Skeletool loose bit holder

[Dunc]

I took a LM Skeletool on holiday with me along with plenty of other tools but I wanted to test the Skeletool out and take a close look at it . One thing that quickly came too light was the spare bit wasn't held in very securley and with one sharp tap on my hand it would fall out   Not good if your working on something and you drop the tool . A dark night with water about and a LM bit changer don't mix anyway but thats another story . I thought about wrapping bits of paper around the spare bit and it does work but its a bit of a pain and you shouldnt need to do it .
    I only went 50 miles up the coast but its a change on the eyes and the coastline is very different but I know the area and my wife and I are very fond of the local villages .

  Ok I know you all want to know how I fixed the Skeletool   But I'm going to make you suffer by hearing my drivling little stories  

It all started when the clip came loose   I didnt have a correct bit to fit it so I  made a post on here asking about the correct size bit and ratflash7 replied and told me it was a #8 Torx  ( thanks btw ) . So everyday that we went out I kept an eye open for somewhere that may sell torx bits . It was quite funny because my wife thought I was going up all these little streets looking for cute ornaments for our home   One day we were in a village called Wells  which is quite famous in these neck of the woods and has ties with Lord Nelson , it  is said he was a guest of his Brothers at a Gentlemans club there  ( no not that sort of club   ) on a couple of occasions . Anyway I found this fishing tackle shop that also had a very good range of Leathermans at the usual rip off Britain prices   but they also had a 32 piece security bit set for £5  ( trust me thats a good price here ) . A quick check on the back confirmed it contained a Torx #8 and one fiver later it was mine  
  Back at the cottage the clip screw was quickly tightened .I remember Speaking to DaveK via PM about the loose clip and he thought that it might be a contributing factor to the loose bit holder because they are on the same handle and bolt . Made sense too me but only made a tiny bit of difference when I tightened up the clip   Not good I thought .

 So Gentlemen you will need a #8 torx bit , I got on fine with just one but its best to use two ( one for each side because they can spin  ) . Hold the tool so the Bit holder is uppermost  ( forget about the clip ) with the screw at the top . Undo it and remove it along with the collar/washer  . Now rotate out the metal bar that retains the spare bit . Now very slightly bend it inwards ( see pics ) . Don't go mad just a little , remember you can always undo the screw and bend it a bit more if you haven't done it enough .Rotate the bar back in place and replace the washer/collar and tighten screw . Don't tighten the screw up hard as you wont be able to open the blade . Just a little at a time and you can get the blade with the exact right tension to suit you . Since doing this two weeks ago none of the screws have come loose . If they did then I would use a little Loctite . My spare bit is just right now and I'm really happy with it . But please remember that you do this at your own risk and neither me or Multitool.org can be held responsible for anything you cock up  

So there you go   I told you I would make you suffer    Just be thankfull I havent posted pics of the Village I bought the bits in  









Dunc

[cncguy]

Thanks Dunc.....you made that clear and easy. Now i just have to wait for my skeletool........

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Great tutorial mate

[max6166]

Great post and pics!

[Dunc]

Great tutorial mate

A bit long winded but I had fun writting it  


Dunc

[Freudian Frog]

This is no use to me! I don't have one. Actually, I don't think I want one. I keep passing up the Shnoop deals. =(

[Dunc]

Thanks Dunc.....you made that clear and easy. Now i just have to wait for my skeletool........

Please post your thoughts on it when it arrives .

Dunc

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Great tutorial mate

A bit long winded but I had fun writting it  


Dunc

Not at all mate, I'm sure most owner's will have to refere to this guide many, many time's while they've got a Skeletool

[DaveK]

So Dunc - do you think the bit holder was loose because it got dinged or something? If you had to bend it rather than just tighten it, it sounds as though one of the component parts was damaged in some way I guess.

[Dunc]

So Dunc - do you think the bit holder was loose because it got dinged or something? If you had to bend it rather than just tighten it, it sounds as though one of the component parts was damaged in some way I guess.

No not at all . The bar needed bending inwards , so if it had been dinged it may have had the same result . I had been over this tool with a magnifying glass ( like all my tools ) and absolutely no dings .
  Its great now , although you can't see any difference . The bend is very subtle .

Dunc

[DaveK]

The reason I ask is on mine (without any fiddling performed upon it), the SS bar that holds the bit is really quite taught.

Looking really closely, the inserted bit actually lifts the SS bar ever so slightly, so that it doesn't touch the aluminium strip until half way to the rivet (dunno if you can picture it from that description).

Any way - the point is that inserting the bit pushes the bar so that creates the tension that holds it in place - so I'm wondering where the "difference" was with yours, as it seems pretty simple and reliable.

I'll see if I can get a decent pic to illustrate ......

[Dunc]

Yes please do take some pics , I will take some more of mine looking down the tool . Looking at it you cant see its been bent .like I said its very subtle but enough to work .


Dunc

[DaveK]

Ok - hopefully you can see from this:



So, if yours wasn't gripping the bit tightly enough, there seems to be two likely possible reasons:

1) The bar was bent (which you've confirmed it wasn't);

2) The tool maybe wasn't "square" meaning that the bar wasn't parallel to the aluminium spacer somehow. I wonder therefore of it was related to the loose clip, and simply something wasn't tightened to the right torque in the factory?

