Finally thought to fast forward through 20+ minutes of washer-polishing... 🙂

Thanks for the tips, this was exactly the video I was looking for.

thanks for this video! my new s45vn pm2 just didn't want to wear in (my older s110 was perfect ootb) and your tips improved the action, now it drops shut like butter😁👍

Good stuff, really appreciate the helpful tips. I bought a new paramilitary 2 from eBay from Blades we Love back in 2016, and never really carried it due to the Anzo scales and sticky action of the knife. I finally took it apart today and did the polish, and it’s like a really brand new knife now!

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

11 ай бұрын

You’re welcome brother! 👊🏼😁

I like to set the washer on the table on a mat or w.e, then take a screwdriver and press the tip of the screwdriver through the middle of the washer into the table. Then it will free spin as you polish it getting all of it without having to turn it yourself and there's no risk of it flying across the room

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

11 ай бұрын

Thats a great idea 👊🏼

Got the para 3 DLT exclusive in purp g10 & cpm Cruwear on black friday, my first spyderco. It was smooth before with a little lube but just followed your steps here on the washers & it's definitely improved. I had to have the pivots slightly loose before to have it drop shut but now they're fully tightened & way smoother, appreciate you bro. 🙏🏼

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

6 ай бұрын

Happy to hear it! You’re welcome!

Thanks for the tips I'm doing it tonight.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

Awesome bro let me know how it works for you!

Great video, I think I’m gonna do this on my Mini RSK. The action is smooth but could be even better!

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks man!! I did a updated version of this video last week if you want to check it out!

Make a recess the same size of the washer in a piece of hard smooth wood. Make the recess nearly the same depth of the washer leaving just the very top proud. This will allow you to drop the washer in The recess and it will hold it perfectly still as you work on it as much as you need. You can then flip the washer and do the other side. This is what I do and it's the best method I have discovered and cuts the job time and frustration down to the minimum. Great job.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

That’s a great idea and thank you! 👊🏼😁

@shane_wc

11 ай бұрын

how to make such recess? i'm thinking hammering a washer of the same diameter but much thicker into the wood?

Nice little project I see myself getting into 👍🏽✌🏽 there goes an hour of my life lol😂, but in all honesty I enjoy doing these things. Perfection 👏🏽

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

Thanks brother! I actually did a newer updated version of this video, just a heads up 👊🏼

Thanks for sharing

Nice video. Hoping to make mine more loose but not as loose as what you'd call ideal.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I made a newer version of this video that’s a little better. I’d recommend checking out that one! 👊🏼

Really appreciate this video. LOVE Spydies, but their actions aren't always good.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah bro I agree, I’ve always been able to get the action smoothed out though on the ones that weren’t perfect out of box. Anytime something is mass produced there is going to be imperfections and room for improvement. In order to have them all come perfect they would cost several times more so I don’t mind giving them a little love to get them to my satisfaction!

Shaun… Enjoy your videos. I have a Paramilitary 2 with pretty bad Lock Stick… It doesn’t seam to be getting any better with use. Any suggestion on how to fix the lock Stick?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

11 ай бұрын

Hey brother, I have a video on how to fix lock stick with several different things you can try!

have you tried a similar polishing but using green and black stropping compounds on a strop? Thanks

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

Yes I have, the black compound scratched the washers. Not sure why other than the bronze must be softer than the compound.

Good stuff Sean. Thanks for the tips. I was always afraid to take those washers down to a full polish and mess with tolerances. After you did this, was the knife exhibiting any side-to-side play at all or was it completely solid?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

3 жыл бұрын

Nope not at all! No blade play once all screws were snugged down. I’ve done this on every spyderco I’ve ever owned and have never had any issues! You’re just trying to polish out the imperfections so you won’t be removing much material at all and will still be within the factory tolerances. Thanks for watching!!

Good video.

Are you in Colorado? Interested in working on my Manix 2 xl?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

I am in Maryland and what do you want done to it?

Did you add the second bronze washer to yours? Mine brand new only came with 1 bronze washer on one side..

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

All of my Spydercos have come with 2 except for a lightweight para 3. Some lightweights are designed with only one. Id give them a call if I was you unless its a lightweight model, might be how its supposed to be by design.

