Lynn's 31 day OBMT Challenge and the Coghlan's 7-Function Army Knife

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #30 on:** October 11, 2015, 09:04:17 PM

I didn't think the CAK would see any use today. However, I used the scissors to clip a coupon for a Subway sub.

Wanna guess what I'm having for lunch and dinner?

EDIT: also, slight glimpse of my 'tiny home' obsessive floorplan doodling on the graph paper below the coupons.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #31 on:** October 12, 2015, 02:15:22 AM

So, I decided to do another burn of the wood gas stove I made, described here...
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,62224.0.html

I decided I'd try using a piece of inner tube to ignite the fire.

Can the CAK's scissors cut inner tube?

'Sort of'. If you use them right handed, and put a TON of pressure on them sideways AND pushing them closed. If you don't mind putting divots in your thumb.

I miss my SAK scissors...

Okay, screw that. Let's try it with the blade.

There ya go! MUCH better. Easy-peasy cut.

Then the CAK got some use for VERY light batoning to make matchstick size kindling to start the wood-gas stove.

The slip joint on the blade is... soft. VERY soft, the blade kept trying to close on me if I wasn't extremely careful both while batonning AND while extracting the blade from the wood. Keep in mind, I'm talking wood that's the size diameter of pencils here. Scary.

Oh, thought I'd mention, you might notice in these and some previous pics, I made a little dangler hook out of aluminum wire. Seems to work fine for such a light tool.

Etherealicer · **Reply #32 on:** October 12, 2015, 11:13:41 AM

Weak spring on the blade is always scary...

What hurts most if you see a tool like this with Switzerland written on its scales at a tourist shop IN Switzerland!

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #33 on:** October 12, 2015, 08:16:38 PM

I did some marginally scientific testing, and it looks like the blade closes with about 16 ounces (453g) of force, compared to the 5 91mm SAKs I have (of various age and wear) that have forces between about 24oz (680g) and 40oz (1134g).

I was a bit surprised how soft one of the backsprings was on one SAK, but all the others were close to twice the force required to close their blades as the CAK.

I took the CAK out into the back yard. I've been trying to salvage some ash branches, to hopefully use them for... something, someday. We had a largish (4", 101mm) branch fall the other day, and I have been cutting it up and stripping the bark. Most of the work done by a hatchet, but finished with the CAK.

The outer layers are quite soft, but the inner wood is extremely hard, and would deflect the blade readily. Regardless of that, I did get a fair number of times where the blade would dig into the hard wood. I created quite a pile of shavings with it. I'm guessing half an hour of work. Once done, I brought it in and tested it on paper, to see how the edge was doing.

It's still paper-cutting sharp. Not even a hesitant jagged cut. Good, clean cuts. Maybe a tad less effortless than it was when I started, but I am extremely impressed with how the edge held.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #34 on:** October 14, 2015, 02:03:37 AM

Well...

I didn't BREAK the CAK today. That's the good news.

I was making some cuts into some ash branches for a project...

I was using it to baton with to cut notches into pieces of wood. That didn't seem to cause a problem, but then i had to do some hard whittling, and the blade developed REALLY noticeable side-to-side play. If the pin is still holding it together, it's only barely doing it.

At this point, I don't feel like using the tool is safe, and don't feel like taking it apart to fix it.

I'm calling it a wash, with tool failure.

If I decide to continue with the challenge, I'll switch to another tool tomorrow. I dunno at this point, though.

Funny thing is, the blade is still paper-cuttign sharp.

AND, it lasted long enough for me to get the 7-day ob badge.

NetsNJ · **Reply #35 on:** October 14, 2015, 02:31:46 AM

Quote from: Etherealicer on October 12, 2015, 11:13:41 AM

What hurts most if you see a tool like this with Switzerland written on its scales at a tourist shop IN Switzerland!

