The spyderco military is a great design

I had to make a tough angle cut at the last part of the thrashed belt that was hung up and making a big rumpled mess beneath the machine. I had little room for leverage to cut that last bit away that would free the belt. I managed to get the first half of the blade into the available space and then attempted, for lack of a better term "a pivot cut" by levering the knife. The problem was the angle of the attack was not exactly in line with the applied force and I wound up flexing the handle a bit more than the aluminum backspacer could withstand. I stripped the screws out of it on one side and from there it was game over for the day for my Millie.
 
Boats said:
I had to make a tough angle cut at the last part of the thrashed belt that was hung up and making a big rumpled mess beneath the machine. I had little room for leverage to cut that last bit away that would free the belt. I managed to get the first half of the blade into the available space and then attempted, for lack of a better term "a pivot cut" by levering the knife. The problem was the angle of the attack was not exactly in line with the applied force and I wound up flexing the handle a bit more than the aluminum backspacer could withstand. I stripped the screws out of it on one side and from there it was game over for the day for my Millie.
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A better term is prying...
 
Send it in and explain what happened. They might fix it for you. Another option is buying standoffs and screws and doing it yourself.

Love the Military, it is my most carried folder. Imho the CF models are best (stiffer and lighter than G10)
 
singularity35 said:
A better term is prying...
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I know what prying is, I wasn't prying. The edge was on the material but the space available for my hand made the gripping force very slightly off axis from where the blade was located. If anything the knife was twisted in my hand by only a few degrees. Aluminum is not a "hard use" material when small screw threads are put under large stresses.

Lesson learned. I snowmobile with a small fixed bladed knife now.
 
NoFair said:
Send it in and explain what happened. They might fix it for you. Another option is buying standoffs and screws and doing it yourself.

Love the Military, it is my most carried folder. Imho the CF models are best (stiffer and lighter than G10)
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I sent it in a long time ago. It came back with another aluminum backspacer, long since replaced by steel standoffs.
 
Boats said:
I sent it in a long time ago. It came back with another aluminum backspacer, long since replaced by steel standoffs.
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I agree. I pulled my knife out one day and the screw had come out, I searched my pocket and surprisingly found the screw there. Tried to put it back in to find the spacer had stripped. I let it go thinking it was just a fluke. Several months later another screw came out because of the same reason. Now I have a backspacer that pivots. Anyway, I said screw it and took the backspacer completely out and have been using it without one for a couple of months. When opened the liners sit in the cutout but when closed the liners come out a little. Not bad. I still carry it everyday and still cut up a bunch of stuff. Even with that issue it's still my favorite knife, hands down. I don't even like the steel that much but the knife as a total package is still my favorite, even with its faults. Maybe it's time for me to spring for another one with a steel I like better and put some aftermarket spacers in it.
 
The Military is easily one of the best folders ever created. I hope it's never discontinued no matter how many sequels are produced in the future.
Nfd538 said:
PM2 by far my favorite and most carried knife. I want another.
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Wrong thread.
 
Boats said:
I know what prying is, I wasn't prying. The edge was on the material but the space available for my hand made the gripping force very slightly off axis from where the blade was located. If anything the knife was twisted in my hand by only a few degrees. Aluminum is not a "hard use" material when small screw threads are put under large stresses.

Lesson learned. I snowmobile with a small fixed bladed knife now.
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If you had a very early Military, the "spine" screws did not tap into an aluminium part at all: There was only threading in the G-10 handle scale material, which would explain your failure...: You could pull the screws straight out of the scale very easily, but not by bending at the main blade pivot: The weak screws that were bored into butter where the smaller spine screws...: To make them fail, it is the handle itself that has to bend within itself, but the main pivot will hold, since it is properly two-part steel, unlike the "spine" screws...

The very first Militarys were simply garbage, unless you had the handle scales precisely re-bored to take real two-part screws, and managed to toss aside the single screw-straight-into-G-10 scale assembly...

This is one case when the first ones were simply poor, particularly if you disassembled them, because there was nothing to prevent overtightening the screws on re-assembly, and the G-10 scale's spine screw "tapping" would simply spin out and be instantly ruined...

Despite this, as long as you didn't tighten the "spine" screws, it would probably hold together for a while (more so with a dab of crazy glue in the scale's screw holes maybe), but could fall apart easily on any side loads that bent the handle within its length... I'm willing to bet that was all changed very quickly, but not quickly enough to not sour me on the model...: I cannot believe they even considered making them this way... Today with real screws it is undoubtedly a great knife, maybe one of the best folders ever, but don't get the first ones out, even for collecting: They will fall apart on handle bending side loads.

If you don't believe the early ones were ever made that way, that is the spine screws threaded into threaded G-10 scale holes only, no threaded metal "reception" anywhere (except for the main blade pivot), ask Sal Glesser, he'll confirm it.

Gaston
 
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Wish they still had the full Syder Edge variant. Had one, and wish I never sold it. Vicious vicious vicious
 
Gaston444 said:
It is a great knife: I was unlucky enough to get one of the first examples where the handle screws screw into nothing but friable G-10 (no opposite "female" threaded steel nut, if you can believe that)... I'm always unlucky, and get the one early variation of any folder that's worthless...

One thing I did not like is the quite short blade to handle ratio: The Civilian is much closer to 50/50 on that...

Gaston
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You can fix the stripped out G-10 holes by inserting #2X56TPI SS Helicoils. I have done this on Camillus CUDA's. Besides the coil inserts, you need a special tap, a drill for said tap, and an inserting tool. I think Traverse Tool has the kits.
 
orca8589 said:
I've got a "Franken-Millie" - a standard S30V blade in the gray scales from a Cru-Wear model. I'm in the process of getting a deep carry clip and larger screws for it. I've used it hard and put it away wet for several months now, and all that hard use hasn't phased it at all.

One of Spyderco's all-time best designs, IMHO.

~Chris
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Yep, I'm going the other way- my cruwear blade is going in my carbon fiber handle when it gets here.
 
Boats said:
I sent it in a long time ago. It came back with another aluminum backspacer, long since replaced by steel standoffs.
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I just noticed that yours is bg42.Anybody got the list of all the steels used in the military? Although that list might end up costing me some money:)
 
That's a beautiful knife you have for sale. If i didn't already have a 710 in d2 I'd be all over it.
 
Love my Military with digital-cam scales. It shares my EDC rotation with a ZT 0561 and Cold Steel Code 4.
 
I have an old full serrated millie-one of the first s30v's with the old style tank tread jimping on the thumb ramp. All the screws fit into aluminum sleeves inside the backspacer. Plenty solid-and it's old enough to have a plastic spacer.
 
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