I need that clip for my pm2 lava flow

What do you think about using a 0.5 micron stropping compound on microfiber as the final polish for the washers? What is the final compound you use for polishing the washers?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

I recently tried .5 gunny juice on the cotton dremel polishing wheel and it worked excellent! This video is pretty old, I have a more recent one that is better but I’ll have to do another updated version because I’m always trying different things and finding better ways! 👊🏼

@goodnessgraciousitellya5004

2 жыл бұрын

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL that .5 gunny is exactly what I had in mind 😉

Hey i just got a para 3, and 2 and am going to use this vid. I have watched it, and you say at the start you need locktight, but i noticed you dont use it once. The bottle sits to the side the whole time unless i missed it. Dont know if you forgot it. But im guessing its for the screws, when you put the knife back together? Great vid, i hope this works on mine. I didnt realize you had to do all this to these knives to make them flick fast. From all the vids i watched (everyone seemed to have fast action in their vids across the board) i thought all these knives flicked fast already, and i wouldnt need to do all these steps.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

Hey brother, to answer the first question, sometimes you dont need loctite. It really depends on the specific knife and its tolerances and fitment. Some knives can operate perfectly smooth with the screws tightened down all the way to wear they wont back out on you. But with Spydercos how good the action is out of the box is kinda luck of the draw. With Spyderco you’re paying for top tier cutting performance, excellent blade grinds, excellent blade steels and optimal heat treatments which makes them out perform 99% of other companies when it comes to edge retention and toughness. They also are made in the USA (well most of them) which is more expensive to make. They also come with some of the best and sharpest factory edges out of any company I’ve experienced. They also are a industry leader when it comes to research and development to bring new super steels to market and offer knives in just about every super steel known to man, far more than any other company. I say all that to explain the value that Spyderco offers and where their efforts are prioritized! Also the majority are on bronze washers instead of bearings which increases durability and reliability and CAN be just as smooth and fast as bearings but occasionally may need a little attention if you want to optimize the action. Because of that they are not ALL always drop shut right out of the box but sometimes they are. These things are not mandatory and sometimes they just need to break in and can smooth out on their own over time. These things are just ways you can improve the action if you happen to get one that isn’t super smooth and don’t want to wait for it to break in!

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

And thanks brother, essentially you would want to use loctite if you can’t achieve smooth action with pivot screws all the way cranked down tight. If you do decide to adjust pivot screws just keep in mind that you don’t want to have any blade play and if you do then your pivot is too lose. Also, I did a updated version of this video that might be even more helpful to you and I believe its called “Improving The Action On Spyderco Knives Pt. 2”

Have you ever tried this method compared to taking the washer and rubbing it along a leather strop that has compound on it? Id think youd get more uniform polish by the strop method.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

Believe it or not it’s actually the contrary but I do prefer the strop method now because its just way easier and faster

@shane_wc

11 ай бұрын

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL what microns do you use?

Thanks man. Im watching your video got my knife apart, but now i cant take the pivot washer out because the screw is in behind the belt clip. I went to get the t8 and t10 torx drivers, but you didnt mention a t6 is needed to take the screw behind the belt clip off. Either mine was in a different place (its brand new) or you might have moved yours. Ill have to wait till tomorrow to go out again and get the t6 lol It might b worth metioning the t6 torx driver in future vids. Cheers.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

Ah damn, yeah most people switch the clip position right away so I didn’t even think about that but honestly you can still get some improvement just polishing the one that you have out. Also I highly recommend getting these wiha soft touch torx drivers, they come in a pack of 6 that includes all the sizes used on knives. They will save you alot of grief because they don’t easily deform and strip out like every other bit ive tried before which will cause you to strip screws ESPECIALLY the t6’s! Ive been using the same set every day for over a year and never damaged a single screw, they make a huge difference and if you plan on doing more knife maintenance Id strongly advise you to get the set. The wiha bits are ok but not nearly as good as the steel they use on these drivers!

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

But yeah if the clip position doesn’t bother you then id try just polishing one of your washers to start with and see how it does. I really wouldnt advise messing with those t6s unless you get the wiha “soft touch” drivers!

