Pivot on a gerber LST

[elasmonut]

I was given a little old gerber lst with FRN handles today for sharpening its still in quite good condition with no play in the lock or major damage.
I did notice however that the pivot pin slides slighty from side to side and that each end has some fine knurling on it and was wondering if the pivot is in fact a little screw that could be tightened?
This doesnt really effect the useability of the knife but does allow a small amount of side to side blade play. I always thought that the pivot was a simple pressed pin on these but the knurling makes me think otherwise. Im just curious if anyone else has had any experience with this type of pivot as I would like to try and tighten it but dont want risk damaging the knurling if I am just twisting a solid pin.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

If your LST is like mine, the pivot pin (stainless steel) is simply pressed in place, with peened/flattened ends. Not a screw. I bought mine 20-25 years ago, in early-mid 1990s; it doesn't show any knurling on the pivot pin. Don't know if they ever changed the design or the pinning method; but I'm inclined to believe they didn't make any major changes to what is basically a pretty inexpensive knife, simply built. Gerber also made a larger knife, the Magnum LST, which I think had a different type of pivot pin; maybe a screw. I'm assuming(?) yours is the smaller one though.

Peened pins on such a design, with some play in them, should be easy to fix or adjust with just some careful tapping with a hammer on one end (maybe aided by an appropriately-sized drift/punch), and the opposite end of the pin backed on top of an anvil or vise. I'd go about it very gently, though, so as not to overtighten it or perhaps risking cracking the synthetic handles. Being a stainless pin, it might be a little slower to re-peen than a brass/nickel pin would be. I'd be careful.


David