Evil's Micra: The little Micra that could..... (Pic Heavy)

[evil510]

Hey there, gang. As per requests. Since coming back, one of the things I have been asked about are the Micras that I use. My wants and needs in a multitool often change over time. This is one of my Micra's that I created a while back to suit my needs. I wanted to add more functionality to my Micra without actually subtracting any tools, other than the knife. This was accomplished by recreating a few of the existing tools in different space saving ways on other parts of the tool. I also made use of unoccupied, or otherwise unused, space for other new tools. Big post, small tool. Let's get this going.....

~ evil ~

______________________________________________________________________

CAP LIFTER AND SMALL FLAT DRIVER.....
The two tools that I use the least are the small flat driver and cap lifter. With that said, I still did not want to ever be without either of them if and when I needed them. I actually do adjust my glasses and sunglasses from time to time. Both original tools removed, new versions created to replace them.....

Here you can see how I incorporated the new cap lifter into the frame. Very efficient.....


Here is the new hollow ground small flat driver, albeit short, it does what it needs to do quite well. You can also see my new version of lanyard ring, the original was lost.....


Discreetly hides along the base of the tweezers until ever needed.....

______________________________________________________________________

MODIFIED DIAMOND FILE.....
Here's a simple mod I did to the file to make it more useful. First off, I kept the file and nail cleaner, well, because I honestly use them for their intended purpose. I like to keep my nails well kept. As you can see by the photo I removed the raised outer edge. By simply doing this, the file has an open, flat face now. I have used it on plastic, wood and to remove burrs on metal. In a pinch, it could crudely sharpen a knife.....

______________________________________________________________________

LOCK PICK SET.....
Lock picks in a Micra are by no means nothing new. Typically picks have been added onboard to substitute for tools. My lock pick is a standalone drop-in pick set that can fit into ANY Micra without any modification whatsoever, taking advantage of otherwise unused space. Both made from spring steel. Pick handle made from black ABS plastic. Pick design is a duplicate of one of my favorite Southord picks.....


The tension bar is locked into the handle by the closed phillips driver.....


Pick lays on top of tension bar, locked in by folding down tweezers.....


Tweezers folded down. Pick and tension bar secured.....

______________________________________________________________________

1/4" BIT DRIVER.....
Making use of otherwise blank space. Bit cannot fall through and has proven quite handy for little impromptu jobs. Light to medium duty tasks. More than adequate for small electronics, knife and multitool mods/maintenance, which is what I have used it for. I have been meaning to add some hand engraving but never got around to it.....


Bit installed. Scissors backsprings keep bit from going in too deep.....

Ready for use.....

______________________________________________________________________

BI-METAL SAW.....
Taking place of the original small flat driver/cap lifter is a bi-metal saw. I often work with thin sheets of various types of plastics. Having a small hand saw to do touch up jobs has saved me from breaking out my dedicated tools. I chose to go with a fine tooth bi-metal blade. I also chose to have it cut on the pullstroke.....


New nailnick.....

______________________________________________________________________

SUPER AWL.....
Evil loves awls. An awl bigger than that of an ST300/Surge in a Micra? You betcha. Made from D2 toolsteel. This design has best met my needs over the years. Matching nailnick and brushed finish added to compliment the rest of the tool.....


The business end. Wicked sharp, of course.....

______________________________________________________________________

WIRE STRIPPERS.....
I am forever working on automotive wiring, from custom dashes, stereo/video, etc. I always need a good pair of strippers (insert naughty joke here). To date, these have been the best pair of wire strippers I have used on a non-dedicated tool. These work so well, in fact, that there are often all I will use for a job. From small wires within a USB cable to everything else short of real heavy gauge amplifier wire, it handles them all like a champ. I know one of the obvious questions is whether or not it affects the use of the scissors. The answer for me is, absolutely not. Let me explain. When you use the scissors on the Micra, the backsprings naturally return it to the open position. At this point, there is still a portion of overlap of the blades that typically doesn't get used unless you make the effort to open the blades wider or force the material you are cutting down the throat of the blades. I kept the new cutting edges within the confines of this area, so, if you use the scissors in a typical fashion, you never even know the strippers are even there. Hope I explained that well enough.....


Action shot.....


Closer view of beveled cuts.....

______________________________________________________________________

FULL VIEWS.....
Closer view of nailnicks of new saw and awl.....


Closer view of bit driver.....


One side.....


And then the other.....

[captain spaulding]

 


I love everything you did to this Micra. truly excellent work! I might have to commission you in the future for a Micra mod.

[NKlamerus]

This is AWESOME. As always, evil; great build. It amazes me how your custom work looks flawless.

[Sparky415]

This is AWESOME. As always, evil; great build. It amazes me how your custom work looks flawless.

+1 Can't say it any better 

[Aloha]

This is AWESOME. As always, evil; great build. It amazes me how your custom work looks flawless.