@craigcarroll6161

Ай бұрын

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL I totally agree on the wiha torx drivers. I broke a T6 on a tight screw and saw a great strength test video on these drivers and immediately ordered the wiha. The bit that broke came off a tool truck like maybe Snap-on or MAC. Has any of this polishing reduced the thickness of the washers?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Ай бұрын

@craigcarroll6161 nope, ive polished washers on dozens of spydercos and never had a problem. Only thing it’s done is give it s smoother action!

What dremel would you recommend? Thanks

@Will_and_a_Way

2 жыл бұрын

As well as compounds, etc.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

I use a cheap Walmart dremel and it works great. You don’t need a fancy dremel they all do the same thing! For the bits I use a cotton buffing wheel that came in a dremel polishing kit which I also got from Walmart and it includes the polishing compound!

Where did you get that lava flow pocket clip?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

Rips Garage Tech

like your Channel by the way

What is a good source for the bronze washers for knives like this?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

7 ай бұрын

I’ve never had to replace them. If you accidentally damaged or lost one, you could try KnivesPlus.com . Thats the only source id completely trust for replacement hardware.

I'm not sure if anybody is familiar with vice parallels for a Bridgeport vertical milling machine. Basically they're flat rectangular pieces of Steel that stand vertically in between the jaws of the vice and provide a recessed level surface to aid in holding a part for milling. Anyway they're nearly perfectly flat and highly polished and if you place them together like a sandwich they're extremely difficult to pull apart, and also cause drag when rotated🔄. This is due to a few reasons one is a vacuum created from two near perfect parts touching each other. Or another is when the interfaces between like materials are extremely flat, there is no way for each atom to know which block it is in, so the bond across the interface gets more and more like the normal molecular forces holding the lattice together the flatter the interface. This is know as the van der Waals force, an electrostatic attraction between uncharged materials caused by temporary shifts of electrons on one surface which cause electron shifts on an adjacent surface. Long story short it's a good thing those phosphorus bronze washers aren't flat or extremely smooth the knife action would be lousy 😁👍.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

This is a old video, I did a updated version that’s better but similar method and it’s been working great for me. It’s improved the action on every pivot washer knife I have and several other peoples knives (atleast 100 knives) and never had a single issue, like I said it’s greatly improved all of them! I do understand what you are saying though because when I strop on basswood after sharpening, the contact between the edge bevel and the basswood literally creates a vacuum and it feels like it’s suctioning to the strop. For whatever reason when it comes to pivot washers I’ve had nothing but positive results! I definitely recommend checking out my updated version of this video if you are interested though! I think it’s called (Perfect action for Spyderco knives) or something like that!

@flipflat4814

2 жыл бұрын

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL I have also polish the washers on my R2 D2 and a few others, it definitely helps. I think you realize this, but everything written in my last comment above the very last paragraph didn't have to do with polishing washers for knifes. I was speaking on how ultra-flat polish pieces of similar metal attract each other in two different ways👍. I will definitely check out your updated video not so much for a technique on how to do it, because I do the same thing. But because I'm interested in seeing Spyderco Knives taken apart since I don't own any. I've been wanting to try a Spyderco for a long time now, I'm not sure if I would easily be able to one hand open like my other knives. The only knife that l have ever open that is somewhat similar, is a Gerber EZ out. It was very difficult to flick the blade out and I even had a little trouble slow rolling it sometimes. As I don't have the greatest finger dexterity. The D shape hole in the Gerber EZ out is about a quarter of the size of a Spidey hole, and I was fighting against the lock back spring also. So it really isn't Apples to Apples. I guess there is only one way to find out, I need to drive to Cabela's and try out a Spyderco before making a purchase through online, and finding out the design just isn't for me. Being that l live smack dab in between Ka bar and Ontario knife company's, both just a short 10-minute drive to the factories, l tend to buy a lot of OKC and Ka-Bar Knifes. ✌

What was the Loctite for?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

So when you reassemble you can keep your screws from backing out without the need to crank them down as tight as possible. This mainly apples to the pivot screws and the screws behind the pivot near the lock. The tightness of these screws have the biggest effect on action. You just want to make sure you don’t have blade play.

I need to save up for a para 3

Can you put bronze washers into a knife that comes with teflon

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

If they are the same thickness and have the the same diameter hole for the pivot!

Awesome vid, Sean….but 15 mins. polishing each washer is too OCD for me, there’s some dimishing returns there😅.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! And just so you’re aware, I did a updated version of this video!

