Rookie attempt at a custom SAK (hopefully this will contain "Lessons Learned")

[Aloha]

  DETRON.  That looks awesome buddy congrats on your first ( of many ) mods.  Hmm  maybe I should commision you to do my first mod  .

[detron]

OK,  thanks to all the beautiful Custom SAKs I have seen here, and thanks to buying a Custom SAK from GigaHz,  I have taken the plunge and hope to teach others not to make the same mistakes I do, as well as maybe build some confidence to those who are considering it.

I am just getting started, and it will most likely go slowly.

Knowledge Nugget #1

I wish I had a drill press



I have a mod in mind that will be a larger (# of layers) and since I wanted to not ruin a high dollar SAK right off of the bat, I chose to take apart my Serrated Spartan first (better a $15 SAK get ruined than a $50 SAK)




I am fairly sure I managed to save all six of the collars (5 for sure, gotta check the last one a little closer) 

Knowledge Nugget #2

next SAK I take apart, start with the middle pins first.
     I took apart a Spartan, and had pieces falling out (offset piece for small blade) and I was trying to be super careful so I know what goes where and in which    orientation.

So, I have gained a little more confidence and hope to continue on soon.

DETRON.  That looks awesome buddy congrats on your first ( of many ) mods.  Hmm  maybe I should commision you to do my first mod  .

There in less the problem, I. Do not have Amy more 2.2 mm brass for the inner pins.   Also,  I recommend hiring up one of the pros, one mod does not equal best choice

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

[n4vgm]

Don't kid yourself, this is a JOB WELL DONE! Just having the perseverance to see the project through to a successful end is 90% of the struggle. It took me several months to get everything together, build up the background head knowledge (via this forum  ) THEN get the courage to start (knowing I could be left with a pile of parts).   

Your's came out very classy and is perfectly suited to YOUR needs!   

[detron]

Don't kid yourself, this is a JOB WELL DONE! Just having the perseverance to see the project through to a successful end is 90% of the struggle. It took me several months to get everything together, build up the background head knowledge (via this forum  ) THEN get the courage to start (knowing I could be left with a pile of parts).   

Your's came out very classy and is perfectly suited to YOUR needs!   

thank you for the kind words

[detron]

I think Cyber-Engineer is the name I am going to stick with on this SAK.  I like the name, and have stopped trying to come up with other names.

I do appreciate all of the help and support that was given while I took this leap, thank you.

I would also like to thank Grant and all of the staff of MTO, without which this support and knowledge would not have been obtained and I would not have a new self-built custom SAK.

now time to find some more 2.2mm brass   

[Higgins617]

That came out very nice! You have me wanting to try now!

[detron]

That came out very nice! You have me wanting to try now!

   go for it 

[enki_ck]

That's a very cool pocketful of tools. Congrats on joining the modding community.  

[Higgins617]

I'm going to soon! Thanks for the push

[ducttapetech]

Nice job!

that's us mobile

[Jetbo]

1.  I INSIST on having a Mag glass with me every day.  (looking at motherboards and such, or just for a nice macro picture)
2.  I Love having the CT layer
3.  the Technologist (Cyber-Yeoman) covers these and is my normal carry, but this adds pliers and the new file, serrated blade and normal openers, and a new style Vic file

so now the technologist and the Cyber-Engineer will be my choices for daily carry, one light, and one beefy.
[/quote]

I like your ideas with your cybertool mods    I think we have allot of similar wants when it comes to a SAK.  I would love one like your Cyber-Yeoman with a serrated main blade/small blade, cybertool, then if possible do something like Syph007 does with allot of his 93mm mods have the can opener next to the bottle opener and the mag glass opposite like Syph does with the Phillips. 

[detron]

1.  I INSIST on having a Mag glass with me every day.  (looking at motherboards and such, or just for a nice macro picture)
2.  I Love having the CT layer
3.  the Technologist (Cyber-Yeoman) covers these and is my normal carry, but this adds pliers and the new file, serrated blade and normal openers, and a new style Vic file

so now the technologist and the Cyber-Engineer will be my choices for daily carry, one light, and one beefy.

