Thumbstud Mod: Step by Step Instructions

[bunghole]

I can honestly say that it never even came to my mind that the thumbstud could be construed as sharp. If anything, I thought it was a little slippery.


If the Sebenza thumbstud hurts your hand, maybe its time to lay off the moisturizer for a little bit and go chop some wood or something...

I'm going to find out where you live and sneak in and grind your lug down

 

[PurpleHaze]

Since I am sending off my seb soon for double thumb studs I thought I'd try filing mine down to see how they felt. I much prefer the normal cone shape over the flat surface. That being said, it's rather simple to do and I'd suggest not using a dremel. All it took was a metal file, some 1000 grit sandpaper, and about 10 minutes of time to do it. The metal removes pretty quickly with a file and a little sanding at the end to smooth it out is all that is needed.

 

[BARBARIAN-X]

I personally did not like the thumbstud either. It was ok under normal use but I did not like the tapering. When I was wearing gloves I found it to be a real chore which is why I had my latest seb customized with a more functional thumbstud. Works much better with gloves now!

 

[scotsmanspride]

Just opened mine enough the past 2 months i have A sebenza callus on my right thumb. I would think a flatter thumbstud would make it harder to open but just a personal opinion.

 

[fespo276]

Well, I really have no problem opening my Sebenza although I, too, wish the thumb stud was a bit...."flatter." So, after thinking about it alot, and after being bored last night, I took a file (on my SAK) and went to work. I decided to start SLOW and take off just part of the very top "nub" of the stud. I then polished it with a various grits of polishing sticks and ended up with this. I think I will live with this for a while, but I am already thinking I may go even further and take off the top nub layer all together to get a very flat surface area. I figure if I really mess it up, a news stud is less than $20. No big deal.
Oh, and I also took off all the blue anodizing from the stud and back spacer. Here is a before and after:

 

[cziv]

Well, I really have no problem opening my Sebenza although I, too, wish the thumb stud was a bit...."flatter." So, after thinking about it alot, and after being bored last night, I took a file (on my SAK) and went to work. I decided to start SLOW and take off just part of the very top "nub" of the stud. I then polished it with a various grits of polishing sticks and ended up with this. I think I will live with this for a while, but I am already thinking I may go even further and take off the top nub layer all together to get a very flat surface area. I figure if I really mess it up, a news stud is less than $20. No big deal.
Oh, and I also took off all the blue anodizing from the stud and back spacer. Here is a before and after:

Very nice job. So you feel comfort at that level or is it speed of deplyment that you're after? Nice polish job on the sthumbstud. How'd you do it exactly. Must have had to tape of the blade if you were working with sandpaper right. :thumbup:

 

[fespo276]

Did you ever start one of those projects that just sort of takes on a life of its own? Well, literally 10 minutes after I posted the above post, I said to myself, "hell, lets just take off the top nub of the stud all together. It's only a $330 knife."

Sooooooo, since the wife took the kids to the "bouncy place," out comes the Dremel, off comes of the nub, and now I have perfectly flat thumb stud. I just held everything parallel on the table and it all stayed nice and square/straight. Grind, polish, Flitz, done! So far, I like it. Sorry for the two long posts, but I figured they would at least show the progression.

 

[cziv]

Wow that came out nice fespo276. No nervous twitches in your hands.

I don't own one of the machines but a smaller and much higher rpm, grinder/engravier with a penchant for flying all over the place. I suppose the SAK file could handle it though.

So is it large enough to deploy the blade faster or without the sharp poke from the pointy volcano thumbstud now that you're finished?

I'd like to hear your impressions of your handiwork. :thumbup:

 

[fespo276]

I don't think that the modification has affected the deployment speed, as such. However, I don't have to "think" about opening the knife as much as I used to. With the pointier stud, although I got very proficient at opening it over the years, once in awhile I would catch it wrong and "stab" my thumb pad a bit. The new stud is flatter and has a bigger surface area, making it bit more forgiving in terms of thumb and hand placement, and a bit more comfortable overall. Not a "night and day" improvement, but an improvement nontheless. YMMV.

 

[cziv]

However, I don't have to "think" about opening the knife as much as I used to. With the pointier stud, although I got very proficient at opening it over the years, once in awhile I would catch it wrong and "stab" my thumb pad a bit. YMMV.

I owned a Large 21 for awhile and never noticed any problems with opening the knife whatsoever. I sold it for personal reasons and have another one in the mail - probably arriving tomorrow.

I wanted the S35VN blade and a thin, light EDC to rotate with my XM-18, depending on the clothes I have on and where I'm going to be going. The Sebbie is much lighter and less obtrusive to carry and a little more sheeple friendly than the Hinderer knife IMHO.

I'd like to hear more from Benchmade thumbstud changeovers. My problem is that I don't have a Benchmade that I'd take the thumbstuds off of and they're a bit pricey for the purchase of a parts knife.

BTW, you didn't mention how you got the blue off the thumbstud so efficiently w/o dinging the blade??

 

[fespo276]

Taking the blue off is very easy. I taped around the stud, and used Flitz and elbow grease. I applied it and took it off in various ways: q-tip, rag, toothbrush. Wipe it on, rub it off, repeat. A 10 minute job.