Haha, really? When I was in Switzerland this past Spring, I only saw real SAKs. Mostly Vics but some Wengers too in some shops! It was very overwhelming.

sawman · **Reply #36 on:** October 14, 2015, 02:35:13 AM

I'm a little disappointed but not surprised. But you're doing the right thing being cautious and not using the knife.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #37 on:** October 14, 2015, 05:40:08 AM

Coghlan's 7-Function Army Knife, a multi tool barely alive...

Grathr · **Reply #38 on:** October 14, 2015, 07:01:28 AM

Thats too bad.
What will you use next, if you continue?

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Lynn LeFey · **Reply #39 on:** October 14, 2015, 07:31:50 AM

We can rebuild him...

Make him better than he was before.

Better, stronger, faster...

I threw the CAK in the garbage. Literally, tossed it in the trashcan.

And then I started thinking. Absolute WORST case if I destroy the scales trying to remove them, or wreck the pins trying to repeen them, I have to throw it away anyway. So I gave it a shot.

Repeened the two end pins. This completely eliminated the blade side-to-side movement. The only problem was I forgot to do the center pin, which also needs to be done. I'll do that tomorrow, and run out to get some super glue to reattach the scales.

I think the CAK is back in serviceable condition. Or should be by tomorrow.

Here you get to see the ugly glue job that's done in the factory on the inside of the scales. These scales are a lot softer than the SAK Cellidor. It's pretty forgiving to the prying required to remove them.There's no press fitting, just 'goo'.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #40 on:** October 14, 2015, 07:43:07 AM

I feel a need to make a link, for posterity, to the post Jothra made about two and a half years ago, stating that he STARTED a Coghlan's 30-day Army Knife challenge by repeening his tool.

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,42423.msg696760.html#msg696760

I should have done the same.

Grathr · **Reply #41 on:** October 14, 2015, 11:26:49 AM

Jothra sure knew how to beat the crap out of a tool

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Lynn LeFey · **Reply #42 on:** October 14, 2015, 08:22:28 PM

So I ran down to the big box building center to get some super glue.

$2.13 for 4 little tubes. I used one to reattach the scales after repeening that center pin. Because, you know... spending $2 to fix a $2 knife TOTALLY makes sense.

I need to stop for a moment to say that about a week ago, I went yard sale hunting with the hubby. One of the places we stopped, obviously NOT a yardsale, was Sears tool center in my home town. I was looking for a vise. They had a 4" model, last in stock, on sale for $25. Now I have a vice. No, I didn't have a vise before. Not having a vise can severely hamper the number of stupid things you can do with stuff in your garage. But now I have one. It has a little 'anvil' area on the back, and that proved to be a perfect surface for the repeening of the tool.

Now that the tool has been tightened up, it seems to be working better in all ways. While the backspring retention is still soft, the tightness of the pins means that the tools don't collapse as easily.

It felt so solid that I decided to try the dreaded 'wood screw' test on it. I built a bench out of dimensional lumber some time back, and the wood screws holding it together are REALLY hard to turn by hand. It is the benchmark (no pun intended) I use for a hard philips task. The Micra will JUST manage it.

The CAK also managed it, but I was feeling pretty iffy about it. Still, at least marginal success.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #43 on:** October 16, 2015, 01:44:32 AM

Today, CAK vs a pile of bone-in pork steaks.

The winner...

The CAK. Easy work.

After using it for hard whittling the other day, the blade was still sharp. Not quite as sharp as it had been though, so I ran it over my ceramic rods and stropped it on a leather belt. Result? Shaving sharp. No kidding. This is the FIRST time I've gotten a blade to cleanly shave hairs.

So, taking it to the meat was almost effortless work. The low mass of the blade and small handle meant it was a bit fiddly and slow, but the cuts were easy. I was careful with the work, too, so I didn't get ick into the tool which made for easy (and hopefully hygienic) cleanup.

Also, thread crossover!!!

