Benchmade 710D2 pivot bolt

coletrane811

coletrane811

Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
891
I have a BM 710 and the pivot bolt comes loose after maybe 20-30 open/closes. Not so loose that I think it's gonna come out, but still loose enough to give some shabby blade play. I'm thinking of using some locktite on it, but don't want to without checking first. I'm sure BM would fix this (if it's fixable) if I sent it in, but would like to take care of it myself.

Is this just normal or is there a fix for it?

Thanks in advance!

Cole
 
I like to keep the pivot on my 710 on the slack side to facilitate opening and closing and did have the same problem you describe and it only gets worse. I used the BLUE loctite and the problem was solved. Loctite comes in several different grades of "sturdiness", i.e., if it locks the bolt too tightly you will never get the sucker back out. I've disassembled my 710 several times after using the blue stuff and haven't had a problem getting the bolt out.
 
Do you get a lot of blade play? Maybe I'm a stickler on blade play, but what I'm getting with mine right now (probably with the same "slack" your talking about) is pretty bad.

I guess blade play is a sign of a weak knife and that's what worries me with blade play.

BUT....

I know for a fact that my 710 is so far from a weak knife that it's really pointless to think it's a REAL problem.
 
It's apparently common: My 710D2 pivot would loosen up faster than what you're reporting with yours. After I found the 'sweet spot' with the pivot, I unscrewed it with the blade closed. I applied a scant drop of BLUE Loc-Tite on the pivot threads and screwed it back in. With Loc-Tite, you have plenty of time to get the setting right and then let it sit overnight.

The first time I did this I didn't have the pivot perfectly set, so with the
T-10 torx bit in hand I backed the pivot enough to break the bond and after cleaning the dried material off did it again, and this time it worked.

Why the 710's? I don't know, but this trick will work for you. Remember that anything sent up to Benchmade (at the moment) takes 6 to 8 weeks to return to you by mail.

...another good reason to have more than one knife. There are some things I do send to Benchmade for service and they usually fix it the first time. But there's that wait to consider...
 
coletrane811 said:
Do you get a lot of blade play? Maybe I'm a stickler on blade play, but what I'm getting with mine right now (probably with the same "slack" your talking about) is pretty bad.
Click to expand...

You should have basically no play. There's a sweet spot when tightening the pivot, so that it swings freely but doesn't have play. I highly recommend some loctite, once you get that sweet spot you want it to stay. The 710 is a beast and I love it.
 
It is pretty common to BM pivot screws. As common that i would think about talking to BM in general to make that better. Spydercos are much better in that way.
 
I used to use the blue loctite but switched to teflon thread tape some time ago. No cure time and the threads dont need to be cleaned before application. Works great-try it, if you dont like it, it comes off easy with a toothpick or pin.
 
mlot51 said:
I used to use the blue loctite but switched to teflon thread tape some time ago. No cure time and the threads dont need to be cleaned before application. Works great-try it, if you dont like it, it comes off easy with a toothpick or pin.
Click to expand...

Very interesting, thanks for the tip.
 
None of my 3 BM 710s seem to have the problem of the pivot bolt backnig out. However, my 2 BM 943s do have that problem.
 
I use Loctite 243 (blue product in a red tube) on every new Axis lock that I get, even if the pivot hasn't come loose.
I like to tune them when I get them so that they have the same opening characteristics as my other knives. Zero play, but a very smooth action.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top