, and I don't mind it 'cause it's only worth 8 dollars and I got it for free. The backspring is so flush I can barely see the seam. Just that good old-fashioned Chinese craftsmanship. :p

Sorry to sound so negative. I don't think I'm crazy to want a $120+ knife to, at its worst, at least match an $8 Chinese cheapy in fit and finish. Goes to show that, unless you're a Mormon, there's no reason to think Americans are somehow a chosen people.

I've done more extensive work on the Para and the blade is very close to centered but I won't give up until it's just right. A possibly useful tip I discovered is that swapping the washers around the blade pivot seemed to help adjust it a small amount, and there was also a build-up of goop on one washer that skewed the alignment right from the factory. I'm thinking that to get that last bit of alignment remedied I'll use my Sharpmaker stones to taper the metal liners around the spot the washers sit. Has anyone tried this before? Please advise.
 
Does the blade being perfectly centered effectnthe knives abilities at all or do u just let it sit in a drawer lol .. If u want perfect u need to pony up for a sebenza!!! Dint get me wri g I love spydies but never expect perfection except in the use department!!
 
For what its worth the blade on my D2 para came perfectly centered. So much so that when I show it off I tell them to notice how nicely the blade centers in the handle.
 
I made a cruddy MS Paint drawing of what I'm thinking of doing with the Para. I also made a drawing of the liner just to play with the program and if anyone was curious and unsure how compression locks work.

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The black lines mark where I would sand off metal. Then the liners would be bent to align the blade.

Is it ok to quickly dip the liners in a flame before bending them? They aren't heat treated, correct?

Yes, I'm embittered but at least I'm learning the nuances of the knives. I have an attentive personality. I do carry the Para with me but just because I use it doesn't mean I don't care about its quality. If I was ok with misaligned blades I would have spent much less money. At this price point I just expected them to at least be correctable if not already centered out-of-the-box. And I am going to start a sebenza fund :D
 
Don't try and mod the knife like this lol... it's perfect the way it is for what u paid.. if u really think it's a big problem send it back to golden and let them
fix it... U would really hate my d2 para with the nice random patina on it lol!! Best of luck please don't butcher the knife I'll buy it off u before u do that
 
Dude that sucks about the lock! doesnt taking them apart void the warranty? Id much rather have an off centered properly locking blade with a warranty than a non locking off centered blade with no warranty.
 
I recently picked up an orange millie and a D2 para, both look and work fine to me. Sucks about the lock and your luck.
 
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