This is super helpful, thank you so much. Been hesitant to buy an OTF because I wasn't sure how hard it would be to pull them apart, I have tons of side fire autos. Looks like I need a Ultratech
Thanks for the vid and explanations. I had a UTX-70 with a broken spring, so I followed your recommendations and ordered my wrench and replacement spring from Model & Tool, and my knife is now back to working state.
stumpyfirefighter16 I ordered mine at Model & Tool. Look it up in Google. Just email the guy there and he'll send you the tools and springs you want for a quite reasonable price.
this video is still very helpful for me. one of the conical sear springs in mine was jammed but i figured that out and got my ultratech all back together and now its all good thanks to you guys, really appreciate it. model and tool had the bit i needed and im back in action! rotating that handle to not lose that spring man, i dropped mine and it took a while to find it lol. damn shaky hands!
I own the mini version of this knife, the UTX-70 D/E. It is identical on the inside. I want to tell you a mistake I made that drove me nuts. After cleaning the parts I lubricated the parts with a good gun oil. After putting the knife back together I tested it out. The blade would deploy, but not far enough to lock. I could not understand. Thinking I put it together wrong I took it apart and checked, but all was correct. Once again I reassembled the knife, but still the same problem. It was as if the spring didn't have enough stored energy to shoot the blade hard enough for it to lock. I took it apart/reassembled several more times trying to figure out what in the world was going on. Still not firing hard enough to lock into place. Finally, I decided to remove all the oil I lubed it with and presto it worked perfectly! It would seem that lubrication causes the spring mechanism parts to slide TOO freely thus not allowing the spring to do its job properly.
Over lubricating an OTF knife is never a good idea. When lubricating the internals, you need to wipe off all residue before re-assembling. The oil will attract dust and debris and cause the mechanism to seize as it did for you. After wiping it down, a thin layer of oil will remain on the necessary parts.
To avoid losing flying springs, I like to disassemble things like this inside of a 1 gallon freezer bag. You can see through it and it will catch parts.
I got the bit from ModelN Tool, but he doesn't sell the wrench that holds it. Any suggestions where to purchase that? I'm thinking I can use a standard 1/4" nut driver but like how you handle spins while turning.
Here's the link for the screw bits. Model and Tool calls them wrenches. www.modelandtool.com/Wrenches.html If you choose to use Loctite threadlocker on your screws when reassembling your knife I suggest Low Strength (Purple) Loctite 222 because it's recommended by Loctite for small screws. I use it all the time and I've never had any problems with small screws staying as tight as I install them... even blade pivot screws stay put and lubricant doesn't seem to affect the Loctite as long as you put the parts together dry, wait for the Loctite to cure and then add whatever lube you prefer. The lube wicks in between the pivot surfaces of the blade, scales, bronze washers, etc. very quickly. I've tried Medium Strength (Blue) Loctite 243 and while it is removable and will work I've noticed it's overkill for such small screws and it can make crossthreading a screw hole much more likely if you don't (or can't) clean off all the old cured blue stuff. Here's the link for Loctite's threadlockers if you would like to research them. na.henkel-adhesives.com/industrial/Loctite-Threadlockers-by-Color-14023.htm One last thing, be absolutely certain that each screw you remove gets reinstalled into the same hole it originally came out of because Microtech does change screw pitches to discourage disassembly. Keep a magnet handy just in case you drop a screw but do your disassembly on a large white towel laid out on a flat surface that doesn't have a carpeted floor beneath it. The towel makes the screws easy to see, it won't cause the screws to clump together like a magnet can and ruin your reference to which hole they came from and the screws won't bounce and roll to God knows where if you fumble and drop one while handling them. As long as you don't yank the towel in any way your knife maintenance will go smoothly. Hope this helps people maintain their super cool Ultratechs.
It's an official Microtech tool that comes with 3 differently sized bits. The tool retailed for around $140 which is a little steep for what it is. However, it hasn't been available for purchase for quite some time now
Does opening a Microtech void the warranty? "We understand that some customers may prefer to maintain their own knives. Sharpening your knife does not automatically void the warranty. The warranty will remain in effect so long as the blade is not improperly sharpened and the handle is not damaged or stripped due to disassembly, determined at our discretion. Sep 7, 2020" MICROTECH So yes you can take it apart as long as you're not an idiot!
As long as you can take it apart without causing damage it should keep the warranty. But if you lose a spring or strip a screw because you took it apart they can deny a warranty claim
This is super helpful, thank you so much. Been hesitant to buy an OTF because I wasn't sure how hard it would be to pull them apart, I have tons of side fire autos.
Looks like I need a Ultratech
Thanks for the vid and explanations. I had a UTX-70 with a broken spring, so I followed your recommendations and ordered my wrench and replacement spring from Model & Tool, and my knife is now back to working state.
what spring did you order? where did you find it at?
stumpyfirefighter16 I ordered mine at Model & Tool. Look it up in Google. Just email the guy there and he'll send you the tools and springs you want for a quite reasonable price.
ok thanks
this video is still very helpful for me. one of the conical sear springs in mine was jammed but i figured that out and got my ultratech all back together and now its all good thanks to you guys, really appreciate it. model and tool had the bit i needed and im back in action!
rotating that handle to not lose that spring man, i dropped mine and it took a while to find it lol. damn shaky hands!
