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The Tenacious is dead

C

Charlie_K

Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
4,067
Yesterday, in an unfortunate accident I had no control over, the internals of my Tenacious were exposed to a significant helping of bleach. And despite my best attempts at washing it out and oiling the internals, the damage was done. The blade became unbelievably stiff and could no longer be opened with the thumb.

I disassembled it to see what was wrong inside, and find the bronze washers to be heavily corroded. And now since I actually did disassemble it to do my own work on it, the warranty is now null and void.

Now I need to buy a new knife.
 
The Deacon said:
Exactly. Spyderco has helped out people that way in the past.
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I might not frequent this forum as much as I do others, but I've read a number of accounts by other Spyderco owners who have said the company isn't exactly friendly when it comes to getting spare parts for maintenance work.

Or, if you want it faster, you could take one of the washers to a hardware store or hobby shop and try to match it.
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No chance of that with the local hardware store. They don't carry anything that small and thin.
 
from what i know, their constant quality improvement makes them have difficulties when you are asking for parts for a older models (because they keeps improving things) so it MIGHT be washers from military produced in 2004 is different with the military produced in 2014. But give it a try. their customer service, from my experience, is great.
 
Or you can buy new washers from any one of those knife making parts stores online...
 
bedgoo said:
Or you can buy new washers from any one of those knife making parts stores online...
Click to expand...

There you go. Folks do it all the time, no matter if it is to replace a damaged washer or to change from nylon to bronze. Pretty inexpensive, too.

I was going to post a link, but none of the parts guys are authorized vendors. They are easily found with a quick search.

Robert
 
Try knifekits.com, they are great to deal with and have done right by me many, many times in the past.
 
Charlie_K said:
I might not frequent this forum as much as I do others, but I've read a number of accounts by other Spyderco owners who have said the company isn't exactly friendly when it comes to getting spare parts for maintenance work.



No chance of that with the local hardware store. They don't carry anything that small and thin.
Click to expand...
No company can please everyone, and some folks ask for the moon and get miffed when they don't get it. There's at least one person out there who thinks asking for full sets of screws for a dozen knives is reasonable.

As for finding thin washers locally. I've never had a Tenacious apart, so I don't know how thin the washers are, but between hardware stores, hobby shops, and Radio Shack, I bet I could come up with something that would work, or could be made to work.
 
Can you post a picture of the washers?

Depending on how bad the corrosion is, you may be able to sand them lightly and get them cleaned up.
 
Charlie_K said:
Yesterday, in an unfortunate accident I had no control over, the internals of my Tenacious were exposed to a significant helping of bleach. And despite my best attempts at washing it out and oiling the internals, the damage was done. The blade became unbelievably stiff and could no longer be opened with the thumb.

I disassembled it to see what was wrong inside, and find the bronze washers to be heavily corroded. And now since I actually did disassemble it to do my own work on it, the warranty is now null and void.

Now I need to buy a new knife.
Click to expand...

Dropping your knife in bleach causing corrosion to the washers is not a warranty issue anyway. The knife now requires REPAIR, not warranty, so your disassembly has no effect on the status, now. Dropping a knife in bleach is NOT a manufacturing defect.
 
The Deacon said:
As for finding thin washers locally. I've never had a Tenacious apart, so I don't know how thin the washers are, but between hardware stores, hobby shops, and Radio Shack, I bet I could come up with something that would work, or could be made to work.
Click to expand...

We have no hobby shops, no Radio Shack, and the washers are thin like a sheet of tracing paper.

dillon_b12 said:
Can you post a picture of the washers?

Depending on how bad the corrosion is, you may be able to sand them lightly and get them cleaned up.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid posting pictures wouldn't do any good. With the crappy resolution of my camera the true extent of the corrosion doesn't show up, leaving it looking only like it's got light tarnish in some spots. And it's too extensive to do any sanding, without sanding it away.

mattmanyam said:
Dropping your knife in bleach causing corrosion to the washers is not a warranty issue anyway. The knife now requires REPAIR, not warranty, so your disassembly has no effect on the status, now. Dropping a knife in bleach is NOT a manufacturing defect.
Click to expand...

Leaving me SOL.
 
I've sent a Techno in for warranty and disclosed that I had taken the knife apart to verify it needed work. I know Spyderco states the warranty is void if the knife is taken apart but I don't believe they hold you to it if there is a valid reason. The D shaped pivot hole on one of the scales had not been milled through all the way and pieces of titanium were preventing the D nut from getting thorough. This caused slight lateral blade play. I would not have known this had I not taken the knife apart. I sent it to them and they sent it back in about 2 weeks and corrected the issue. It was covered under warranty and they didn't charge me.

I don't know how you would expect a user not to take apart their knife for maintenance. My Southard had minor surface rust on the bearings and washers that held the bearing cage. Running the knife under the tap is what caused the surface rust in the first place so that wasn't going to help. I'm sure there might be a way to soak the knife in some solution that would remove the rust but taking the Southard apart seemed like the easiest and most efficient way to get it done and know it was done properly by verifying each part.

Regardless, as mattmanyam already said, this is even a warranty issue. Just though I would point this out. :p

I'm sure if you contact Spyderco there is a good chance they will still carry the washers and send you a new set for a small cost.
 
Charlie_K said:
We have no hobby shops, no Radio Shack, and the washers are thin like a sheet of tracing paper.



I'm afraid posting pictures wouldn't do any good. With the crappy resolution of my camera the true extent of the corrosion doesn't show up, leaving it looking only like it's got light tarnish in some spots. And it's too extensive to do any sanding, without sanding it away.



Leaving me SOL.
Click to expand...

If so, only because the cost:benefit ratio on a Tenacious may not make sense. The fact that you took it apart has no bearing not the situation, though.

I don't know what kind of bleach your knife got into - doesn't sound like household bleach. Years ago we had an in-ground pool and used both powdered and concentrated liquid bleach. We had a number of unintended interactions with bleach, almost all fatal to the gear involved. Most people really have no experience with how destructive bleach can be. :(
 
If Spyderco were to charge you then you have to weigh the cost of shipping both ways plus repair cost. Given this is a $40 knife it may not be worth it. I say it's time for a new Tenacious.
 
A. Spyderco has a toll free number.
B. Spyderco has great customer service.
C. The knife is already disassembled and could be as good as new with a couple of washers.

I'm pretty sure I know what I would try.
 
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