Recommendation? spyderco repair

P

picnicsinspace

Joined
Jul 25, 2016
Messages
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I have a Spyderco Mantra, titanium framelock with CPM-M4 steel. This is the first Mantra, it had the leaf shaped blade. Anyways. I was customizing it by anodizing scales and sanding the blade to a mirror finish. I ran into a big problem with the PIVOT though.

The Pivot is all messed up and the action is terrible. I think I put the "D" shaped pivot pin in wrong or something and it ended up stripping out the D shape in the titanium scale on one side.
Also the little metal bearing washer like tracks got screwed up as well.

I am wondering if Spyderco will be able to even help me with purchasing new hardware and a scale. I emailed them but have not heard back yet so I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions or knows what I can possibly do to get the action on this knife good again.
 
They may help you with the hardware but highly unlikely on the titanium scale. You can try to hit up some of the guys who customize/mod on the forum. If that doesn't help Maybe a wanted add on the exchange?!? There's always someone who has parts laying around if your patient. Good luck!
 
Why not just send it in to Spyderco? The worst thing they can say is “no, we cannot fix it?”
 
DA170 said:
They may help you with the hardware but highly unlikely on the titanium scale. You can try to hit up some of the guys who customize/mod on the forum. If that doesn't help Maybe a wanted add on the exchange?!? There's always someone who has parts laying around if your patient. Good luck!
Click to expand...
ok I'll try that thanks for the idea.
 
*Consider that the price of fixing it could be more than you anticipate - this won't be a warranty repair.
 
Pics would be a huge help here!

Unfortunately, based on your description, they're likely going to decline helping you out on this one. That's the risk you take when modding.
 
SpyderPhreak said:
Pics would be a huge help here!

Unfortunately, based on your description, they're likely going to decline helping you out on this one. That's the risk you take when modding.
Click to expand...
Ok, I figured this would be a bit difficult. I will either have to find someone with the parts or that can make the parts or try to make the scale myself out of micarta or something. Although lol I have never made scales before I do have a dremel with a router attachment and a drill but I think I need more than that lol
 
picnicsinspace said:
Ok, I figured this would be a bit difficult. I will either have to find someone with the parts or that can make the parts or try to make the scale myself out of micarta or something. Although lol I have never made scales before I do have a dremel with a router attachment and a drill but I think I need more than that lol
Click to expand...

There are a bunch of makers doing aftermarket scales for various knives. I would start there, look if any make one for your knife, being careful to watch out for certain ones that are scammers (check out our Good/Bad/Ugly sub-forum for details on those scumbags).

If parts don't seem to fit, don't force them! In order to cause the kind of damage you have described, you had to have put significant force on something quite incorrectly. No way you messed up the keyed pivot any other way than being pretty ham-fisted, sorry to say. I hope it's not the lock-side scale that you wrecked, you might well be completely outta luck if it is.
 
SpyderPhreak said:
There are a bunch of makers doing aftermarket scales for various knives. I would start there, look if any make one for your knife, being careful to watch out for certain ones that are scammers (check out our Good/Bad/Ugly sub-forum for details on those scumbags).

If parts don't seem to fit, don't force them! In order to cause the kind of damage you have described, you had to have put significant force on something quite incorrectly. No way you messed up the keyed pivot any other way than being pretty ham-fisted, sorry to say. I hope it's not the lock-side scale that you wrecked, you might well be completely outta luck if it is.
Click to expand...
5UaFKqw

here is what it looks like
https://imgur.com/a/5UaFKqw
 
Secondly, it doesn't look all that bad. I think (I'd need a better picture that shows the washer race more clearly) you might just have a burr where the D-shaped slot was deformed. Some VERY careful work with a file would likely fix that up just fine (or make it a lot worse if you don't know what you're doing).
 
