Can I replace springs?

P

Prince of Peace

Guest
Alright, I admit it. I am scared to death by the thought of replacing my broken auto springs. I see the "replacement" springs listed on E-Bay in three different sizes. I'm a 53 year old professional driver with the mechanical skills of a ten year old.:1:

I have a Piranha fingerling a Benchmade 3550 and a Mini LUDT all with now more spring action. Been about two years now and I used to love them in my rotation. Now I look at them on a display in my bedroom and dust them as needed.:49:

The MT I don't have the tool for so that's right out. The other two I would like to replace. Any idea if a ham handed ten year old can change these without trouble? And if so any ideas about the spring size I may need?:les:

Thanks in advance for any and all help you may offer.

Peace.
 
You should be able to send them in to the manufacturer, at least the Benchmade, and they will fix it right up and send it back.
 
Benchmade is gonna give you a pain in the butt about returning for repair unless you happen to have a buddy who is currently serving in the military or you are a dealer. Last I checked, they wouldn't do repairs on autos for civilians.

If all of your autos have "coil springs", they are real easy to change out. All you have to do is take it apart and slide one spring out and then put the new one in. It's just a matter of lining up the end of the spring with the respective hole. A six year old who knows how to turn a screw driver and put a pin in a hole can do it. Then just put it back together the same way you took it apart. Just make sure you leave the blade open during the entire process.
 
Prince of Peace, the benchmade 3550 is not that hard to work on. the piranha fingerling will be harder because they use a hidden pivot pin. do you have a torx set? if so you would be set to go. the real hard part is not to lose any part. you will need to keep an eye on the little spring under the push button. a lot of people claim it best to use a plastic bag to take the knife apart in,that's a good ideal. you don't want to be wasting your time looking for little parts in your rug! good luck!
 
Benchmade, Microtech and Piranha all have good warrantys. Benchmade and Microtech will make you jump through hoops that will cost you 3 to 4 shipping charges making you send it to a dealer, the dealer to them, them back to the dealer and the dealer back to you. That's rediculous and unessesarry.

These knives are not difficult to replace springs in if you have the right spring. There are a few little tricks but if you need help you can email me at nick@nicnac.net and I can walk you through it.

I hear that JD from roadside imports has a very good selection of springs so you can get all you need from him with one shipping charge. My advice would be get 2 or 3 for each so you have them.

One caution. Those little tiny springs under the buttons are boogers sometimes. They'll take a mind to fly off into the air somewhere and can land in the darndest places. When you take your knives apart get yourself a big plastic bag and disassemble them inside the bag. That way the little booger has less chance of getting away.

Heres another. When trying to fit the spring ear in the blade hole AND getting other ear down into the frame and over the pivot it's much easier to remove the stop pin. That way you can fit the spring in both places and get it over the pivot with no tension on the spring. Once both ears are fitted and the pivot pin is through the blade press the blade flat to the bottom side of the chassis and torque it up to just a hair past the open position then stick the pin back in.

Does any of that make sense or am I rambling??

If you don't want to attempt it I have a friend that could use a few extra dollars and he won't charge you what shipping the three back would. Email me and I'll send you a couple of folks that can fix em up for you.

Shame to waste such nice knives.

OH. The Microtech TRI Wing (toxic waste) screw driver bit can be jerry rigged by using three stout paperclips. Take a piece of a coathanger (wire guage depends on the span you need) and take 3 paper clips. Place the paperclips around the hanger. You can actually use the screw holes to help align the tips. Only leave a short nub sticking out because the metal on the clips isn't hardened. Take some thin wire and wrap it around as tight as you can get it. You might even want to paint a little epoxy or JB weld around them. When it sets up cut the hanger / paper clip combo to a usable length and remove the screws gently. Use a good amount of downward preasure so the clips don't slip out or bend.

I am rambling,..ain't I??

Well. hope it helps. If not we'll get you fixed up one way or another. Heck, if you get the springs you can send them to me and I'll fix them and you pay return shipping.

RECOMMENDATION: Buy PROTECH knives. Dave is the absolute BEST. If you call and need a spring, Dave will send you TWO. All NEW PARAGON knives will be handled the same way since we think Dave is so cool!
 
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