Best place to buy detent balls? And correct size?

mkjellgren

mkjellgren

Joined
Nov 1, 2005
Messages
1,592
Hey guys, I've got a spyderco sage 2 that lost its detent ball today and I'm wondering if anyone knows which size replacement I should be looking for. I know I really should just send the knife in, but it's kinda my tinkering knife so the warranty is void. The blade is stonewashed and I flamed the ti handles so its pretty obviously modified and I don't think that would go over too well at spyderco.

Anyway, I found an online retailer selling detent balls in 1/16 (.0625) and 3/32 (.093) sizes. They come in packs of 10 for only $2 a piece, so I might just order both, but I'd like to avoid purchasing 10 detent balls in a size I'd never use.

So if anyone knows the size detent ball used in the spyderco sage 2 (or sage 1 for that matter), I'd love to hear it. Thanks in advance.

EDIT: mods, feel free to move this to maintenance if you feel it's more appropriate, I had multiple windows open and didn't realize I was in general...
 
mkjellgren said:
Hey guys, I've got a spyderco sage 2 that lost its detent ball today and I'm wondering if anyone knows which size replacement I should be looking for. I know I really should just send the knife in, but it's kinda my tinkering knife so the warranty is void. The blade is stonewashed and I flamed the ti handles so its pretty obviously modified and I don't think that would go over too well at spyderco.

Anyway, I found an online retailer selling detent balls in 1/16 (.0625) and 3/32 (.093) sizes. They come in packs of 10 for only $2 a piece, so I might just order both, but I'd like to avoid purchasing 10 detent balls in a size I'd never use.

So if anyone knows the size detent ball used in the spyderco sage 2 (or sage 1 for that matter), I'd love to hear it. Thanks in advance.

EDIT: mods, feel free to move this to maintenance if you feel it's more appropriate, I had multiple windows open and didn't realize I was in general...
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Maybe, idk if it would or wouldnt work but why not call spyderco and ask them? or maybe they would even send you some?
 
xperiaarcs said:
Maybe, idk if it would or wouldnt work but why not call spyderco and ask them? or maybe they would even send you some?
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As far as I know, spyderco doesn't really like to send out parts, especially if they are parts that shouldn't come out in the first place. I lost my detent ball because of the flamed ti handles, the process of flaming must have loosened the ball and a few weeks later it fell out. I'm pretty confident in my abilities to press in another ball, but I don't know the size and don't have anything with which to measure the hole.

I probably will be contacting spyderco if I can't find the answer here, but I have a feeling that they will mandate I send the knife in and pay for repairs. Paying spyderco to fix it wouldn't the end of the world, but I belive I can do it myself faster and for less money.
 
I just guessing here. I think the sizes are just the diameter of the ball so just measure the diameter of the hole?? Then you can just pick which size will fit.
 
Morkte said:
I just guessing here. I think the sizes are just the diameter of the ball so just measure the diameter of the hole?? Then you can just pick which size will fit.
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That would be my guess as well, but I don't know that I have the ability to differentiate between 1/16 and 3/32 with the equipment I have available. 1/32 is awfully small to judge with the naked eye.
 
mkjellgren said:
That would be my guess as well, but I don't know that I have the ability to differentiate between 1/16 and 3/32 with the equipment I have available. 1/32 is awfully small to judge with the naked eye.
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Yeah It does seem hard to tell the difference. Know any one with digital calipers??
 
Take it in to any tool shop. Someone there will likely measure the hole for you and make a suggestion.
Sonny
 
Thanks for the input guys. I don't know that I know anyone personally with digital calipers but I probably can find a shop somewhere with some.
 
I know that grainger sells them for about $6 for a pack of a hundred of them, they have just about any size you want.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
The industry "standard" (aka most common) is 1/16.
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Thanks. That's the type of info I'm looking for. Honestly, the balls themselves are cheap enough that I could just get a pack of a few different sizes, but I really just have no use for the wrong size detent balls so I'd like to avoid that if possible.
 
mkjellgren said:
Thanks. That's the type of info I'm looking for. Honestly, the balls themselves are cheap enough that I could just get a pack of a few different sizes, but I really just have no use for the wrong size detent balls so I'd like to avoid that if possible.
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No problem, just looked at my Sage 2. It appears that it can't be anything but 1/1/6. It sure as heck isn't 3/32. :)
 
mkjellgren said:
Perfect, thanks again. Hopefully it's as easy to hammer a new ball in as it seems. Anybody have any tips for pressing in a detent ball?
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First I'd try and find out why the original came out. Hopefully it's something simple like it wasn't pressed in far enough. I'm not a maker, so I don't have any tips about pressing it in. Maybe clamp something into a drill press and just press down while the machine is off?

Hope that helps, haha.
 
PM me an address, and I'd be happy to send you a few ball bearings in an envelope. I keep a bunch of sizes on hand for when I rebuild my bicycle hubs.

Frank
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
First I'd try and find out why the original came out. Hopefully it's something simple like it wasn't pressed in far enough. I'm not a maker, so I don't have any tips about pressing it in. Maybe clamp something into a drill press and just press down while the machine is off?

Hope that helps, haha.
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Well, I'm pretty sure it came out because of the flaming of the ti handles. I've heard other reports of similar issues when flaming ti frame locks. My guess is the heat was enough to expand either the hole the ball sits in or the ball itself forcing it slightly out of the hole. Either way, I'm almost positive that taking a torch to it is what did it.
 
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