I know I'm only guessing, but it would be interesting to know if the two problems always go hand in hand 

[Dunc]

After I tightened the clip it made a tiny bit of difference but not enough , the bit would still come out after a sharp tap on the hand . But after removing the screw and bending the bar its now perfect .








Dunc

[Sea Monster]

Look at all 'dem security drivers.

If I saw you about town with that I'd be right suspicious I would.

[Dunc]

Look at all 'dem security drivers.

If I saw you about town with that I'd be right suspicious I would.

Not to worry about the locking one hander I have clipped to my pocket .
  I wonder if those bits could open up a Charge ?

Dunc

[Sea Monster]

Not to worry about the locking one hander I have clipped to my pocket

Heh, reminds me about visiting the pub

"Hey mate, you got steel caps on?"

"eh, yes."


"You can't wear steelcaps at the pub mate, It's all right this time, just remember though."


(Guess I won't mention all the knives then    )


Having built the bugger apart, does it seem like there is room for more models/variations using the same chassis? (Probably not as modular as a Juice, but could they make some more designs using the same equipment)

[Dunc]

Not to worry about the locking one hander I have clipped to my pocket

Having built the bugger apart, does it seem like there is room for more models/variations using the same chassis? (Probably not as modular as a Juice, but could they make some more designs using the same equipment)

I hope so , if they could somehow fit scissors in there then I think they would be onto a sure winner .

Dunc

[Anthony]

Nomad what are steel caps?


A few hours ago I unscrewed the bolt and bent the metal retaining strip, and the bit sits a lot more firlmy in it's compartment now

[NutSAK]

Nice simple solution Dunc--bravo! 

I don't have a Skeletool yet, but I'll sure keep this in mind when I do.

[SteamKit]

Nice mod! Something I didn't need because mine is tight as a drum. Where did you get that bit kit? Did it come with all those? That's awesome!

-Kit

[Dunc]

The Skeletool didn't come with all those bits , I bought them seperate for £5 . They are made by a cheap tool company called Blackspur . Cheap but they seem fine to me .

Dunc

[Dunc]

UPDATE

I bought another Skeletool about a month ago and I've noticed a difference which would explain the loose bit holder on my First Skeletool .
My first Skeletool was an early one so I don't know if they introduced an improvement or it just missed a sequence in its production .

On the newer model the little metal lip on the frame has been slightly bent inwards to hold the spare bit snug . Heres the photos ......

New model



Another pic




and the original model



This explains why the spare bit was loose on my first model .


Dunc

[joebw]

Hi Dunc,

It is a pity that there are no date codes on the Skeletools.

I have two of the older ones with the almost straight bit retainer,  Info on these is as follows:

Skeletool - Plain edge blade - 420HC - Purchased 2/08
Skeletool CX - Combination edge blade - 154 CM - Purchased 3/08

My two recent purchases have the pronounced turned-down retainer lip.  Info on these is as follows:

Skeletool - Combination edge blade - 420HC - Purchased 9/09
Skeletool CX - Plain edge blade - 154 CM - Purchased 9/09

Hope this is of interest - Joe

[Dunc]

Thats a big help Joe , thanks    It prooves that mine wasn't just a quality control issue but it was a fault that LM later rectified .This should get all Skeletool owners reaching for their tools to see what model they got 
  I agree it is a pain there is no date codes .



Dunc

[mootsman]

Mine is a Skeletool CX straight blade purchased in October. It has the turned down retainer clip and is so tight as to be a little difficult to remove the bit sometimes.

[DaveK]

Thats a big help Joe , thanks    It prooves that mine wasn't just a quality control issue but it was a fault that LM later rectified .This should get all Skeletool owners reaching for their tools to see what model they got 

Dunc

Well, it certainly did! I got both mine very soon after they were released, and it came as no surprise to see they were like your older one.

Having said that, even after plenty of use, the bits still fit snugly in both of mine. Looking back at my earlier post on this thread, it looks as though the scenario was common enough to make a design change. Cool.

[Dunc]

Thats a big help Joe , thanks    It prooves that mine wasn't just a quality control issue but it was a fault that LM later rectified .This should get all Skeletool owners reaching for their tools to see what model they got 

Dunc

Well, it certainly did! I got both mine very soon after they were released, and it came as no surprise to see they were like your older one.

Having said that, even after plenty of use, the bits still fit snugly in both of mine. Looking back at my earlier post on this thread, it looks as though the scenario was common enough to make a design change. Cool.

Its such a shame that because of the lack of a date stamp we can't work out what year the changes took place  Unless we email LM .

[Dunc]

                  ANOTHER UPDATE

I have just aquired a NIB 2007  Skeletool . I know its 2007 because it says so on the box and its the original box to .
  Anyway the bit holder is the later type with the metal lip bent in to retain the spare bit . So the change was made very early on then and there can't be many Skeletools with original straight/loose bit holder .

Another thing I noticed is on my well used Skeletool the blade has just about worn away the little stud near the padlock symbol on the lock bar . It will be interesting to see if my latest one does the same ?

[J-sews]

The Skeletool and Skeletool CX that I got shortly after they were released both have the flat retainer. The red Skeletool from REI this summer has the bent retainer.


Great spot Duncanheimer!