Paramiltary 2 sticking lock

[flyfishingbamboo]

Has anyone ever had a sticky lock on a paramilitary 2? If so what are your rememdies? Also, can you wear out a pivot just by working the knife in?

[spyderHS08]

I don't think you need to worry about wearing out the pivot. Especially if it's a para2 which means it's probably fairly new to you. If the knife is in fact new, I wouldn't worry just yet about the sticking lock. I would try to just carry and use it and open/close it to break it in normally. If you've had the knife for some time and it's continuing to stick then you may want to give it a good cleaning and lubing, and if that doesn't work get some pencil lead on the back of the blade where the lock meets to help disengage smoothly.

[flyfishingbamboo]

Thanks so very much! I figured as much, I just added a couple drops of blue lube in there, then opened and closed it about 100 times and it seems to be all set now, no stick or pop when disengaging the lock, and it now the lock pushes to close very easily.
Regarding wearing out the bushing, I was worried about opening it and working back and forth too much being a brand new knife (since I got it yesterday and after putting a little lube in there I started to work it back and forth), but I think I was being paranoid about screwing up a great new knife as it's working great now.

[razorsharp]

Rotate the stop pin.

It has helped everyone I have told to do that :)

[Evil D]

Rotate the stop pin.

It has helped everyone I have told to do that :)

Exactly. Very simple fix, and you're not out anything but a few seconds if it doesn't help. Loosen the stop pin screws and spin the pin around 90 degrees and then tighten them back down and see how it feels then.

[flyfishingbamboo]

I'm not exactly what the "Stop Pin" screws are....

[flyfishingbamboo]

Rotate the stop pin.

It has helped everyone I have told to do that :)

Exactly. Very simple fix, and you're not out anything but a few seconds if it doesn't help. Loosen the stop pin screws and spin the pin around 90 degrees and then tighten them back down and see how it feels then.

What exactly are the "Stop Pin Screws?"

[flyfishingbamboo]

Rotate the stop pin.

It has helped everyone I have told to do that :)

Thanks so much, excuse my ignorance, but what is the "Stop Pin?"

[Evil D]

The stop pin is what the blade hits when in the opened position...the screws are the ones just above the pivot pin.

[flyfishingbamboo]

The stop pin is what the blade hits when in the opened position...the screws are the ones just above the pivot pin.

Thanks again Evil D!

[spyderHS08]

I've probably opened and closed my favorite spydercos 5000+ times....I'm sure many of the guys will say the same. So I wouldn't worry about playing with it or wearing it out.

[MattM68]

If rotating the stop pin doesn't help I'd try the pencil trick. I've done this on my black/black Para 2 and a Manix 2 and it completely solved the stickiness problem. You just take a pencil and put a little graphite on the surface where the lock engages. It should help :)

[ShelterMe]

Hi folks,

I believe I am having a different problem here, I really don't want to send the knife back so I am hoping for another suggestion. Compression lock is creating drag/friction when opening. This knife has never opened/closed smoothly, and flicking it to deploy with the spider hole more than 3/4 of the way without tearing my rotator cuff is impossible. I've disassembled and lubed the knife many times, polished the washers, used graphite on the back of the blade where the lock engages and I've also rotated the stop pin several times to different positions. The lock seems to contact the back of the blade as it travels open and closed, and lube doesn't help in any way. I am able to swing the blade open (i.e. with an Axis lock) without any issues by holding the lock in and flicking my wrist to open and close, and likewise when I depress the lock, the blade falls shut very smoothly. The second I take my finger off the lock the action returns to being gritty. It's almost as if there were a gunky ball-detent on a liner-lock causing the friction-- same feeling, but of course this doesn't apply here. Is there a tolerance problem? I've even played with all the handle screws and lanyard tube to shift the slabs a micron or two but that doesn't even help.

This has never been a favorite knife of mine as it has never had smooth deployment and I've come close to selling it numerous times. Never understood the hype to this knife (if it's supposed to operate this "rubby"). As a result I've shied away from Spyderco in favor of other brands. Any help would be great on this.

FYI the PM2 I have is an older version (it's been a safe-queen all this time due to never working right), it has a permanent one-position TIP-DOWN right-hand carry clip with no alternate screw holes. The knife is genuine. Perhaps this problem was addressed with subsequent revisions?

Many thanks,

-Shel

[ShelterMe]

Anybody have an answer to this or should I just go ahead and throw it away? Is there supposed to be some sort of ball detent on the compression lock (have they improved on the lock since version one) or is it supposed to be metal liner rubbing on metal blade? I have no idea how you guys do this whole "spydie flick" with your middle fingers... I can't even get this thing to flick open more than a third of the way using my thumb! Somebody throw me a bone here. I just disassembled and oiled it again and nothing but friction from the lock tab on the blade. Seems like a gen1 design flaw? This knife might as well not even have bushings because the lock is just creating too much friction for any other parts to matter. If this was meant to swing open using only the compression lock, why even put a thumb hole in the blade? Someone with a gen1 PM2 please tell me if it's supposed to be like this or not. Thanks.

[Evil D]

FYI the PM2 I have is an older version (it's been a safe-queen all this time due to never working right), it has a permanent one-position TIP-DOWN right-hand carry clip with no alternate screw holes. The knife is genuine. Perhaps this problem was addressed with subsequent revisions?

Many thanks,

-Shel

I'm not following this part....are you saying the knife only has one clip position from the factory? Because as far as I know (and I've been around since the PM2 was a prototype) this has never been done. Can you post some pics?

[SG89]

FYI the PM2 I have is an older version (it's been a safe-queen all this time due to never working right), it has a permanent one-position TIP-DOWN right-hand carry clip with no alternate screw holes. The knife is genuine. Perhaps this problem was addressed with subsequent revisions?

Many thanks,

-Shel

I'm not following this part....are you saying the knife only has one clip position from the factory? Because as far as I know (and I've been around since the PM2 was a prototype) this has never been done. Can you post some pics?

Sounds like the original Paramilitary to me not the Paramilitary 2

[Evil D]

FYI the PM2 I have is an older version (it's been a safe-queen all this time due to never working right), it has a permanent one-position TIP-DOWN right-hand carry clip with no alternate screw holes. The knife is genuine. Perhaps this problem was addressed with subsequent revisions?

Many thanks,

-Shel

I'm not following this part....are you saying the knife only has one clip position from the factory? Because as far as I know (and I've been around since the PM2 was a prototype) this has never been done. Can you post some pics?

Sounds like the original Paramilitary to me not the Paramilitary 2

That's exactly what's going on and it makes sense because I've never been able to dial in my Para 1 pivot like any of my Para 2 and later compression locks. I can get it smooth but nothing like the later versions of this lock.

[Crux]

I'm sure this was covered here earlier, but a little tweaking of the blade pivot screw and the lock release screw (not found on the Para 3) will solve that. It does take a bit of work the first time but if you understand what you are doing it's a snap. If you do this and you have blade wobble, tighten and try again. If that doesn't work then buy a different knife and give this one to someone that can appreciate it. Like ME. Just kidding, keep it and have fun with it, or you can still send it to me. It's a free country after all. :)

[Bloke]

... the lock release screw ...

I don’t think my PM2 has one. :confused:

[Crux]

... the lock release screw ...

I don’t think my PM2 has one. :confused:

Then you do NOT have a Spyderco Paramilitary 2, so no worries. May be you have a Paramilitary which I have feint knowledge of.