Niklas, it can be a bit tricky to remove the thumbstuds without damaging them, but this is how I did it when I high polished the blade on my LCC and everything went smoothly.
Microtech uses Loc-tite to secure the threads of the thumbstuds (MT uses Loc-tite on ALL screws) and you need to heat the thumbstuds in order to melt the Loc-tite. Doing so will allow you to unscrew the thumbstuds fairly easily.
How do you heat the thumbstuds? Well, I was told to use the tip of a soldering iron, but I don't have a soldering iron, so I opted for hot water.
I took a bowl, filled it with water, and nuked it in the microwave until the water began steaming. I then submersed the blade of my LCC until the thumbstuds were under the water and I held it there for perhaps a minute. Immediately upon removal from the water, I used two pair of small vice grips along with two small pieces of bicycle tire inner-tube to remove the studs. Be careful here. Lay a square of rubber inner-tube over one of the thumbstuds, and then clamp the vice grips down upon the inner-tube protected stud. If you do it too tightly you'll crush the stud, but if you do it too loosely you'll slip off, so pay close attention when doing this. Repeat this securing of the vice grips on the opposite stud. Now, choose the backside stud vice grips for unscrewing while you hold the front side stud stabilized. Since we already melted the Loc-tite, the thumbstuds unscrew with minimal effort.
Once you satin your blade, make sure that you have a tube of Loc-tite on hand for reassembly of the thumbstuds, and again use the inner-tube padded vice grips for securing.
Here's a photo displaying the results of my LCC high polish efforts;
Notice the mirror effect of the LCC's blade reflecting the image of the Dieter CQD II's thumbstud. This was my first attempt at high polishing a blade and I'm quite happy with the finished results.
Good luck to you in your LCC endeavors. Doing the work yourself instills a special sense of pride and ownership. If you have any questions or problems feel free to e-mail me.
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Eric - Usual Suspect
"The best toys are the ones that you can put an eye out with."
