Need help: Leek pivot screw

KeithAM

KeithAM

Joined
Dec 15, 2003
Messages
3,154
Last night the brown truck brought me a couple of early Father's Day presents: a composite blade Leek and a Skyline.

The opening on the Leek is sluggish, and I discovered the pivot seems to be slightly overtightened. I thought it would be a quick fix, and got out the torx driver and tried to loosen it. It didn't work. I then removed the clip, and saw that when I turned the pivot screw, the other side of it simply rotates along with it.

Since the other side is a plain flat surface, I'm not sure how to hold it still while I turn the torx side. Any suggestions? :confused:

This is pretty important to me since not only do I want to adjust the pivot tension, but I'd also like to be able to replace torsion bars myself. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
 
I had the same problem with my leek. I took the clip off, put my finger on the backside (part that is turning) and I gave the screw a very quick turn with the Torx driver(be careful). Torque is what I was going for, and it worked. You can also heat the pivot screw up with a soldering gun and that will melt the locktite.
1. Take the clip off and put a piece of rubber band between the screw and the clip, replace clip.
2. Heat with soldering pen/gun.
3. Loosen screw.
 
BJE gives the 2 most commonly used methods to help break free the Locktite used on the pivot screw, but please let me offer some suggestions on how this is done.

If you use the soldering gun method, don't put a piece of rubber under the clip and replace it and add heat. You'll have a mess on your hands. Either: A) Remove clip and apply the soldering gun tip to the backside of the pivot heat it up a bit and then try to loosen it, or B) Remove the clip, add a piece of rubber under the clip and replace it and then try it again.

Soldering gun + rubber band = melted gooey mess.

Method B seems to be the easiest and most effective. If that fails, then try method A.
 
I just put my finger on the other side to hold it in place. I haven't gotten a Kershaw that was that stuck.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the tips. Here's another question -- maybe it should be a new thread. Are their threads addressing how to take a Leek apart and successfully put it back together? Preferably with photos. Seems like something UnknownVT would have done long ago. I searched but could not find one. :confused:
 
KeithAM said:
Thanks for the tips. Here's another question -- maybe it should be a new thread. Are their threads addressing how to take a Leek apart and successfully put it back together? Preferably with photos. Seems like something UnknownVT would have done long ago. I searched but could not find one. :confused:
Click to expand...

The Leek is simple to take apart , getting it back together can be a pain if you don't watch how you took it apart. :)

Open the blade near half , carefully remove your crews leaving the pivot for last , if your careful you can see how the torsion bar works and where it goes upon re-assembly.

THe most difficult part is getting the torsion bar back in place but once you've sussed how it works it should not be too much of a problem getting it back in properly.

After you get her all back together , you may have to loosen the handle screws and pivot to get the blade centered and to your liking.

If you have more questions , ask away. :)
 
SPXTrader said:
BJE gives the 2 most commonly used methods to help break free the Locktite used on the pivot screw, but please let me offer some suggestions on how this is done.

If you use the soldering gun method, don't put a piece of rubber under the clip and replace it and add heat. You'll have a mess on your hands. Either: A) Remove clip and apply the soldering gun tip to the backside of the pivot heat it up a bit and then try to loosen it, or B) Remove the clip, add a piece of rubber under the clip and replace it and then try it again.

Soldering gun + rubber band = melted gooey mess.

Method B seems to be the easiest and most effective. If that fails, then try method A.
Click to expand...
I didn't mean get it that hot, just warm enough to soften the loctite. I could see how it could be a real mess if the person were to have a blonde moment and lose some common sense though:D. Probably not a bad tip to throw out there.
 
Here's another suggestion; boil it in a pot of water, just like you were boiling a pot of taters. Sounds strange, but it sure does work. Another thing you can try, and I have done thios before, just be careful; place a flathead screwdriver inside the knife, on tne opposite scale that houses the speed safe, I would also suggest that you pad the tip of the screwdriver with a piece of cloth or thin leather. Once in place just twist the screwdriver which applies pressure on the pivot, and then unscrew the pivot. Like I say, this method requires you to be careful and it seems to work better if you go ahead and remove the other screws holding the two halves together.
 
To follow up, I used the rubber-band-behind-the-clip method, and it worked like a charm. No boiling water for me! ;)

Thanks everyone! :thumbup:
 
KeithAM said:
To follow up, I used the rubber-band-behind-the-clip method, and it worked like a charm. No boiling water for me! ;)

Thanks everyone! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

What....no taters?!? :grumpy:
;)

Glad the rubber worked for you!! :D
;)

And I had better not see that ^^^
in a sig line are I'm gonna...gonna...
well, I don't know what I'm gonna do.
But it's not gonna be nice!! :grumpy:
;)
 
SPXTrader said:
What the .... are you talking about?:confused::eek:
Click to expand...

Nothing!! I didn't say a word.
innocent0009.gif
 
Anyway, it's working fine now and I carried it today with some no-name slipjoint. ;)

IMG_0746.jpg
 
cutter17 said:
..........but it was only a wee amount of Bushmills!!:D I still say boil 'em like a pot of taters!!
Click to expand...

When you say this, I see an image of Thomas W. boiling a pot full of Kershaws and serving them to homeless people (us, through the act of giveaways).
 
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