I like your ideas with your cybertool mods    I think we have allot of similar wants when it comes to a SAK.  I would love one like your Cyber-Yeoman with
[/quote]


with what?  your post seems to have been cut off

[Jetbo]

fixed

[detron]

1.  I INSIST on having a Mag glass with me every day.  (looking at motherboards and such, or just for a nice macro picture)
2.  I Love having the CT layer
3.  the Technologist (Cyber-Yeoman) covers these and is my normal carry, but this adds pliers and the new file, serrated blade and normal openers, and a new style Vic file

so now the technologist and the Cyber-Engineer will be my choices for daily carry, one light, and one beefy.

I like your ideas with your cybertool mods    I think we have allot of similar wants when it comes to a SAK.  I would love one like your Cyber-Yeoman with a serrated main blade/small blade, cybertool, then if possible do something like Syph007 does with allot of his 93mm mods have the can opener next to the bottle opener and the mag glass opposite like Syph does with the Phillips. 
[/quote]

I am not saying that would or would not work, but when Syph007 does that, the phillips is on the shorter part of the back spring (harder to move) then the drivers are on the longer, (better leveraged) part of the spring.   I thought about this for this mod, and figured it would break nails to open an opener.   Plus, I love the inline phillips, and use it for heavy duty screws, I keep the bit driver for more precise work.

good thoughts though.  and others may prove that your way would not be too tight to open (I have not tried, just working it in my head)

[Syph007]

That phillips trick only works on the 93mm as well since the springs are symmetrical.  You cant flip around springs on a 91. 

[detron]

That phillips trick only works on the 93mm as well since the springs are symmetrical.  You cant flip around springs on a 91. 

I did not realize that the 93mm SAKs had symmetrical springs.  good point there.  I learned something today      

[Jetbo]

Yes, even if it would work it would probably not worth the effort of needing to make/find washers that would fit just to save maybe a spacer width wide of space. So Phillips/mag glass then opener layer would be best.  I just don't like the combo tool like on the swissbianco's due to the fact I use the bottle opener as a light prybar as often if not more then I do a screwdriver. Anyways good job detron I like it!

[pfrsantos]

Detron is our next resident modder in the making .  I cannot wait to see how this turns out.

to me the scariest part is left, peening,  the rest never bothered me, but peening is scary to me.  we will see what the future holds.

how ever the confidence level is slowly going up.

Great work! All of it!
 

What kind of hammer do you use? Ball head? Do you put the brass rod in the drill and peen it while the rod rotates? If so, do you use a lower velocity in the drill or the "regular" working speed?
 

Sorry for all the questions, I'm trying to bring myself to do what you just did... but with old/less expensive SAKs...
 

[detron]

Detron is our next resident modder in the making .  I cannot wait to see how this turns out.

to me the scariest part is left, peening,  the rest never bothered me, but peening is scary to me.  we will see what the future holds.

how ever the confidence level is slowly going up.

Great work! All of it!
 

What kind of hammer do you use? Ball head? Do you put the brass rod in the drill and peen it while the rod rotates? If so, do you use a lower velocity in the drill or the "regular" working speed?
 

Sorry for all the questions, I'm trying to bring myself to do what you just did... but with old/less expensive SAKs...
 

funny,  I planned on doing this with older SAKs,  but I wanted the new file, and a Cybertool Bit driver, and a Serrated blade,  so I used 3 of my new SAKs, since I did not have those parts anywhere else.

I thought about peening with the drill press, but I used a hand drill and inserted the brass into that and used a 1oz hammer (TOO SMALL, lesson learned)
the only hammer I had was a 1 oz watch hammer, and a 16oz claw hammer.  neither is ideal, and I will invest in another hammer 6-8oz before I ever do this again.

[PTRSAK]

I have 1oz, 2oz, 4oz and 8oz hammers and they are all handy.
The light ones are useful if you ever get into doing any 58mm work.

[detron]

well, I have spotted the minor issue with my first custom. 



this end of the SAK is SLIGHTLY bent,  very slightly,  I felt it in my hand, and had a hard time figuring out what was wrong, but I guess this pin bent a little.  none of the tools feel odd when being opened or closed.  I am not going to try to correct this, I will just be more mindful in the future. 

luckily it is minor, and not causing any play or binding.

[Metropolicity]

Um...What you making?   