Doesn’t this mess with the tolerances as you are removing material from the washer?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

Technically you could mess with the tolerances depending on your process and the abrasive used. If you remove enough material to get it out of spec then you missed the mark. You’re just trying to refine the surface, not completely resurface it!

Do you have the yojumbo,yo2 and canis?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

9 ай бұрын

Just the Yojimbo 2

Sometimes, with these ultra thin washers, you can bend them if you put too much pressure on them with some thing like the Dremel. I found that by just pressing your finger into the washer on top of your strop and moving it in a figure 8 it seems to polish it quite quickly. If your washer has some ridges on it, I would also suggest perhaps using an ultra fine Spyderco stone and doing the same figure 8 movement,but be careful you don’t want to take too much off the washer. I would also suggest using your Dremel to polish the pivot hole and the surrounding area. Just my two cents take care and nice PM2s you’ve got there.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

11 ай бұрын

These washers do not bend easily, youd have to intentionally bend them using 2 sets of plyers or hit it with a hammer on a uneven surface. You aren’t going to bend a Spyderco phosphorus bronze washer by accident!

@kenneely7899

11 ай бұрын

Polish on a piece of thick poster board or a gage stone like marble or granite that is flat and smooth . Using polishing compound or jewelers Rouge. Us figure 8 polishing pattern.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

11 ай бұрын

@@kenneely7899 there’s many different ways to do it. Ive tried the the figure 8s like you said many times and it never gave me the results I wanted. The dremel however did as well as 3 micron Gunny Juice on a Kangaroo strop. Not doubting your method or anyone elses. I just share what has worked the best for me.

Any tips for removing some stripped screws from these pm2s?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

6 ай бұрын

Thats a tricky one, the best thing to do is get quality torx drivers like the wihas that I use and recommend constantly. They will save you all the headache. But if you have screws that are stripped so bad you can’t get anything to bite on it, your best hope is that the screws on the opposite side are good and get them out. Then with one scale off, you can try grabbing the standoffs with pliers and unscrewing them from the stripped screws. If they are stripped on both sides you might have to get creative because there isn’t much you can do without risking damaging the other components.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

6 ай бұрын

If you can get a bigger size torx into the screw and get it to bite, you can also do that.

I just use either a Boride PC 1200 to polish them on, or whatever the wooden strop I have handy. Either one does the trick.

Maybe it would work to hold the washer flat against a flat surface while polishing it? That would keep the washer flatter, and it might not fly away so easily!

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

6 ай бұрын

It’s definitely a possibility, just have to have a flat surface that you don’t mind polishing. Obviously you don’t want to polish your kitchen table or countertop. Might have a angry spouse lol!

I think the problem with this knife is the lock bar detent is putting to much pressure on the blade, and adjustment on the lock bar would likely help.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

3 ай бұрын

That is certainly a component that can affect the action however adjusting the lock bar tension can also create undesired consequences. In all my experimentation I have found that increasing or decreasing the lockbar tension is too likely to create new problems and that my desired action can be achieved without messing with the lockbar. Feel free to experiment yourself but I don’t find that to be a good solution!

Nice 😅

How's the blade play?

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

I adjust to the point the action is smooth with no blade play and loctite the screws if necessary. The only reason to polish the washers is if you can’t get the action smooth with zero play. You shouldn’t need blade play for it to be smooth.

@concealmenttraining9371

Жыл бұрын

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL ok thanks bud

There are better ways to improve the washers, including using oil on wet and dry sandpaper, about 400-600 grit, on a flat surface. Using that buffing tool, up in the air, in hand, is likely to leave irregularities. If the washer is not perfectly flat, it will be difficult to center the blade, etc.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

6 ай бұрын

400 and 600 grit is far more coarse than you want for a knife pivot washer. If you actually tried it you would see it doesn’t work out well in reality. Nothing wrong with theorizing but you have to actually do it to find what really works well! You do not want to resurface the washer, that will remove too much material and put it out of spec leaving you with blade play. I am only polishing the surface. The washers are already flat and a specific thickness, completely resurfacing them is going to lead to problems.

I just got mine about 4 days got and just released they put both bronze washer on one side. I'm praying my knife isn't scratched to shit. Edit it only had one washer on one side

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

What the hell… who did you buy it from?!

