anyone have photos of a BM 710 disassembled?

[Last Visible Canary]

I want to do a modification to mine but I'm worried about several features that are integrated into the scales. I want to remove the back hump so the thumb can rest on top of the handle to blade junction, and I want to deepen the index finger position for a more substantial gaurd, as well as letting the index finger rest closer to the blade. However, the spring mechanism for the axis lock is housed in a pocket cut into the g10 scales. I don't want to grind down the top hump only to expose the spring mechanism.

Does anyone have any photos of a 710 thats been disassembled? Mostly I want to know where the internal pockets are so I can avoid them... Thanks for any guidance!:thumbup:

 

[100eyes]

Did you try 'Benchmade 710 disassembly' on google?

 

[cziv]

try this

[video=youtube;312EVqs9VjA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=312EVqs9VjA[/video]

 

[Last Visible Canary]

Thanks!

I'll definitely bring the thumb ramp down to flat, but I'll have to leave the index finger ramp as it is given how close to the spring cutout is to the edge of the handle.
(from a google search
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tykm/sets/72157623480466824/

I was really hopeing to increase the curvature of that index finger ramp so my hand could be closer to the edge. Oh well

 

[cziv]

Thanks!

I'll definitely bring the thumb ramp down to flat, but I'll have to leave the index finger ramp as it is given how close to the spring cutout is to the edge of the handle.
(from a google search
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tykm/sets/72157623480466824/

I was really hopeing to increase the curvature of that index finger ramp so my hand could be closer to the edge. Oh well

Well, best not to do any radical mods on the handle and liners of a Benchmade (or any other) - no warranty after that. Good luck - do it slowly and take your time and it may be a fun way to blow an hour or so.

 

[Last Visible Canary]

try this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=312EVqs9VjA

I got it to the point where you take the lock bar apart, but it appears that bar is pinned into place, or else it screws on. I'm not sure, and didn't want to potentially break the lock so I just cleaned it as best I could and reassembled it.I didn't intend on disassembling it, but I got a lot of grit in lock cavity doing this mod.

It's appears that the lock bar is in 5 pieces, one center bar, two washers and two thumb studs, but the fastening method isn't clear.

so, the mod. Thumb ramp on the spine was removed, the forward ramp towards the blade was flattened out, the edge was flattened to remove the choil, and all sharp edges on the handle both external and internal were sanded smooth.

Start:

roughed in:

final. Cleaned, oiled, hair splitting edge applied

One might ask "why do such a mod on a 110$ knife? couldn't you just get a different model?". This is why I wanted to modify this:

I've heard a lot of people say that they've never had problems with choils, that nothing ever gets caught in them or if it does that it's easy to just reset the edge. A few days ago I was unloading our ABF container after a move from Tucson to Portland and I had to cut a strand of paracord. Easy enough, except that it was 9' up and everything in the truck had shifted forward, so I was standing on a set of leaning shelves that could give way any moment. I go to cut it, and it slips right into the choil. Not a problem, but in half a second it might have been if the shelves had given way. I don't ever want to have to mess with my knife because a feature gets in the way or hangs up, let alone when time actually matters. In the above image I can cut straight through without having to think about it, just place the material on my index finger and let it slide forward. The less thought I have to put into my knife when using it, the better.

The thumb ramp and forward ricasso slope were removed to make the knife slimmer and more compact. Those elements are mostly stylistic on this very large folder. The 710 might not be as big as the cold steel espada XL, but it's a lot bigger than a kershaw chill. Now the knife sits in my pocket taking up less space, and I can comfortably put my thumb across the back without having to be in an excessively forward grip during food prep. The index finger guard is plenty large enough to give a feeling of safety.

Overall I consider this each modification to be an improvement over what was.

 

[cziv]

Nice mod Last Visible Canary :thumbup: If you continue to have grit, before taking it apart, I'd wash it (the action) under a hot faucet with some pressure behind it (water and a couple drops of liquid dish soap) then rinse. After that I get mine pretty dry with a towel and tissue paper before hitting it with a blow dryer to get any last drops of water. Lubricate and try it out.

 

[Last Visible Canary]

I had thought I lost it (it was smashed way under the car seat), so I ended up buying another one. It's a lot easier to see the difference once they are side by side. d

Aside from the things I changed for the modification, this is a really nice knife. It was all I had for a week when we first got to portland, and it was used for everything including food prep. The pointy tip and large radius belly make for an excellent edc combination.

 

[parfen]

Your pictures are really useful, thanks man!

 

[slabside]

Funny, I did these exact mods to my 710 about a year ago ( removed thumb ramp and recurve). I never mentioned it to anyone because I thought others would think I'm nuts. Now I just learned there are a lot of nuts!

Tony

 

[d_clark]

A little late but the axis bar is usually 2 pieces. What looks like a washer is actually a part of the button. A pair of pliers on each button and they will unscrew.

 

[Last Visible Canary]

A little late but the axis bar is usually 2 pieces. What looks like a washer is actually a part of the button. A pair of pliers on each button and they will unscrew.

That is really good to know. Thanks!

after some use (love it so far) I noticed something off with the edge. Right at the end of the edge there was a dent that developed, but I hadn't used it on anything but cardboard. Unless something hit it while in my pocket theres nothing that could have caused this. So looking at the design of the knife...

I noticed this. The bar, when pulled back on my m390 custom shop 710, contacts beyond the flat ricasso into the zone where the edge/main grind is. This is often how the blade comes down since I pull the lock bar back to close the knife, then swing the blade down with centrifical force. Most often I'll let go before the blade slams close, but not always. If I bring the edge back just 1/4mm it should no longer contact becuase the thumb screws will keep the blade from going any farther. However, if I removed the screws the edge would continue to slam into the lock bar when it's pulled to full open.

Thats not the case on all 710 models. Apperently, either through programming design or through jig set up, there is a slight variation between runs on how wide the ricasso, and thus landing surface, is. On the d2 model the bar only hits the very first mm of the edge. On the m390 the entire bar ends up resting over the edge because theres so much less ricasso than the d2 model. Something to consider with a straight-edge-no-choil mod like this.