custom Charge mod for mvyrmnd

[Breezy12]

last week, mvyrmnd posted a thread asking for help with a custom mod to replace his lost Charge TTi: http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,42875.0.html

I have never done mod work for anyone other than myself prior to this, but several PMs/emails later, I agreed to do the mod for him.   

He wants a Charge TTi with the ever-popular Rebar plier head, and the tool load of a Charge ALX (dual bit drivers).  I had an extra bit driver for the project, so I started looking around for the best deals I could find on a TTi and a Rebar.  I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to get both for a total of only $146!    even better, the TTi came with the full 21-piece Leatherman bit kit and the leather sheath.  (the listing was somewhat ambiguous, but we decided to gamble on it.  apparently his luck is turning after losing his beloved TTi...)

the tools arrived yesterday, but I won't have time to work on the mod until this weekend, so for now, here's a preview shot. 

[stealth007s]

I look forward to see the outcome of this. Very nice of you to do this for him

[oreogaborio]

You DIRTY TEASE!!!

[mvyrmnd]

You DIRTY TEASE!!!

Ha! You think it's teasing you!

[Breezy12]

Oh, I almost forgot....

mvyrmnd has decided to name this mod the ReChargeTTXi. 

[zoidberg]

What becomes of the broken hearted? up rebar handles and tti pliers? 

[mvyrmnd]

What becomes of the broken hearted? up rebar handles and tti pliers? 

Breezy's keeping them as "payment" for the mod. An awesome deal for me, I must say!

[zoidberg]

Breezy's keeping them as "payment" for the mod. An awesome deal for me, I must say!

Good stuff.    Win win really. Come on weekend. 

[nuphoria]

Splendid deal and a good bit of work

Seems to be a popular mod for good reason

[Breezy12]

this weekend turned out to be a little busier than originally planned, but I finally got some time to work on this mod this evening, so, without further ado...

Tools of the trade, lined up and ready to go!  The Zippo is for heating the screws to soften up the Loctite, and the Vise Grip and Crunch make a great combo for undoing the knurled screws.



I must be getting better at this, because it only took me about 5 minutes to get the Rebar plier head out... 



Keep track of those pieces! 



About 20 minutes later, I had the Rebar plier head securely in the Charge handles, and the scissors + flat driver removed from the Charge.  Mod is going very well at this point...



The real reason anyone does this mod: premium steel blade + replaceable wire cutters. 



All finished!  The spare bit driver that I used for this project had been soaking in an oil bath, and I discovered that a Q-tip is the perfect size for cleaning one out and wiping out the excess oil.    I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly I got this mod done -- about an hour from start to finish.



one more glamour shot, just because I was having fun. 



Like I said before, I must be getting better at this, because this mod went much smoother (and quicker!) than the ReCharge mod that I did for myself a few months ago, or when I helped Delta10 do a similar mod on a Wave.  All in all, this is a pretty simple mod, but I'm very pleased with how this round turned out. 

[nuphoria]

Nice work, and great pics too

[henryhcyap]

I must be getting better at this, because it only took me about 5 minutes to get the Rebar plier head out... 

  took me 20 minutes at least to undo the knurled screws with 2 pliers and the screws are all messed up.

[Breezy12]

I must be getting better at this, because it only took me about 5 minutes to get the Rebar plier head out... 

  took me 20 minutes at least to undo the knurled screws with 2 pliers and the screws are all messed up.

that's exactly what happened to me when I did my original ReCharge mod... took me about half an hour, and the screws looked like they had lost a fight.    this time around, the Crunch + Vise Grip made things much easier. 

Nice work, and great pics too

thanks nuphoria!  I've been trying to learn some more of the camera's features lately; I was happy with how these ones turned out. 

[captain spaulding]

Wow great work. This would be my (almost) perfect MT. Would it be possible to replace the can opener with another removable driver or the scissors? I might have to try and accumulate the parts for one of these.

[Breezy12]

Wow great work. This would be my (almost) perfect MT. Would it be possible to replace the can opener with another removable driver or the scissors? I might have to try and accumulate the parts for one of these.

thanks captain!    I have scissors in my ReCharge, but they required some Dremel work to fit in there with the larger plier head.  You could easily replace the can opener with the fixed flat driver that comes standard on a TTi and still have room for 2 large bit drivers if you wanted to.  I suppose you could also replace the can opener with an additional small bit driver, but that seems redundant since Leatherman only makes one bit for the small bit driver (phillips on one side, flat on the other).

the large bit drivers are twice the width of most of the other tools, so there's only room for one of them in each handle.

does this answer your question? 

[mvyrmnd]

Mate, you're a legend!

I can't wait to get it in my sweaty little hands.

I had the same thoughts about the can opener myself. The only other real option was the large flat driver - but a large flat bit can do that job - and I felt the opener was the least redundant.

