Style CS already apart.....

[evil510]

I was anxiously awaiting the Style CS to come out. Project Skeletool wanted a matching little brother. Needlesstosay, I was a bit disappointed. Early pics show the CS with a hole on the blade. Later pics show the blade with a nail nick. I understand that this is better for some, depending on where you live and the laws, etc. I wanted the version with the hole but after holding the CS in my hand, I came to the conclusion that even if it had one that it would not be practical or realistic for one hand opening and just for appearance. With the location of the hole, my big-ass thumb would get sliced up in no time. Thumbstuds... you either love 'em or hate 'em. I love them and installed thumbstuds on my Skeletool, Wave and Surge blades. I am setting out to make my CS a true one hand opener by fabricating my own blade with a thumbstud that will keep my fingertip a safe distance away from the blade edge. The blade will more closely match the shape and profile of the Skeletool blade. Also, I straightened out the scale that bends over the tip of the stock blade. It will be supported by a stainless steel strut for support. By doing this, along with moving the cutting edge a little closer to the handle, I will be able to fabricate a blade that is a full 1/2" inch longer. On a tool this small, to me, that is a big difference.....

The finish of the CS is bead blasted, which also doesn't match my Skeletool. So I will give it a brushed finish as well.....

The zytel scale that houses the tweezers... honestly, I hate it and think they went that route just to save them money on production. If I get around to it, I will fabricate my own. Either aluminum, stainless or both. While I am at it, I may add in a toothpick... we'll see. I think after this part is done it will truly look like a little skeletool.....

It falls a little short of replacing my Micra for EDC by not having a large flat driver. The combo phillip/flat tip on the file fits most phillip heads and the flat tip is suitable for eyeglasses. If you've followed some of my other posts, I have this newfound fondness for awls, so, maybe I'll even add another layer with a large flat and awl... still deciding. Nothing a little modding won't be able to fix.....

Anyway, please be patient as I am always juggling a good dozen projects at any given time. I will post progress pics.....

~ evil ~

Step one. Rough template....


::::: to be continued :::::

[Mr. Whippy]

You are a very naughty little boy..



(when are the next pictures?  )

[evil510]

Progress.... initial cuts made, holes drilled, hole tapped for thumbstud, prefit of thumbstud. New blade is .025" thicker and has almost 1/2" more cutting area.....

Folded.....

[J-sews]

Ooooh, this looks interesting!

[jim guy]

I like it too. Im gonna see if pliers from a squirt will fit.

[AHB]

Ooooh, this looks interesting! (Image removed from quote.)

Sure does.. 

[Threeme2189]

Progress.... initial cuts made, holes drilled, hole tapped for thumbstud, prefit of thumbstud. New blade is .025" thicker and has almost 1/2" more cutting area.....

Folded.....

Nםow *that* looks like a real blade!!!

[cerbera147]

Now I am beginning to see the meaning in your username 

No multitool is safe 

I too shall watch with interest

[evil510]

More progress. Final shaping done. Blade polished. Slightly concave primary bevel with brushed finish. Serrations cut. Time for some sharpening and then install.....

~ evil ~

[MultiMat]

Evil doer that looks very very cool mate 
In the pics the donor blade looks like it is pivoting on a post  Is there going to be a fastener/bolt taped through that post  .

I wonder what you would do too a Leatherman Flair's cocktail fork Mr. Evil (convert it to a proper Devil's pitch fork I reckon ) 

[Multitaskertools]

nicely done, im impressed

[evil510]

Now I am beginning to see the meaning in your username 

No multitool is safe 

Funny you should say that. Everyone in my real life pretty much says that as well, but not only in regard to multitools... anything and everything that can be modified.....  

Evil doer that looks very very cool mate 
In the pics the donor blade looks like it is pivoting on a post  Is there going to be a fastener/bolt taped through that post  .

I wonder what you would do too a Leatherman Flair's cocktail fork Mr. Evil (convert it to a proper Devil's pitch fork I reckon ) 

Thanks buddy. The post is the stock post for the tool, although unlike the posts of many other leathermans that are only threaded on one side, the posts on the CS are threaded on both sides. As for the cocktail fork... my slight case of OCD requires anything that I have be kept ultra wicked-sharp..... 

[Gareth]

Looks excellent mate, I'm genuinely impressed. 

[evil510]

Hey gang. A little more progress....

Brushed finish for whole tool, still with standard screws.....


New re-profiled screws, semi-countersunk into new beveled washers.....


Fabricated an awl with extra deep nail nick, still unsharpened. Comparable in size to a juice awl.....


Fabricated washer so that the knife and awl will not clump together (.005" thickness).....

[AHB]

Amazing work Evil... 

[nuphoria]

WOW 

You have some serious skills dude!

[evil510]

Hey gang... me again. A little more progress. Completed awl.....

Tapered thickness towards tip. Blade sharp chisel edge. Holes to better compliment the look and style of tool.....


Backside with nail nick.....


As you can see, the new awl is even bigger than that of a Juice XE-6, all in a package considerably smaller.....


