How to fix Lum ti tanto blade play?

Nathan S

Nathan S

Joined
May 31, 2001
Messages
4,379
I used my Lum ti tanto yesterday to cut ivy vines off an oak tree close to my house. I used the knive hard, but did not abuse it, i.e., no hammering or undue twisting movements were used. The blade had developed considerable blade play be the time I was done, both side to side and front to back, but this didn't worry me, as I figured that the pivot screw had come a bit loose. However, tightening the pivot screw solved the side to side blade movement, but not the front to back blade play. So I carefully disassembled the knife, cleaned it up and, just as carefully, put it back together again. No change. When the blade is open, the locking liner is no longer perfectly tight to the tang; I notice the the liner now travels practically to the other side of the tang, whereas, before, it engaged completely when it was about halfway across the tang. What's the problem? I can't believe that the Lum tanto is so easily damaged. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Before anyone suggests tightening the pivot screw, I should mention that I tried tightening it until it was impossible to open the knife with one hand, without any noticeable effect on the side to side blade movement.

Anybody have any ideas?
 
Pin just above and to the right of the Pivot pin.One side of this pin is flat,other is round..I had to tighten this pin with the flat side facing up to remove blade play..You will have to try different positions to get it just right..This may or may not be the correct fix but it worked for me..
 
Actually, I thought about that. The position of the stop pin does make difference, but not a big enough one to eliminate the problem. Maybe I just haven't found the right placement yet. Can anyone post a picture of the Lum tanto stop pin in its correct position?
 
It sounds like the liner lock has simply worn too far. SpyderCo's liner locks have an eccentric pivot pin which can correct this. When the pivot assembly is completely removed there are different positions in which it can be re-inserted. Each position will correspond to a different relationship between the pivot, the blade, and the stop pin. Proper adjustment of this will allow the liner to engage less of the tang, hopefully eliminating play. This work is to be done at the factory unless you're OK with voiding your warranty. Truth be told, by disassembling your knife, you have already voided the warranty. Of course, I don't really know how much you "disassembled" it, so maybe it's still considered covered by the factory.

You can work the eccentric pivot on your own, or you can send it to the factory. Just remember that the former will void your warranty.

(If you don't care abot your warranty, there were instructions posted a little while back about how to adjust the eccentric pivot. Do a search)
 
Guess I polished my warranty with that 2000 grit paper.:D ..Stripped her to the last screw and polished everything inside and out...G10 looks great polished IMHO..
 
I fixed the problem last night by readjusting the stop pin. I had assumed, wrongly, it appears, that the tang should seat against the flat part of the stop pin. However, I find that the back and forth blade play ceases with the round part of the stop pin turned up toward the tang. I don't know why this is, but it works. Thanks for the advice.

Think of the Children - Does the Lum tanto have the eccentric pivot pin that you mention? I didn't notice this when I disassembled the knife, although that doesn't necessarily mean much. With regard to the warranty, the fact that I live in Italy means that sending the knife back to Spyderco is not a real viable option. Too much risk in sending the knife back and forth, plus customs duties to be paid.
 
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