Advice requested: Remove thumbstuds on BM 710 to sharpen with Edgepro?

A

AlonzoMosely

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Aug 18, 2002
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I have two Benchmade 710s (D2 and M2) that have a terribly obtuse factory grind. Have not been able to reprofile with my Sharpmaker and diamond stones (maybe I scraped off the diamonds by applying too much pressure so they are not working?). Thus it is time to take the Edgepro out of storage and go to work. Should I remove the thumbstuds (following previously posted advice about heating with soldering iron to loosen the loctite) prior to using the edgepro so that I can get at all of the blade with a consistent angle, or will using the Edgpro with the thumstuds attached provide adequate results?
 
Sorry no answer, just an add-on question.
I tried heat from a soldering iron and had no luck. stripped the stud on one side of the blade, then broke two torx bits on the scale screws to my 14205. I held a HOT soldering tip on the screws for 30-45 seconds. I was afraid I would melt the g-10 (if that is possible) if I held the heat on any longer. Does heat sometimes not work? Do I need to heat them longer?
 
I think its best to remove the thumbstuds so there's more flat surface to hold against the blade table. I reprofiled mine between the 10 and 15 degree settings, and the stone would have hit the studs.

I removed the thumbstuds on my 710 with torx driver, no heating or other special methods were needed. MMaybe I was just lucky.

Also, the Spyderco diamond rods are about 320 grit -- it will still take a long time to reprofile with them, particularly if you're going to remove a lot of metal at a smaller angle. The 120 stones on the Edge Pro get the job done in a fraction of the time.
 
Well, a couple of T-6 torx drivers took the studs off my 710s and my 730 no problem. I tried the soldering iron trick, but I think I did it wrong because the thumbstuds weren't even warm to the touch. Interestingly, one thread had what was clearly blue loctite residue, one had a very faint reddish color (tiny bit of red loctite residue?) and the 730 had a bit of whitish residue. Anyway, should be able to get these things to a reasonable edge with the edgepro now.
 
Alonzo, if you wouldn't mind, would you please let us know your results when you're done? Are you using 1" or 1/2" stones on the Edge Pro?

I have a BM 710D2, too, and am seriously thinking about getting an Edge Pro Apex this week. I have a Tojiro DP 24cm Gyutou that I'm thinking about converting from a 50/50 edge to a very steep right-handed Japanese chisel grind.

Edit: Also, what angle are you putting on the 710? Are you doing a straight grind all the way down to the edge, or a double bevel?
 
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I finished and both 710s came out pretty well, though I seem to have gotten a better edge with the M2 than the D2. However, I got a little lazy and started going more quickly after I got to past the 120 and 180 grit stones and probably would have a better edge on both if I had been more patient. Nonetheless, both knives now cut hair and I have yet to strop, steel, or touch them up with the sharpmaker. Much better edge on both than came from the factory or that I was able to get on the sharpmaker even with the diamond rods.

I have the 1 inch stones. I set it just below the 21 degree marker, aiming to get 19-20 degrees, on the theory that that is the perfect angle for maintaining the edge on the sharpmaker with the 40 degree holes. I did a straight grind all the way down the edge. I tried the double bevel once a long time ago and, though they say the edgepro is foolproof, I'm enough of a fool that the double bevel came out looking like cr*p.

Bottom line, though, is that I'm learning that a leaf blade-type knife like a Spyderco Caly 3 outperforms any other blade shape for the kind of cutting I do (envelopes and cardboard mostly) regardless of how much money I spend on or how much time I put into sharpening anything else.
 
So the 1" stones work on the recurve of the 710 without problems and don't flatten it? Thanks for your feedback.
 
I have better luck with the 1/2 inch stones on recurves.

I can sharpen a recurve with the one inch stones by "twisting" the stone arm slightly in the curve, but that requires a lot of practice to learn, and the 1/2 incher is much easier to use.
 
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