SpyderPhreak said:
Secondly, it doesn't look all that bad. I think (I'd need a better picture that shows the washer race more clearly) you might just have a burr where the D-shaped slot was deformed. Some VERY careful work with a file would likely fix that up just fine (or make it a lot worse if you don't know what you're doing).
Click to expand...
Ok I will clean it and show you a macro picture with my a7r2, that should give a great view. I will also show what the pivot bearing washers look like
 
SpyderPhreak said:
Secondly, it doesn't look all that bad. I think (I'd need a better picture that shows the washer race more clearly) you might just have a burr where the D-shaped slot was deformed. Some VERY careful work with a file would likely fix that up just fine (or make it a lot worse if you don't know what you're doing).
Click to expand...
k here are the pics which I think include all you wanted to see. lol yeah I spelled that wrong
PICS>below
https://imgur.com/a/oOPP9Yr
 
picnicsinspace said:
k here are the pics which I think include all you wanted to see. lol yeah I spelled that wrong
PICS>below
https://imgur.com/a/oOPP9Yr
Click to expand...
Ouch!!! Yep, you spun the keyed, D-shaped pivot somehow. :eek:

Most likely, you tried turning the keyed female side of the pivot (in the lock-side scale), and when it wouldn't move, you twisted harder. A LOT harder. o_O Steel is harder than Ti, so the pivot turned and the Ti scale failed, deforming. The only place for the deformed Ti to go was to mushroom out. Looks like you jacked up the steel bearing race sleeves in the process too. Oof, those are not going to be easy to fix, you might have to try and source parts at a knife-maker supply house for those (Spyderco almost never sends/sells parts). No wonder the action of the knife felt like garbage. :rolleyes:

You've got some work to do. You could still get in touch with Spyderco and see if they'd be willing to help you, but this certainly wouldn't be a warranty repair, and as I said before, I'd bet they wouldn't accept the work and you'd certainly be paying for it if they did. I would try talking to them before going any further.

Otherwise, I see two options here. If you have a strong press, you could fabricate slugs the same size as the counter-sinks, and then carefully press the deformed area back to the same thickness as the rest of this area. Other than that, you'd have to remove the excess material that mushroomed until the surfaces are planar again. Either with a machine, or very carefully with files. A rotary tool could be used, but CAUTION, it's really easy to make things worse, very, very quickly. In either case, you would then repair the D-shaped keyhole (or just drill it circular, and possibly have a spinning pivot).

If you don't have the skills/tools to do this yourself, you're going to have to find someone to hire to do it for you. Check out our maker's section if that's necessary.

However you proceed, good luck. It's gonna suck. But it can be fixed.

Also, I'm going to tag @Sal Glesser here, maybe he'll take pity on you and try helping you out (sorry Sal :oops:).
 
SpyderPhreak said:
Ouch!!! Yep, you spun the keyed, D-shaped pivot somehow. :eek:

Most likely, you tried turning the keyed female side of the pivot (in the lock-side scale), and when it wouldn't move, you twisted harder. A LOT harder. o_O Steel is harder than Ti, so the pivot turned and the Ti scale failed, deforming. The only place for the deformed Ti to go was to mushroom out. Looks like you jacked up the steel bearing race sleeves in the process too. Oof, those are not going to be easy to fix, you might have to try and source parts at a knife-maker supply house for those (Spyderco almost never sends/sells parts). No wonder the action of the knife felt like garbage. :rolleyes:

You've got some work to do. You could still get in touch with Spyderco and see if they'd be willing to help you, but this certainly wouldn't be a warranty repair, and as I said before, I'd bet they wouldn't accept the work and you'd certainly be paying for it if they did. I would try talking to them before going any further.

Otherwise, I see two options here. If you have a strong press, you could fabricate slugs the same size as the counter-sinks, and then carefully press the deformed area back to the same thickness as the rest of this area. Other than that, you'd have to remove the excess material that mushroomed until the surfaces are planar again. Either with a machine, or very carefully with files. A rotary tool could be used, but CAUTION, it's really easy to make things worse, very, very quickly. In either case, you would then repair the D-shaped keyhole (or just drill it circular, and possibly have a spinning pivot).

If you don't have the skills/tools to do this yourself, you're going to have to find someone to hire to do it for you. Check out our maker's section if that's necessary.

However you proceed, good luck. It's gonna suck. But it can be fixed.

Also, I'm going to tag @Sal Glesser here, maybe he'll take pity on you and try helping you out (sorry Sal :oops:).
Click to expand...
Thanks so so much for your very thorough advice and thank you for the really really great critical thought suggestions on how to maybe fix this issue. You are smart sir. As for tagging this, thanks for that too. Yeah lol maybe he will take pity on me. I did not realize it at the time that the pivot and hole were D shaped till it was too late. I know modding comes with risks, I just love to make my knives MINE, give them my touch and I learned the hard way on this one for sure .
 
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