Please help a school teacher

bigdogsam · **on:** October 26, 2014, 10:31:10 PM

Hi folks

I am a school teacher. I teach various technology type classes in a high school. I have been carrying a leatherman wingman at school. I pulled it out to work on a pc in front of another teacher and they "freaked out". They said I could be instantly fired or even arrested for having that on school grounds. To be honest I hadn't even thought of it. To me it's a tool, not a knife. I don't really like the combo blade anyway.
I am a big leatherman fan. I own a Surge (my bigboy badaxx tool), Wave (with bits and extension I can work on almost any pc or notebook) Skellitool, CS, PS (no knife but too small to do anything useful with) and of course the wingman.

I desperately need a tool I can carry at work. As I am sure all of you agree, once you get used to carrying a multitool, it is hard to go without.

Can someone please recommend two leatherman tools I could "cannibalize" and reassemble to get one tool I can safely carry at work? I have all the tools I need to take apart almost anything, even the "safety Allen wrenches" to remove screws that "normal" people are not supposed to. I don't have any metal working equipment to grind metal. I'm a electronics / computer guy and metal shavings are a no no.

Any guidance you can give to this nube would be greatly appreciated.

Lichtbote · **Reply #1 on:** October 26, 2014, 10:41:23 PM

If the wingman is OK for you, why not just take the blade out?

bmot · **Reply #2 on:** October 26, 2014, 10:42:59 PM

I think easiest thing for you to start with is just take the knife out of your Wingman, which should be pretty straightforward. Maybe you can then replace it with the saw off of a Sidekick, but I'm not sure if that would work.

Second thing you could do is search for a Knifeless Fuse, but those are getting quite rare I believe.

Also, Gerber has recently come out with a knifeless MP600, if that's too large for you, MP400's are easily customisable as well, swap the blade out for (for example) a file.

kirk13 · **Reply #3 on:** October 26, 2014, 10:44:17 PM

Hi and welcome,and commiserations on what happened!

If you can find one, Leatherman built a Bladeless Fuse,which one of our members,Chako,carries in similar circumstances to yours.

I live in the UK,where we have very restrictive knife laws. I've built up a few UK legal tools,my favourite being the KST,a hybrid Knifeless PST. I've done a bladeless Fuse of my own,as well as Waves and Kicks. Gerber now do a bladeless MP600, and SOG multis are a doddle to mod.

The other thing to consider might be a Victorinox SAK,such as a Cybertool? There's a magic to the friendly red knife that overrides people's concerns

MadPlumbarian · **Reply #4 on:** October 26, 2014, 10:44:48 PM

Well first off welcome to the forum! As for what to carry idk, back when I was in school I got caught with a multitool and got a slap on the wrist, of course we're talking almost 20yrs ago, and in college everyone carried something, if not, well you didn't belong, I guess being in a redneck area had something to do with that! Wish I could help guess I'm just a little out of date, my only thought would be if it doesn't have a blade it should be good, no?

JR

derekmac · **Reply #5 on:** October 26, 2014, 11:33:21 PM

I'd too say to try and take the blade out and see how it goes.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

AimlessWanderer · **Reply #6 on:** October 26, 2014, 11:50:04 PM

Gerber:
Removing the blade from an Octane is very easy, and means you haven't got to track down replacement parts. There was a thread about this recently. A few have us have also bought an MP400 and an MP450, and taken the file from the 450 to replace the blade on the 400

SOG:
The pocket power plier would be a fair sized tool for the role I'd imagine, and replaement parts can be bought quite freely without having to cannibalize a whole tool.

Leatherman:
Stay within the relevant "families" is the safest advice. PST and PST II for the classic look, or Fuse, Kick and Blast would be another option. In some instances, you'll be able to fit SOG parts in place of the blade, again saving the need to buy a whole new tool just to break it for parts

So far I have made bladeless mods from SOGs, Octane, MP400, PST (but then I put a serrated blade in instead), Fuse and Kick. There's also smaller knifeless options such as the Leatherman Style PS, IDL T5 or T7, or even some of the small Swiss+Tech pliers tools which might be options for you

Kampfer · **Reply #7 on:** October 27, 2014, 01:44:55 AM

Quote from: 50ft-trad on October 26, 2014, 11:50:04 PM

Gerber:
Removing the blade from an Octane is very easy, and means you haven't got to track down replacement parts. There was a thread about this recently. A few have us have also bought an MP400 and an MP450, and taken the file from the 450 to replace the blade on the 400

Quote from: Lichtbote on October 26, 2014, 10:41:23 PM

If the wingman is OK for you, why not just take the blade out?

Both are good solutions.

ironraven · **Reply #8 on:** October 27, 2014, 02:21:15 AM

I'll sound like a heretic, but PSTs are cheap and common on fleabay. Find a junker with a broken blade, or just a cheap one and talk to your shop instructors about getting the blade cut off (or cut it off yourself if you have an angle grinder).

Less complicated, as others have said the Wingman comes apart easy.

More ambitious, the Freestyle or Skeletool with the blade swapped for scissors. I know someone did this with a Freestyle, but I can't find the thread.

Of course, the simpliest option is to carry small multibit driver (Doc Allen or similiar) with a pair of pliers and a pair of electricians scissors.

nmpops · **Reply #9 on:** October 27, 2014, 02:44:18 AM

If I were you I would also check and see if indeed a pocket knife is illegal for you to have at school. In my local school district, it is against school policy for STUDENTS to carry a knife, but the policy does not apply to teachers or other adults as a pocket knife is a tool not a weapon. Check your local policies before you make any changes.

gadgetman7 · **Reply #10 on:** October 27, 2014, 03:06:25 AM

Quote from: nmpops on October 27, 2014, 02:44:18 AM

If I were you I would also check and see if indeed a pocket knife is illegal for you to have at school. In my local school district, it is against school policy for STUDENTS to carry a knife, but the policy does not apply to teachers or other adults as a pocket knife is a tool not a weapon. Check your local policies before you make any changes.

I recommend checking too..they're legal for teachers in most schools here too. A lot of people think they know the rules but don't.

Sent from Tracy Island

pietervn · **Reply #11 on:** October 27, 2014, 06:57:57 AM

G'Day,

I wanted to make a blade-less PST for two reasons:
1. Cannot get into any trouble from the authorities;
2. Just to see if it was possible.

Link: http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,48498.msg802625.html#msg802625

I include a link to the thread I posted on how it was done. I fitted a SOG saw blade where the knife blade was. Apart for a little sanding to the top and bottom of the blade, it was a perfect fit.

I think a lot of time seeing a blade gets an unwelcome reaction, as if it was going to be used as a weapon. I also think that, unless it is completely illegal to carry a knife, the authorities will check in which circumstances the tool is being used. I work on the railways (Australia) and have never had any issues with the cops walking on any platform with a Leatherman on my belt. I don't go pointing it a people or be be a complete idiot, that seems to get their attention quickly. I also only carry it if I am in uniform, or it stays in the backpack. Now days we seem to overlook commonsense and responsible use. Sad though.

Good luck with your decision, I think being a teacher echo's responsible behavior.

Cheers,

Pete