~ evil ~

[MultiMat]

Evil that is the coolest Awl I have ever seen 

Interested to see how it fits into the whole package 

[evil510]

See what happens when an innocent little tool falls into my evil hands lol. This turned out to be one of those projects that I set off to do with no definite plans in mind that changed along the way (always seems to happen). Originally, I contemplated a 2nd layer on the file side with both an awl and perhaps a large flat driver. When I started fabricating the new knife blade, I realized the width of the channel for the knife had a lot of wasted real estate. If you have this tool, look at it and you will see what I mean. If you have seen some of my other mods, I always try to utilize every bit of space possible on all of my multitools. Anyway, I capitalized on this space and decided to put the awl alongside the knife blade. It was a super tight fit and had to do a little discreet work to make clearance. I am very pleased with the outcome so far. Excuse the quality of the pictures. I didn't get a chance to clean up the tool when I took these. I'll clean it up real nice for its final photo shoot after all the modding is done. I'll even post it alongside its big brother Project Skeletool which I have consistently been asked about..... (see sig at bottom of post)

Tool closed. Backside. Up top you can see the nail nick for the awl. Extra deep cut works very well and deploys easily.....


Tool closed. Front side. Awl secretly residing behind the knife blade.....


Knife deployed. Awl folded into tool. Thumbstud works beautifully for one hand opening. If I can easily open it with my big-ass thumb without slicing off my fingertip, chances are anyone else could without any issues.....


Awl deployed. Knife folded into tool. The special washer worked perfectly. No clumping whatsoever. I've had awls on my tools for years and never used them at all. Earlier this year that all changed and now an awl is one of the things I try NOT to be without. Even the new awl makes the standard blade look small. If there is one thing to know about me is that I keep things wicked sharp. This awl is no exception. ....


Both knife and awl deployed so you can see how they compliment one another and the tool itself.....


Yet another view.....


I am loving this little tool more and more. I can already tell that I will be replacing my Micra for EDC when this is done. Now it is time to tend to the other half of the tool. Now that the plastic scale is off, there is no going back (not that I would anyway). I do plan on a second layer, that much I do know. What exactly will I put in that layer and what materials for the scale, etc. I am still unsure of. I will keep you all posted. I will also try and take pics of the other mods I have been getting asked about on some of my other multitools that I haven't posted yet.......


~ evil ~

[MultiMat]

 

Evil that Awl looks as big as the original main blade 

GREAT STUFF mate 

[evil510]

Evil that Awl looks as big as the original main blade  

GREAT STUFF mate  

Actually, it's bigger than the standard blade it came with and almost as big as the new blade I made (shorter by 1/16" of an inch)

[Sparky415]

Nice work Evil! 

[Nikos]

Great mod there mate. Just wondering, is the awl locking in any way?

[Raukodur]

may be a stupid question, but seeing how similar the wl and blade are (apart from the serrated section), why have them both? They both have sharp edges, and a point. Have you made the awl out of a different material so its tip will not snap off where a knife tip would?

[SlackOne]

Looks like the awl is chisel ground, and has a thicker, more triangular shape at the tip.  It would be a stronger  reamer just by dint of the shape.  The knife would be a lot better for precise cutting.

Can't wait to see what ends up on the second layer!

[evil510]

Great mod there mate. Just wondering, is the awl locking in any way?

Unfortunately no, it does not lock... but then again neither does the one on my Juice and have been getting along with it just fine. You can control how firmly it snaps into place by the shape of the curve and hump that rubs against the tab. I oversized the profile of these on both the knife and the awl so they are under a bit more pressure than the standard knife so they snap into place quite firmly. I would say they stay in place comparable to the tools on my Juice. I have no doubt it will handle the small tasks I ask of it. I am never too far from another multitool with an even larger more substantial awl. If I come across another CS, I already have ideas for a liner locked blade.....

may be a stupid question, but seeing how similar the awl and blade are (apart from the serrated section), why have them both? They both have sharp edges, and a point. Have you made the awl out of a different material so its tip will not snap off where a knife tip would?

It's not a stupid question and am glad you asked. Even half a year ago, I would of asked the exact same question. As stated, for years awls were the most UN-used item on my multitools... never used them. Never really saw the point in them. SlackOne was spot on with his comment. While they may look similar, they are quite different. The knife has a primary bevel along the whole belly that tapers very thin which would be more prone to chipping depending on the task. Also, it is sharpened with a double edge to be razor sharp for more precise cutting... very sharp but not as resilient to damage. The awl is chisel ground. The thickness from the back to the belly remains the same until it reaches the sharpened edge. This thickness is carried on all the way to the tip. This makes it a much stronger and stout tool for such things as poking, reaming, drilling pilot holes, etc. Also, the grind angle is very different. It only takes one broken tip on your favorite knife to fully appreciate the usefulness of an awl. I am constantly drilling and reaming holes in wood, plastic and aluminum panels. All too often a hole will need to be opened up to a precise diameter and often in places a typical drill would not fit.. The acute angle of the tip of an awl gives you better control over this. No sense in hauling around a drill for simple drilling tasks that you can accomplish with an awl. Hope this better explained things.....

~ evil ~

[DaveK]

"Because I can" is a perfectly acceptable answer you know Evil?

[evil510]

"Because I can" is a perfectly acceptable answer you know Evil?

Well hell, if I had known that I coulda saved myself a whole paragraph   In all seriousness though, I think the awl doesn't get the credit it deserves.....

[nuphoria]

I agree.... awls are really useful 

[MultiMat]

I LOVE Awls  . It is the main reason I just keep coming back to the Vic Spirit , its awl is just tops for pilot holes  .

+1 on broken blade tips  .

Looking forward to the rest of the project evil