Tool suggestions for a nature education/exploration SAK.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I just made a post in the Swiss Forum in response to an idea that kkokkliolis (sp?) suggested; a SAK with both old and new magnifying glasses to be used either individually or together to provide multiplied magnification.

Apart from that idea, and assuming a 91 mm frame, I was thinking other tools to be included might be a large blade (but this could be optional, given my intended purpose for the tool), a hook, scissors, and believe it or not a fish scaler (primarily for the ruler it has).

Anyone have any suggestions for other tools to include and what you think they could be used for?  I'd love to make/have something like this that I could have specifically for the nature walks I do with my daughter.  She loves nature and animals, and looking for all kinds of crawly things under rocks and logs and leaves.  I'd love to be able to have something like that to either have as a 'special' tool to use with her for these walks, or even to give her for her next birthday this coming summer. 

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Lynn LeFey]

Pliers could be useful, if you're dealing with stinging and pinching critters. I'd keep the opener layers, as good pry tools. You'd probably want at least he long blade for general cutting tasks.

Might be easiest to start with a Swiss Champ and start removing from there. But then, it'd probably be better to have the light paired with the magnifying glass than the phillips, so... Hmmm...

I wouldn't bother with the double magnifying glasses. They're not that big anyway, and I think if they were that important, and in showing kids awesome details they kinda are... I'd think you'd want bigger, clearer magnifying glasses.

[PTRSAK]

Woodsaw might come in handy.

[Nhoj]

Plus scales, using the pen to write in a little observational notebook would be fun/useful

[Wootz]

Howabout inline awl and a spatula of some sort? Perhaps the blunt blade? ("my first vic")

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Howabout inline awl and a spatula of some sort? Perhaps the blunt blade? ("my first vic")

That's a neat idea!  If I'm going to be serious about this being something my daughter could use, then it would be a good choice.

Lynn, perhaps you're right about the mag-glasses... There's a part of me that just wants to cop-out and say "meh, Swiss Champ", but there's no way my daughter could ever realistically be able to use one, not until she's almost a teenager.    

A pared-down Swiss Champ is probably the best bet.  Not sure about the pliers though, she might pinch herself with them, and the edges of the jaws are a little bit sharp.  I'm thinking I should poke around SAK-Wiki and see what I can find for inspiration.  Maybe just an Explorer with a couple of extras thrown in would be sufficient.  This is turning out to be more of a challenge than I thought it would be.   

[kkokkolis]

Don't forget the tweezers. The pen is already mentioned, the pin is useful also. So you need Cellidor scales.
One can have a triplet lens for cheap. From Edmund Optics you can get the acrylic for $3! I have 5-10-15x combo from RadioShack for my minerals and it does the job.
But building such a SAK, if you have the resources, is something beyond practicality and usability. Novelty, uniqueness, collectibility, creativity and love expression are reasons to do it. You'd want to give something very special to someone who is so special to you.

[Santos]

How about a Traveller Lite and swapping the inline philips with magnifing glass
(and perharps swapping out the back corkscrew to phillips to eliminate any minute chance of it creating subliminal precursos to alcoholism  ) Add the SOS pouch kit (or buy the components added to a smaller vic pouch)

Then you have all the fun of time, temperature, making things look bigger, looking in dark spots, pens to note stuff down, tweezers to pull nasties out.

The sos kit would add the direction, measurement, and level of things