Strider SMF Loose

lonewolf411

lonewolf411

Joined
Oct 10, 2014
Messages
147
Hi, I just recently purchased a SMF second hand and it is awesome! Only one complaint I have is that over time (maybe 10 or so flicks) the blade will move over to the g10 side and develop a really small amount of play. I guess the knife ocd in me kicks in. Ive been reading conflicting reports on using loctite, some say it comes from the factory and some say it doesnt and will make the pivot screws spin freely if i ever want to disassemble it in the future. Any suggestions on keeping it tight? Also have a hinderer that develops the same habits.
 
On a different forum it was said that Blue 242 is okay to use. Also nail polish sometimes works. lastly, Teflon Tape has been used successfully. None of these methods should void your warranty. The pivot may spin freely if you don't have the correct tools. If you want it tight, but still adjustable you probably need to invest in the spanner tool, coupled with the correct sized Torx, so that you can tighten or loosen without the pivot spinning
 
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Blue loctite is exactly what you should use. DO NOT use the red loctite....it requires heat to be applied to remove screw.
 
Ok i will pick up some blue loctite tonight. Ill apply the loctite to the screw and torque it down to where it still flips well with no play correct?
 
I have never considered, nor wanted Striders to be flippers. Loosening your pivot to where it "flips" can potentially give you the play that your OCD doesn't like.
Tighter pivot means tighter lockup. It is your knife, and if you plan on keeping and using it tighten and lock it however you like. If you are just testing it out and
probably will sell it I wouldn't lock tight it or even mess with it too much.

That said, I prefer my pivots tighter, and I use lock tight on most of them. A proper spanner and allen wrench is needed as was mentioned earlier. A smooth, deliberate
opening is what I prefer along with the tightest possible lockup.

Step 1 would be to get the proper tools that you need to adjust it.
Step 2 use the knife for a while and see if you really prefer it to flip but have the potential for not as tight of a lockup, or if you prefer the pivot tighter.
Step 3 after you have determined how you like the pivot, remove it, clean it, apply some lock tight and tighten the pivot to your desired level of tightness.
Step 4 let the lock tight set for the recommended amount of time, ensuring you are happy with the action of the opening, closing and lockup before it dries.
Step 5 enjoy.
 
lonewolf411 said:
Hi, I just recently purchased a SMF second hand and it is awesome! Only one complaint I have is that over time (maybe 10 or so flicks) the blade will move over to the g10 side and develop a really small amount of play. I guess the knife ocd in me kicks in. Ive been reading conflicting reports on using loctite, some say it comes from the factory and some say it doesnt and will make the pivot screws spin freely if i ever want to disassemble it in the future. Any suggestions on keeping it tight? Also have a hinderer that develops the same habits.
Click to expand...

Every Strider I have ever owned has had loctite in the pivot.

First thing I do is take apart the pivot and clean up all the loctite.

I like to set my pivots, so loctite is something I just can't stand. Without it however, most knife pivots will loosen over time, and I have found that depending on what you are doing, and pivot style, that process will happen slower or faster.

Flicking a knife open really hard will accelerate the process, as will tasks like hard chopping.

Two things you can do without changing how you use the knife:

Use loctite (Blue) and set the pivot to where you like it.
Tighten the pivot when it becomes too lose. Use the proper tool, but I would bet that you could do it with your finger and a torx (lock side)
 
Oh and dont mess with the knife for 12 hours after applying blue loctite and adjusting...may not require that much time but its better to know its dry.
 
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