Tuning a PM3

T

TightLines

Joined
Sep 20, 2015
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47
Merry Christmas!

I’ve had a few Spydercos over the years. 2x PM2s and 1 PM3.

I bought the PM3 several months ago and have been using it exclusively since it came in. Unfortunately, it’s always had more blade play than I’d like. Much more than either of my PM2s. I’ve tried tuning the pivot screws in very small increments and the only time I can eliminate blade play is with the screws bottomed out. At this point it is also difficult to open and close and certainly will not flick open or drop free. Backing off as little as 1/16 (?) of a turn frees it up but also bring back the blade play.

I’ve tried polishing the blade on both sides with some Flitz where the copper (?) washers ride as well as a touch of oil. No change either way.

The knife is certainly usable but I’d like to get it right, especially relative to my PM2s.

Any advice?
 
Merry Xmas,

Do you have blade play because the screws get loose? Try threadlock.

How about the other screws?

I would wash the knife in soap water, move the blade under water. Then use it dry a few weeks.
 
TightLines said:
Merry Christmas!

I’ve had a few Spydercos over the years. 2x PM2s and 1 PM3.

I bought the PM3 several months ago and have been using it exclusively since it came in. Unfortunately, it’s always had more blade play than I’d like. Much more than either of my PM2s. I’ve tried tuning the pivot screws in very small increments and the only time I can eliminate blade play is with the screws bottomed out. At this point it is also difficult to open and close and certainly will not flick open or drop free. Backing off as little as 1/16 (?) of a turn frees it up but also bring back the blade play.

I’ve tried polishing the blade on both sides with some Flitz where the copper (?) washers ride as well as a touch of oil. No change either way.

The knife is certainly usable but I’d like to get it right, especially relative to my PM2s.

Any advice?
Click to expand...

I’m not sure if it is also like this on the pm3 but on the pm2 the pivot action is also a factor of how tight the stop pin screw is. Try loosening the stop pin screw a tiny bit and see if that fixes the problem.
 
The stop pin "floats" on the PM-3. It's held in place by shoulders on the stop pin. There's no screw adjustment.
 
There are only 2 other screws on the PM3. Both are tight and snug.

Blade play is not due to the pivot screws backing out. The only time the blade play can be eliminated is by tightening the pivot screws to the point that the knife can no longer flick open.

The trouble is getting the knife to the point where it can be flicked open with minimal blade play. Right now it’s just plain wobbly. My reference point are two other PM2s.

Correct that the stop pin is just held in place by the scales and tension from the other 4 screws.

The only other clue is that the blade is also significantly off center. Doesn’t bother me since it’s a daily use knife but it’s the only other thing unusual about this knife relative to my PM2s.

Knife came from a reputable AD so counterfeit is unlikely to be the issue.

This knife has made me appreciate my PM2s.
 
I would disassemble it and built back together. Try to fix the offcenter.

Open and close the knife often - without any lube. So the metal can break in.
 
Have you tried rotating the stop pin. It is indeed floating but when not in correctly it will cause issues or so multiple posts have mentioned this.
 
The knife has been reassembled several times throughout my attempts at tuning it so far. With oil, without oil, and the blade has been opened and closed a lot. Would definitely be broken in by now.

I did try rotating the stop pin but it wasn’t intentional. Anything I should have looked for when installing it? Other than being a stand-off for the scales and consequently the pivot, I don’t know how it affects things.

In addition to blade play, another downside to having the pivot loose enough so it flicks open is that the extra play means that the lock does not operate consistently. A lot of time when you squeeze the lock the blade won’t actually move freely. Probably because I’m squeezing the scales and consequently the pivot and binding the blade against the washers.

Maybe the answer has something to do with the blade centering. How would I go about fixing the blade centering?
 
You may have to just send it in and include what the problem is. Might just need new washers or maybe something is out of spec
 
TightLines said:
There are only 2 other screws on the PM3. Both are tight and snug.

Blade play is not due to the pivot screws backing out. The only time the blade play can be eliminated is by tightening the pivot screws to the point that the knife can no longer flick open.

The trouble is getting the knife to the point where it can be flicked open with minimal blade play. Right now it’s just plain wobbly. My reference point are two other PM2s.

Correct that the stop pin is just held in place by the scales and tension from the other 4 screws.

The only other clue is that the blade is also significantly off center. Doesn’t bother me since it’s a daily use knife but it’s the only other thing unusual about this knife relative to my PM2s.

Knife came from a reputable AD so counterfeit is unlikely to be the issue.

This knife has made me appreciate my PM2s.
Click to expand...

Do you have some fine or ultrafine spyderco ceramic stones? You could use these to polish the inside facing sides of each washer. (The side that faces the tang) that should fix the knife tightening up when pivot is tight enough to eliminate blade play.

It fixed the same issue on my 940.

Just use no pressure when polishing the washers becaise phosphor bronze is pretty soft and polishes fast. Also i take no responsibility if you damage the knife. Be sure you are comfortable with what you are doing.

If not maybe send it back to Spyderco?
 
This is unusual. I’ve had 5 or 6 Para 3s and I’ve been able to adjust them all perfectly.
Maybe try polishing the washers as suggested above. Sometimes they have a small burr on the edges that can cause these issues. A strop with compound works pretty well for me. Very light pressure on some fine grit sandpaper works also. Just be careful not to take too much material off!
Hope your issue gets resolved.
 
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