I own the mini version of this knife, the UTX-70 D/E. It is identical on the inside. I want to tell you a mistake I made that drove me nuts. After cleaning the parts I lubricated the parts with a good gun oil. After putting the knife back together I tested it out. The blade would deploy, but not far enough to lock. I could not understand. Thinking I put it together wrong I took it apart and checked, but all was correct. Once again I reassembled the knife, but still the same problem. It was as if the spring didn't have enough stored energy to shoot the blade hard enough for it to lock. I took it apart/reassembled several more times trying to figure out what in the world was going on. Still not firing hard enough to lock into place. Finally, I decided to remove all the oil I lubed it with and presto it worked perfectly! It would seem that lubrication causes the spring mechanism parts to slide TOO freely thus not allowing the spring to do its job properly.
Over lubricating an OTF knife is never a good idea. When lubricating the internals, you need to wipe off all residue before re-assembling. The oil will attract dust and debris and cause the mechanism to seize as it did for you. After wiping it down, a thin layer of oil will remain on the necessary parts.
I love my ultratech I got from you. Might have to get myself a bit so I can clean mine if needs be.
To avoid losing flying springs, I like to disassemble things like this inside of a 1 gallon freezer bag. You can see through it and it will catch parts.
I am trying to find the Model N Tool and the link does not work... do you happen to have the link for the TOOL that takes the screws out?
Is there any way for microtech to know if you took your knife apart, like a tamper guard or anything?
Great video! can you give us the link to the "Model N Tool" site.
www.modelandtool.com/index.html
Thank you sir!
The blade on my utx 85 rattles like crazy when retracted. Any suggestions once I get it apart?
I got the bit from ModelN Tool, but he doesn't sell the wrench that holds it.
Any suggestions where to purchase that? I'm thinking I can use a standard 1/4" nut driver but
like how you handle spins while turning.
Here's the link for the screw bits. Model and Tool calls them wrenches.
www.modelandtool.com/Wrenches.html
If you choose to use Loctite threadlocker on your screws when reassembling your knife I suggest Low Strength (Purple) Loctite 222 because it's recommended by Loctite for small screws. I use it all the time and I've never had any problems with small screws staying as tight as I install them... even blade pivot screws stay put and lubricant doesn't seem to affect the Loctite as long as you put the parts together dry, wait for the Loctite to cure and then add whatever lube you prefer. The lube wicks in between the pivot surfaces of the blade, scales, bronze washers, etc. very quickly. I've tried Medium Strength (Blue) Loctite 243 and while it is removable and will work I've noticed it's overkill for such small screws and it can make crossthreading a screw hole much more likely if you don't (or can't) clean off all the old cured blue stuff.
Here's the link for Loctite's threadlockers if you would like to research them.
na.henkel-adhesives.com/industrial/Loctite-Threadlockers-by-Color-14023.htm
One last thing, be absolutely certain that each screw you remove gets reinstalled into the same hole it originally came out of because Microtech does change screw pitches to discourage disassembly. Keep a magnet handy just in case you drop a screw but do your disassembly on a large white towel laid out on a flat surface that doesn't have a carpeted floor beneath it. The towel makes the screws easy to see, it won't cause the screws to clump together like a magnet can and ruin your reference to which hole they came from and the screws won't bounce and roll to God knows where if you fumble and drop one while handling them. As long as you don't yank the towel in any way your knife maintenance will go smoothly. Hope this helps people maintain their super cool Ultratechs.
I lost the small spring that sits in the firing butten can you help me?
i need that bit for the handle
Great vid
Where did you get that screw driver handle?
It's an official Microtech tool that comes with 3 differently sized bits. The tool retailed for around $140 which is a little steep for what it is. However, it hasn't been available for purchase for quite some time now
That was a lot easier than i thought it would be, though I would never do that unless i was in Canada or getting shunned by microtech
Do you do Microtech repairs ??
Yes we can repair some issues but not all. Please email us to discuss your issue. Our contact information is on the website.
I wish that you could of shown where to lube
Does opening a Microtech void the warranty?
"We understand that some customers may prefer to maintain their own knives. Sharpening your knife does not automatically void the warranty. The warranty will remain in effect so long as the blade is not improperly sharpened and the handle is not damaged or stripped due to disassembly, determined at our discretion. Sep 7, 2020" MICROTECH
So yes you can take it apart as long as you're not an idiot!
As long as you can take it apart without causing damage it should keep the warranty. But if you lose a spring or strip a screw because you took it apart they can deny a warranty claim
@@TheHollowGrind Absolutely!
Ever hear of a lubricant called "Liuid
De-rail ? Why ? Not being a smartass, just don't know. Just started collecting. Thanks.