SwissChamp, drop the woodsaw and the fish scaler (I like these tools, but not for this build)
add the CT Layer
add a second large and small blade layer, but using the fully serrated blade from a serrated spartan.  (not the corkscrew as back tool since this will not be at edge)

That sounds like my dream tool. I think I have to build myself one!

[detron]

Um...What you making?   

SwissChamp, drop the woodsaw and the fish scaler (I like these tools, but not for this build)
add the CT Layer
add a second large and small blade layer, but using the fully serrated blade from a serrated spartan.  (not the corkscrew as back tool since this will not be at edge)

That sounds like my dream tool. I think I have to build myself one!

Thanks Metro!  Glad you liked it

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

[Metropolicity]

Um...What you making?   

SwissChamp, drop the woodsaw and the fish scaler (I like these tools, but not for this build)
add the CT Layer
add a second large and small blade layer, but using the fully serrated blade from a serrated spartan.  (not the corkscrew as back tool since this will not be at edge)

That sounds like my dream tool. I think I have to build myself one!

Thanks Metro!  Glad you liked it

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

Short of a Robbie bit, it would be my dream SAK. Maybe you should trim to find or adapt a hawksbill blade in the serrated blade layer instead of a second pen blade. You gotta try some spine filework so you can know which blade is which! LESSON learn!

[detron]

Um...What you making?   

SwissChamp, drop the woodsaw and the fish scaler (I like these tools, but not for this build)
add the CT Layer
add a second large and small blade layer, but using the fully serrated blade from a serrated spartan.  (not the corkscrew as back tool since this will not be at edge)

That sounds like my dream tool. I think I have to build myself one!

Thanks Metro!  Glad you liked it

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

Short of a Robbie bit, it would be my dream SAK. Maybe you should trim to find or adapt a hawksbill blade in the serrated blade layer instead of a second pen blade. You gotta try some spine filework so you can know which blade is which! LESSON learn!

I did not have any more mod fodder, or money to put into this custom,  so a second small blade is what I had.   Thought about doing some file work,  but as a newbie, I did not want to ruin the only serrated blade I had.

Your ideas are spot on,  my execution might have been lacking.   I do have some Robertson bits that are being added to my extra bits for the Cybertool.  I love Robertson screws,  they do not fall off the driver,  their do not strip,  and they pre date phillips screws ( and my last name is phillips)

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

[stealth007s]

I can't believe I missed all this. Nice work here Detron VERY inspiring!¡!

[Higgins617]

well, I have spotted the minor issue with my first custom. 



this end of the SAK is SLIGHTLY bent,  very slightly,  I felt it in my hand, and had a hard time figuring out what was wrong, but I guess this pin bent a little.  none of the tools feel odd when being opened or closed.  I am not going to try to correct this, I will just be more mindful in the future. 

luckily it is minor, and not causing any play or binding.

No it just has more character than all those pristine tools . Its still great, don't worry about it buddy!

[detron]

well, I have spotted the minor issue with my first custom. 



this end of the SAK is SLIGHTLY bent,  very slightly,  I felt it in my hand, and had a hard time figuring out what was wrong, but I guess this pin bent a little.  none of the tools feel odd when being opened or closed.  I am not going to try to correct this, I will just be more mindful in the future. 

luckily it is minor, and not causing any play or binding.

No it just has more character than all those pristine tools . Its still great, don't worry about it buddy!

it is VERY minor,  I cannot slide a piece of paper under the liners that are raised.  very minor.

[detron]

Um...What you making?   

SwissChamp, drop the woodsaw and the fish scaler (I like these tools, but not for this build)
add the CT Layer
add a second large and small blade layer, but using the fully serrated blade from a serrated spartan.  (not the corkscrew as back tool since this will not be at edge)

That sounds like my dream tool. I think I have to build myself one!

Thanks Metro!  Glad you liked it

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

Short of a Robbie bit, it would be my dream SAK. Maybe you should trim to find or adapt a hawksbill blade in the serrated blade layer instead of a second pen blade. You gotta try some spine filework so you can know which blade is which! LESSON learn!

Also, I like extra blades, I like American knives that have 3 or four  (or more) blades, and one of the two small blades has been assigned tape duty, to help keep the others nice and clean.

[detron]

Knowledge Nugget #8

stop doubting yourself,  you too can make a custom