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So you have your Balisong, and after much practice you are starting to get better and better, but inevitably something is going to start happening. Those pins are going to start getting lose, and unless you do something about it, you could hurt yourself, or even your knife. If left unchecked, loose pins can break, and even lead to a cracked or broken handle, and at that point there is not much left to do. So let’s avoid all of that and just take care of our knives in the first place.
First let me clear something up. For those of you just starting to get to know your knife, a little bit of handle play is normal. This gives you the ability to open and flip easily. You DO NOT want your handles to be tight. This will completely negate the point of a Butterfly knife. Do not tighten the pins completely!
Ok, now that that is out of the way, lets first identify whether or not you need to tighten those pins. Take your knife in a backhand grip, and look at the butt of the knife. Gently, and I am going to say that again, GENTLY push the handles in opposite directions. Push them as far as they will go without bending or forcing them. Now take the latch and try to close it. If the latch is blocked by the other handle, then you are in good shape. Your knife is just loose enough for proper flipping. However, if you are able to put the latch all the way down on the outside of the other handle, then it is time to tighten those pins. For those Butterfly knives without a latch, just look at the relationship of the handles where the blade folds in. If you can’t fully place the blade inside, then you need to tighten the pins.
So, now that we have identified whether or not you need to tighten, let’s get to how to actually tighten them. There are a few options as far as tightening goes. Depending on what you have readily available, you may choose one option over the other.
The first, and often the safest for the knife, is the vise method. Open the vise just enough to fit the closed Butterfly inside them. Make sure the pins are against the jaws of the vise. Then very GENTLY squeeze the vice closed. You are going to want to do one handle at a time, don’t try and do them both a once. You will most definitely hurt your knife. And don’t go crazy! Gently squeeze the pin, then remove the handle and test it. It’s easier to not do enough than it is to do too much! You will continually replace the handle and squeeze a little more until you have it right where you want it. Then, just repeat the process with the other handle until you are satisfied with the results.
The next option, and usually the more readily available method, is the hammer method. This method is a little more risky than the vice method, but if you are careful, you should be just fine. Emphasis on CAREFUL! This method is pretty straight forward. You will take your hammer and GENTLY tap down on the pins until you get them how you want them. Make sure to tap them straight down. If you do it at an angle you run the risk of damaging the pins. Gently do a few taps, then check your knife. Do this a few times until you are happy with how it feels.
These are just 2 ways to tighten those knife pins. Is there a method you use that you prefer? Feel free to share it with us in the comments below! Once you have properly tightened your knife, you will notice a huge difference in the way your knife handles. Hope this helped those of you just starting out with your butterfly knife. We are happy to help with any extra questions you may have!