Really stiff Leatherman

G

gcs

Joined
Mar 3, 2007
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57
I have an old Leatherman that had been sent back to the factory for major blade replacements. I havn't used it much since and it's been sitting in my possibles bag. I tried using it this week and the blade pivots are so tight I can barely move them, there is some very light corrosion between the blades, and I have been soaking it in penetrating oil to very poor results. The pivot pins have a very shallow notched "cap" which I assume is used to tighten the pivot pin/bolt/whatever.
Before I wear off the tiny notches, :) , are these "caps" removable? (to loosen the pivot) Anyone have any hints on what best to grab these things with?
Any other ideas?
Thanks.
 
The 'caps' you speak of are actually a male and a female screw with Leathermans own proprietary head on them.
Officially you need a pair of Leatherman maintenance tools to remove them without destroying them.



The ones in the picture are my own and can open 2 different kinds of screws, for the tiny ones on the Micra model i have something else.

But with a little effort it can also be done with 2 other multitools or with 2 Leatherman Kick pocketclips which you can buy separately.
This last trick only works on the medium sized proprietary screws which are for instance found on the PST and PSTII model, not on the larger screws which are found on the Supertool.
And also only when there's not too much Locktite on them.

Do you know what model you have or do you have pictures ?
 
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Thanks for the reply Kwackster, The Leatherman is an older model SUPER TOOL, no other designation. The screw head is barely larger then 1/4" or 7mm. Sorry, no pictures.
The tool was rebuilt about 2 years ago,to replace all the broken and damaged blades and stuff, and was stiff when I got it back, but usable. Now I can lever the tools into position only with a screwdriver.
When I put it in the bag I had lubricated the pivots with a light oil, apparently that wasn't good enough. If loosening these screws is going to be a nightmare, I will continue to soak it with penetrating oil and try to keep moving the tools without slashing myself to ribbons,lol
Any other suggestions always appreciated.
 
Leatherman uses thread locking compound (e.g., Locktite) on their screws to keep them from loosening too much from use.

I aim a heat gun pointed at the screw to soften the thread locker. While the screw is still warm, I quickly use a Vice Grips and a pair of pliers to loosen (or tighten) the screws to suit. In your case, you would loosen the screw a little.

I've done this on my Leatherman SuperTool, Pulse, PST, and other models.
 
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