+1 Can't say it any better 

+++ and 

[lowtech]

What they said. Lovely!
BTW:that lanyard fob looks like an Aluminium Valve stem cap to me, right?

[Gareth]

Great work Evil.

[Zed]

Awesome and sooo EVIL 

[Mr. Whippy]

As the Bostonians might say, wicked good!

Your designs are just outstanding and what's even more impressive is how WELL they incorporate into the original basic framework.   

[styx]

I home LM is paying attention to this

[pingu]

Brilliant ideas, fantastic skill.

Hex wrench and cable stripper really interests me.   I have no nails to look after so I'd be prepared to sacrifice the tip for a ready access hex wrench.  Any reason why I couldn't move the wrench a couple of mm towards the pivot ? 

[SteveC]

Wow ! excellent work Evil 

[ducttapetech]

Nice work Evil. Love the awl.

That's us mobile
Nate

[sawman]

I find the entire thing to be fantastic. 

[evil510]

I love everything you did to this Micra. truly excellent work! I might have to commission you in the future for a Micra mod.

Thank you, Captain. Hopefully we can make that happen one day.....

This is AWESOME. As always, evil; great build. It amazes me how your custom work looks flawless.

Thank you, NKlamerus. Have you made progress on your Skeletool project?

+1 Can't say it any better 

Thank you, sparky

+++ and 

Thank you, Aloha

What they said. Lovely!
BTW:that lanyard fob looks like an Aluminium Valve stem cap to me, right?

Thank you, lowtech. Yes, you are exactly right. I wanted an easy way to cover the connection of the paracord and the thinner lanyard string without having to make something from scratch. One of my lazy moments. I like to make use of things in ways they weren't intended, lol.....

Great work Evil.

Thank you, Gareth

Awesome and sooo EVIL 

Thank you, Zed

As the Bostonians might say, wicked good!

Your designs are just outstanding and what's even more impressive is how WELL they incorporate into the original basic framework.   

Thank you, Mr. Whippy. I always try to make use of unutilized space whenever possible.....

I home LM is paying attention to this

They are always here... in the shadows

Brilliant ideas, fantastic skill. Hex wrench and cable stripper really interests me.   I have no nails to look after so I'd be prepared to sacrifice the tip for a ready access hex wrench.  Any reason why I couldn't move the wrench a couple of mm towards the pivot ? 

Thank you, pingu. Unfortunately, there is not near enough material on the file to do such. Even if it were feasible, I would not trust it. I would make a whole new tool from scratch. I'll have to make a post on my other Micra geared towards bicycle riding. I made a foldout tool with spoke wrenches similar to what you are referring to. As for moving the hex driver closer to the pivot. Yes, you could, but I wouldn't. I put it where it is for a reason. If you look at the backside of the Micra, at the 5mm mark on the ruler... this is a major stress point. If you locate too close to this area, this is where it will likely want to shear apart when under torque. I kept it away from this area, leaving a reasonable amount of material between them. Also, if you look closely, I have it so that one of the six sides of a bit lays flat against the inner wall to add more surface area for turning strength. I hope this explanation helps.....

Wow ! excellent work Evil 

Thank you, SteveC 

Nice work Evil. Love the awl.

Thank you, ducttapetech. I love awls. I remember when I first got into multitools, I saw awls as being pointless (pun intended). Now I can't ever be without one.....

I find the entire thing to be fantastic. 

Thank you, sawman

[pingu]

Thanks for such a considered response 

[NKlamerus]

I love this forum.

Incredible people reside here.

Evil; I have not started the skeletool project. I have to paint my truck, and once the garage is back to normal i can start.

I also need to buy a new drill press and a new band saw.......

[Obi1shinobee]

 

[powernoodle]

When I see something awesome like this, it just makes me grumpy that Timmy Leatherman could produce it but won't.  And that means that Powernoodle will never get one.

[enki_ck]

Micra 2.0 right here.

Excellent work as always.

[eddie1115]

Amazing!  Great job.  Let me know when you make a second one

[evil510]

Thanks for such a considered response 

You're welcome, pingu. I just hope I make sense with my explanations.....

I love this forum. Incredible people reside here. Evil; I have not started the skeletool project. I have to paint my truck, and once the garage is back to normal i can start. I also need to buy a new drill press and a new band saw.......

I understand all too well. It is about priorities. This is my busiest time of the year. As is, I am backed up about three months on airbrushing/fabrication work. That leaves me barely any time to ever work on my own tools. An hour here or there, at best. On top of that, I have already pending jobs here for those willing to endure the long wait time until my workload lightens up.....

When I see something awesome like this, it just makes me grumpy that Timmy Leatherman could produce it but won't.  And that means that Powernoodle will never get one.

photo of very unhappy baby removed from quote

Man, he sure looks like one unhappy camper, lol.....

