Blunt nose MUT?

[derekmac]

My bluntnose MP600 has me spoiled, as I much prefer bluntnose over needle nose, so I have a thought to cut the tips off of my MUT.  I don't recall if anyone here has done this or not, so I'm wondering, should I do it? 

[ducttapetech]

Go for it!


that's us mobile

[derekmac]

I wonder what would be the best way to cut them.  Hacksaw, slowly on a grinder?     I'm a little scared that I'll some how mess this up! 

[ducttapetech]

You can do it with a grinder. Like you said. Very slowly.

that's us mobile

[Teletin]

Yes with a grinder and very slow because that will heat up the pliers.

[derekmac]

Alright, maybe tonight I'll be brave enough to give this a shot.

Should I cool it in water as I grind it, or just go slow and take cool down breaks?

[rdub934]

I say go for it just because I like it when people mod tools (and take pictures showing off their work), Lol. I think that blunt nose makes more sense for a heavy duty tool, although I do see why LM puts their idea of a needle-nose on the MUT - it is intended to be used on AR type rifles.

But definitely - go for it and take lots of pictures

[ducttapetech]

As long as you go slow and cool it with water every now again, you should be fine.

that's us mobile

[derekmac]

I'll try and take pics along the way.  I'm really horrible for doing that though.  Once I start doing something, I don't want to stop until it's done, then I get mad at myself for not stopping and taking pics!

I might try my Dremel out for the first time on this and use the fancy locking cut off wheels, and if that doesn't work, I'll use my bench grinder.

[Breezy12]

I'll try and take pics along the way.  I'm really horrible for doing that though.  Once I start doing something, I don't want to stop until it's done, then I get mad at myself for not stopping and taking pics!

I might try my Dremel out for the first time on this and use the fancy locking cut off wheels, and if that doesn't work, I'll use my bench grinder.

I haven't tried blunting the pliers, but I have used the Dremel cutoff wheels on other mods... if you decide to go that route, be prepared to burn through at least 5 or 6 of those wheels. You'll end up wanting to finish the job with the bench grinder anyway, but I honestly think you'll be better off with using the bench grinder for the whole thing.

[derekmac]

Ahhh, good to know, thanks!!    Guess I'll save those for lighter jobs then.

[Higgins617]

I second what Breezy said, they also have a tendency to break and send bits flying if you expect too much of them. The metal used for the pliers is most likely too tough for them to be a reasonable choice too.

[Breezy12]

Ahhh, good to know, thanks!!    Guess I'll save those for lighter jobs then.

no problem! I can certainly relate to being anxious to try out new Dremel attachments... I have several of them that NEED to be tested out soon.

[Monrogue]

DO IT      Like everyone else, I want to see pics man

[derekmac]

OK, jeez, don't poke so hard!! 

I should be able to do this tonight, and yes, I will try extra hard to resist the urge to just keep going, and stop and take pics.

[Monrogue]

OK, jeez, don't poke so hard!! 

I should be able to do this tonight, and yes, I will try extra hard to resist the urge to just keep going, and stop and take pics.

 

[zoidberg]

I ended up using a hacksaw. Reason and pics over here. I'm currently resisting the urge to blunt a few more.

[derekmac]

I'm a bit worried about heat too.  Maybe I'll try the hacksaw, and do some profiling with the grinder.  Ahhh, we'll see tonight what I choose to do the job. 

[Outback in Idaho]

I'm a bit worried about heat too.  Maybe I'll try the hacksaw, and do some profiling with the grinder.  Ahhh, we'll see tonight what I choose to do the job. 

  Could clamp some heavy metal over both sides to act as a heat sink. If it gets hot - stop. Unclamp the heat sinks till all metal cools down and try again.

  Flowing water over it might not be a good idea, oil would be better. Have a lapidary friend perchance? They might have a setup you could borrow or use.

[derekmac]

Well since I'm impatient, I just went ahead and used my bench grinder.  I had a cup of water next to me, and only did a few swipes on the grinder, then would dip.  I worked at it slowly, and I don't think it got too hot.  Anyways, here are some pics of the process.

A quick before/after pic:


The rest:











So there we go, I just ground an expensive Leatherman all because of how much I love my Gerber MP600 bluntnose! 

[derekmac]

A few shots next to my MP600.

[Aloha]

I think it looks sweet and more so because it suits your needs.    good for you for getting after it and doing it.

[ducttapetech]

Looking good! Nice work!

that's us mobile

[Syph007]

Good for you man! I like the look of that very much.   

You have to get metal pretty frigging hot to start effecting the temper so as long as you grind for couple seconds, dip in water and repeat till done, its really not a concern at all. 

I know of knifemakers who heat treat rectangles of blade steel, and THEN grind them into blades with zero effect on the heat treating as long as they are kept cool by occasional water dunking.

[derekmac]

Thanks guys!    I think it makes it look more like a heavy duty tool, and not medium duty with the needle nose pliers. 

Good to hear that I really couldn't have screwed up the temper!  I did dunk quite often, and never really even heard a sizzle when doing it.

I'm going to grind the punch thingy down to a point too as I've yet to find a use for that.  I figure I might find something to use it on if it's nice and pointy.

[stealth007s]

Nice work Derek Are you going to BO the tip?

[derekmac]

That's the worst part about grinding down a BO tool, the plain metal you're left with.

Not 100% sure what I'm going to do with it yet.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[rdub934]

Good job!

Pic of the whole tool so we can see the overall effect on the profile of the tool? Pretty please

[derekmac]

No Problem.

[derekmac]

A not great reference shot.