Loose Endura 4 Pivot?

O

olydemon

Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
61
I was given an Endura 4 on the 14th for Valentines Day. Originally I was looking at the Kershaw RAM, but the wife got me something different not knowing the name, just the price. I decided to keep the Endura and overall Ive really grown to like the knife (aside from a little up and down lock back play)

I am however having one issue that does bug me. The pivot screw keeps coming loose causing side to side flex. It seems like every few days I need to readjust it. I found that I like the stiffness of the blade to be tight enough that when pushing the lock back the blade doesnt fall when holding the knife straight out, but still can be quickly opened with a small flick of the wrist. When it is loose enough for the blade to fall there is alot of side to side play, much more than I would like. It seems like a real fine point where its just as I like it, problem is it doesnt stay there for long.

Ive done some searching thru forums but didnt seem to find any detailed answer to a way to keep the pivot tight on this model. (I cant search here... yet..) Ive owned many blades including a few different Kershaws, Sog, Leatherman and have never had an issue like this. This is my first Spyderco and I'd really like to get this resolved so I can really get to loving the knife. Right now im just a little troubled by the loose pivot.

I have tried Blue Loctite on the screw but that hasnt helped.

Can anyone advise, or point me to a thread with help?
 
If the Loc-tite isn't working it's could be one of a few reasons:

Thread lockers, like all adhesive, have an optimal shelf life. Yours may have passed that period and is no longer curing.

The screw may be dirty or oily, preventing a good cure.

Or you're just not using enough. I'd just get a new tube of the blue stuff and try again.
 
Sounds to me like you like it it on the loose side and maybe you aren't tightening it down enough for the loctite to do the job.
 
I had a similar problem on my sage after taking it apart and reassembling it. The pivot screw would continue to work loose even after applying Loc-tite.

I discovered that I had inadvertently allowed lubricant to get on the screw and that apparently prevented the loc-tite from setting. After cleaning the screw with rubbing alcohol and drying it I reapplied a little loc-tite and reassembled it.

After tightening it enough to get the tension I wanted I let it set for a couple hours before resuming normal use. I haven't had any more problems with it.
 
Thanks for the hints. Come to think of it, the bottle of loctite I have is pretty old... I'll go and get a new bottle and try again.
 
Olydemon, I have noticed a similar issue with my E4 FRN. The FRN itself is a rather flexible material.

Unless the pivot screw is fairly tight, you're going to get a lot of play in the blade--more than just about any Spyderco. And when you tighten it so there's not much play, it stiffens the deployment of the blade.

It's inherent in the design, nothing you can do about it really. (other than Loctiting the screw)
If you want a stiffer Endura, get the G-10, which is a lot more solid.

I don't mind it, I use my ZDP-189 E4 (that Tom Krein ground to full flat) for light precision cutting tasks. It is my sharpest blade with the thin edge and hard steel, I can get that sucker scary sharp.
 
If it's the stainless one, wrap a cloth around it, put 2 pieces of soft wood in a vice and put it in the middle with the clip off. Squeeze. That should do the trick. Just keep checking every so often to make sure it's not SUPER tight. If it's the frn do this. Remove all screws and keep track of how the knife is put together. Get brake cleaner or any degreaser if you have any and wipe down all metal parts, screws included. Let it dry and make sure screws are clean and dry. Buy or use blue loctite. Get some light lubing oil on your finger tip and dip the washers on there, put a little on the blade and some on the inside of the liners. Also drip a little in the lock area. Next shake the loctite, get some rubbing alcohol and clean the pivot screw and inside the other part of the pivot with a qtip (brake cleaner works better but if you don't have any...). Reassemble knife backwards (clip side first, like a sandwich). FRN>Liner>spacer>blade>spacer>liner>frn. When it's back together and all screwed together (loctite on frame screws if you want, make sure to clean em, don't have the loctite so much so you can't see the threads, you want it to fill them in) put the pivot screw in (oh yeah, before blade goes on insider pivot) put some loctite on the screw while on the torx driver and spin it around to evenly distribute the loctite. Screw tight and then back it off until you have no bladeplay and it opens smooth. I have done this with a ton of my knives, both pinned and not pinned. Let it sit for 12-24 hours depending on if its hot or cold. Open it once after like 6 hours and shut it and leave it for another 6-18 hours. Voila! Loctite the clip screws, i always do. Good luck, email with questions at SuzukiGS750EZ@sbcglobal.net
 
For a cheap quick fix, plumber's teflon tape work pretty well to keep my pivot screws from moving. Not as secure as loctite though but my screws have not moved in the weeks since I put some on.
 
Thanks all for the tips. I have the FRN one. Sounds like the best thign to do is to make sure the pivot scre is oil free and then use blue Loctite.
 
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