@jfklover9960

Жыл бұрын

@SharpestEdge just got last Friday from Blade hq. But I opened it and it only had one washer on one side no washer on the other and the blade got scratched from the liner. I probably have to send it in for warranty work. I don't think bhq would replace it.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

@@jfklover9960 they should replace it, you need to call or email them asap!

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

If thats how it came and you havent taken it apart or messed with it, I’m almost positive they will replace it but you’ll have to ship it back to them before they send you a new one.

Unfortunately you cross-contaminated the polishing wheel by using two different compounds on it. There should be one for the rouge and one for the Flitz.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

5 ай бұрын

It didn’t matter for this application

I think this is an excessive method. I have a Benchmade Redoubt, it has stock washers and not the best mechanics. I'll try hand polishing the washers with a polishing cloth and let you know the result.

Hell, this is what spyderco should have done.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

I agree

I don't think it's possible for the compression lock to not drop shut, this definitely makes it smooooth tho

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

I’ve handled atleast a hundred compression lock Spydercos and they are definitely not all free dropping! Some are and some break in nicely or pivot loosens up but to get it smooth and free dropping with zero blade play does take a little attention on some of them! Most are alright but it’s really luck of the draw, definitely some stiff ones out there!

@dant8213

Жыл бұрын

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL well I guess I'll consider mine the lucky ones 👍

You’re not trying to keep it parallel. Imo it should be lapped…

Spyderco - When you need a full workshop to make a $200 knife open and close correctly.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

I feel ya but it’s not always, sometimes they come great out of the box and sometimes they break in quickly on their own but every once in awhile you gotta give it a little love to get it good. I agree that they should all come drop shut but it’s just the nature of production at their scale. I do have to say Spyderco Quality Control seems better than some of their competitors. My main objective with this video was to help people simply get the action better and smoother even if it’s already good, not necessarily that it’s needed because that’s rarely been the case in my experience. I’m just OCD and like making things better whenever there’s room for improvement! Thanks for watching!

@BrandonGavin_EDC

2 жыл бұрын

Just the nature of bronze washers.

@jamesrosenberg1612

2 жыл бұрын

to be fair i just did this with some similchrome and a piece of envelope paper in about 20 mins, and got my knife to freely drop shut with no play :D

@wills.8662

Жыл бұрын

My PM 2 Wharncliffe in CTS XHP and Orange G10 scales came perfectly centered with the best factory action as an exclusive from Cutlery Shoppe. I think they still have some blacked out hardware PM2s in XHP available. I hope to get a 2nd one

@wills.8662

Жыл бұрын

The best factory action I came across as good as the Para3 that I tuned myself. General cleaning and light mineral oil lube

What you didnt show, is when you have an older model with this fucki* red loctite in it....demonstrating how you warm up this shit to loose it without damaging your knife. But otherwise its a good video !

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

Жыл бұрын

True but tbh with these wiha soft touch drivers I haven’t had to heat up any screws and havent broken or damaged a single screw. With any other drivers or even wiha bits id agree but with these drivers you really don’t need to heat anything up!

literally fell asleep watching

Get a sage 5 compression lock, No need for this.

This is not an accurate way to achieve this, no matter if you've not had issues. This process removes material unevenly and will not be good in long run. Use emery paper(sandpaper) on a piece of wood, sand like you did on sponge on both sides, viola flat and perfect washers. This can be proven by using a micrometer and measuring all over the washer. If you want that high polish, use flitz on a used fine grit piece of emery on wood.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

2 жыл бұрын

Ive done it that way before and found that removing that much material can leave you with blade play. Even though it’s a faster and sure way to get them perfectly smooth and polished with emerey paper it has always removed too much by the time it was completely polished, and I’ve never had it turn out uneven when using a cotton wheel on a dremel. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

@2873lonewolf

2 жыл бұрын

@@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL Fair enough, was just saying the correct way to do it. Whatever works for you, use it.

All your doing is making those washers thinner.

@BLADESANDFADESOFFICIAL

5 ай бұрын

Negative

The thing is these washers not supposed to be polished at all. 400-800 grit is the best to hold the lube on the washers for the long run. Polishing is squeezing out the oil and vacuum stick the washers.