Awesome stuff and thanks!

[zoidberg]

Put the awl in there!

Well done, it looks great. Will you be putting the scissors into the rebarge?

[mvyrmnd]

... into the rebarge?

I'd been wondering what to call it - I love it!

[SAKnight]

Hey, i know that crunch! 

I find the hard part about the rebar is putting a standard plier head back in, probably took me an hour or two

Fantastic work though, Matt! 

[stealth007s]

Looks very nice

[Breezy12]

thanks guys! 

Mate, you're a legend!

I can't wait to get it in my sweaty little hands.

I had the same thoughts about the can opener myself. The only other real option was the large flat driver - but a large flat bit can do that job - and I felt the opener was the least redundant.

Awesome stuff and thanks!

appreciate the kind words... hopefully you're just as happy with the mod when you have it in hand.   

and Gary, I kinda figured you'd recognize the Crunch.    to be honest, I have no plans to put the Charge plier head into the Rebar.  I'm not a fan of the cap crimper, and I'm going to be harvesting some parts from the Rebar handles for another mod anyway. 

[stealth007s]

appreciate the kind words... hopefully you're just as happy with the mod when you have it in hand.   

and Gary, I kinda figured you'd recognize the Crunch.    to be honest, I have no plans to put the Charge plier head into the Rebar.  I'm not a fan of the cap crimper, and I'm going to be harvesting some parts from the Rebar handles for another mod anyway. 

One reason I won't own a TTi myself

[Breezy12]

I'm not a fan of the cap crimper

One reason I won't own a TTi myself

I don't blame you.  It's the same reason that the Charge Ti (not TTi) is my favorite LM model... looks like you've got one in your signature pic. 

[bmstrong]

Is there any way to have a Rebar head with the Charge bodies AND the scissors without any modifications? With out the scissors I'm lost. Without the Rebar head and replaceable wire cutters I have no interest in the Charge. Dilemma.

[stealth007s]

Yep, it's a Ti. When I was a Combat Engineer years ago in the Army, the TTi or any of the LM models with BC crimpers would have been great. Where were these 20 years ago??? The original PST was all we could get with crimpers


Sent from Endor using Schlapatok

[SAKnight]

thanks guys! 

Mate, you're a legend!

I can't wait to get it in my sweaty little hands.

I had the same thoughts about the can opener myself. The only other real option was the large flat driver - but a large flat bit can do that job - and I felt the opener was the least redundant.

Awesome stuff and thanks!

appreciate the kind words... hopefully you're just as happy with the mod when you have it in hand.   

and Gary, I kinda figured you'd recognize the Crunch.    to be honest, I have no plans to put the Charge plier head into the Rebar.  I'm not a fan of the cap crimper, and I'm going to be harvesting some parts from the Rebar handles for another mod anyway. 

As per last time, is love to buy the handles, and cc head once you've taken your parts. Mine is no longer mine, since i raised money. When removing handle tools, make sure you only move the screw, the "pins" have flat sides that prevent rotation.

[Breezy12]

As per last time, is love to buy the handles, and cc head once you've taken your parts. Mine is no longer mine, since i raised money. When removing handle tools, make sure you only move the screw, the "pins" have flat sides that prevent rotation.

Yup, I know all about the handle post "flats" -- the Charge handles are the same way. I'll send you a PM about the handles... haven't completely finalized plans for them yet.

[Breezy12]

Is there any way to have a Rebar head with the Charge bodies AND the scissors without any modifications? With out the scissors I'm lost. Without the Rebar head and replaceable wire cutters I have no interest in the Charge. Dilemma.

the key is "without any modifications".  the pic below shows the scissors on my ReCharge (top) compared to the stock scissors on a Charge TTi.



as you can see, there was some grinding to be done (I used a dremel), but I'd rather sacrifice a bit of length on the scissors than potentially compromise the structural integrity of the Rebar plier head.  the other option is to leave the scissors as-is, and have a slight gap in the handles (the tool won't close all the way).

[henryhcyap]

Is there any way to have a Rebar head with the Charge bodies AND the scissors without any modifications? With out the scissors I'm lost. Without the Rebar head and replaceable wire cutters I have no interest in the Charge. Dilemma.

the key is "without any modifications".  the pic below shows the scissors on my ReCharge (top) compared to the stock scissors on a Charge TTi.

(Image removed from quote.)

as you can see, there was some grinding to be done (I used a dremel), but I'd rather sacrifice a bit of length on the scissors than potentially compromise the structural integrity of the Rebar plier head.  the other option is to leave the scissors as-is, and have a slight gap in the handles (the tool won't close all the way).

Your scissors looks good, I took off too much of mine. 

[mvyrmnd]

All this talk of scissors has me thinking...

Can wingman scissors take the place of the saw?

(Only thinking out loud, Breezy - don't worry!)