Micra 2.0 right here. Excellent work as always.

Thank you, enki. I actually have 4 modified Micras, each different from the other.....

Amazing!  Great job.  Let me know when you make a second one

Thank you, eddie.....

[ironraven]

 

That is amazing. And intimidating as hell- I want to get started in mods, but that blows my mind. Micras are not supposed to be that cool! I love my  E4 Squirt, and I feel like this Micra just took it school. I especially like that stripper notch. I think I have the skill to duplicate that. I think. I'm glad I can get airport surplus Micras real cheap.

I have to ask, what tool do you use for making the hex hole? Is it just drill then file?

I also like that your picks (a) aren't removing any functionality and (b) if made with aluminum end pieces, the pick would be invisible on a cursory check. This is a very serious SERE tool candidate.

And I absolutely agree with Poowernoodle.

Micra 2.0 right here. Excellent work as always.

Thank you, enki. I actually have 4 modified Micras, each different from the other.....
[/quote]

This statement is worthless without photos.

[enki_ck]

Micra 2.0 right here. Excellent work as always.

Thank you, enki. I actually have 4 modified Micras, each different from the other.....

Well we have nothing against adding pics of its siblings to this thread.

[firiki]

Great skill being shown I see an eye for detail, too 

I love the awl, great shape and almost as long as the handle, can't really ask for much more

[evil510]

That is amazing. And intimidating as hell- I want to get started in mods, but that blows my mind. Micras are not supposed to be that cool! I love my  E4 Squirt, and I feel like this Micra just took it school. I especially like that stripper notch. I think I have the skill to duplicate that. I think. I'm glad I can get airport surplus Micras real cheap.

I have to ask, what tool do you use for making the hex hole? Is it just drill then file?

I also like that your picks (a) aren't removing any functionality and (b) if made with aluminum end pieces, the pick would be invisible on a cursory check. This is a very serious SERE tool candidate.

And I absolutely agree with Poowernoodle.

"Thank you, enki. I actually have 4 modified Micras, each different from the other....."

This statement is worthless without photos.

Thank you, ironraven. Don't let mods intimidate you. Have faith and just dive in and do them. At the bottom of this post, I am going to post my first Micra mod done five years ago. Modding mulitools was relatively new to me at the time. I've come a long way since then. As for the hex hole. I make them differently depending on type of material and thickness. For this particular one I started with a 1/4" round hole, then used a permanent marker to cover the surrounding area, scribe the hex shape and then worked outwards with files. As for aluminum picks, even high grade aluminum would not fair very well being so thin. It could be done, but, I would almost consider them to be disposable at that point... a one time use set, well maybe a few times. There are other alternatives I would choose before aluminum. As for my other Micras, when time permits, they'll get their own posts with plenty of pics....

Well we have nothing against adding pics of its siblings to this thread.

My first Micra, I created five years ago when I first joined MTO. This is the second I've posted. The other two deserve their own posts as well, I feel. So, posting on the other two will have to wait until time permits.....

Great skill being shown I see an eye for detail, too    I love the awl, great shape and almost as long as the handle, can't really ask for much more

Thank you, firiki   I pride myself on my attention to detail. I made the awl as large as possible. In the closed position, the distance between the tip and the bend in the frame is only 0.7mm.....

___________________________________________________________________

One of my very first mods I did here on MTO all of those years ago... Evil's Micra Spork. Typically sporks were just added under one of the bolts of a Micra, where they could spin freely. My version, the spork snaps both into the closed and open position.....

[danilo]

well, what to say? you are a genius!

Those are extremely well done mods, it really seems stock (except that we know it isn't...)

Do you have any video/photo taken during the process? How did you design the project? Which tools did you use?

you made me hungry for knowledge!



Danilo

[evil510]

well, what to say? you are a genius! Those are extremely well done mods, it really seems stock (except that we know it isn't...) Do you have any video/photo taken during the process? How did you design the project? Which tools did you use? you made me hungry for knowledge! Danilo

Thank you, danilo. Videos of me working... no, that would not be a pretty sight, lol. I have often been compared to a mad scientist at work, obsessively focused on what's in front of me, I really do make quite a mess of my work area.....

As for design. For small jobs like this one, I think it and just dive in and do it. There are times that I will do rough sketches beforehand for more complex, complicated jobs. As for tools. People often think I must have some high tech machine shop but that couldn't be further from the truth. I have a humble little workshop with nothing high tech or out of the ordinary. Drill press, belt and disc sanders, etc. I do have five rotary tools though. A few with dedicated jobs to save me from setting up, etc. I use a wide variety of carbide and diamond accessories. Hunger for knowledge is a great thing.....

[danilo]

thanks for the reply!
I'm looking forward for the next project

Danilo

[Gerhard Gerber]

That's a lot from a very little tool, EXCELLENT, well done!