I found a fantastic deal on this family pack of porksteak. I don't grill them the way they're usually done. I find myself more often just dicing them and stir frying, or maybe using a good cutlet to make a sandwich. But they always get cut up, with bones removed, when i get them. The majority gets frozen (since it's just me eating them, and that could take 2 weeks), and the remaining scraps that don't make convenient serving sizes usually get stir fried immediately.

Check the following for my deep and profound musings on the cut known as 'Pork Steak'.
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,62432.0.html

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #44 on:** October 16, 2015, 08:32:47 PM

The CAK liberated this little beast from its packaging.

Grathr · **Reply #45 on:** October 16, 2015, 09:28:46 PM

What flashlight is that?

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Lynn LeFey · **Reply #46 on:** October 16, 2015, 10:04:51 PM

Olight i3S.

I tried to catch the model number printed around the casing in the photo, but the reflection of light obscured it.

I actually got two flashlights today. My hubby is walking a lot, and does an hour or more when he gets home from work. We're quickly running out of daylight hours, so I wanted to get him a light. Not knowing what he'd prefer, I ended up getting a Fenix E01 with a blue case, and the Olight i3S in Yellow. Blue because it's his favorite color. I'd have gotten the i3S in Blue as well, if the local place i go to had it in blue. Next best option IMO was Yellow, so it'd be easier to see if dropped.

Both are about the same size and weight. Obviously you get a lot more functions from the i3S. But Hubby just wants a light to see dark spots along his route where there are no streetlights. The single, simple function of the e01 will work just fine for that. And the 20 lumen rating should be fine.

He didn't seem terribly interested in the more gadgety i3S.

sawman · **Reply #47 on:** October 16, 2015, 10:17:51 PM

Got any pics of these lights

?

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #48 on:** October 17, 2015, 01:17:35 AM

Well, the iS3 is pictured above, and the e01 looks like every other blue e01.

I'm helpful!

Also, turns out hubby DID like the i3S. He'll use the e01 for his evening walks, and the iS3 for EDC.

Unrelated to flashlights...

I've come to the conclusion that the CAK is actually REALLY good as just a general use blade. It starts falling off in worth with heavier use, but for like 98% of daily tasks, it's amazingly good.

This is kind of the way it is with a lot of the functions. For general daily use, it's absolutely fine. It's only when it's pushed hard that it starts showing problems.

It is the exact same conclusion I came to when comparing the Leatherman PST to a knock-off Sheffield 1200E...

Quote from: Lynn LeFey on April 13, 2012, 09:45:56 PM

In short, I don't think the PST is so much more likely to succeed at easy tasks as it is to not fail at harder ones.

Once I repeened this tool, I think it's absolutely fine for virtually all day-to-day tasks one would ask of it. As much as I have joked about Chinese SAK knock-offs... this is really not a terrible tool (again, once it's been repeened).

That being said, I am a complete scissor snob, and WANT MY EXPLORER BACK!!!!

Grathr · **Reply #49 on:** October 17, 2015, 08:33:52 AM

I should have known. When I think about it, I think I have one of those Olights

Imagine if one those chinese companies actually tried to make a good SAK...

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sawman · **Reply #50 on:** October 17, 2015, 02:45:12 PM

I think I'll stick with my official SAKs which don't require re-peening after each use

Grathr · **Reply #51 on:** October 17, 2015, 03:02:25 PM

Quote from: sawman on October 17, 2015, 02:45:12 PM

I think I'll stick with my official SAKs which don't require re-peening after each use

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Lynn LeFey · **Reply #52 on:** October 18, 2015, 01:45:53 AM

Cut some very fine kindling for fire making.

I started this fire with dryer lint, ferro rod, and a piece of inner tube. Then followed with this kindling, and built from there. It went tremendously well, but it took maybe 16 strikes of the ferro rod (a good but small exotac).

Afterward, the CAK opened a beer. Then another, and another... SO many beers...

If testing the bottle opener requires a reasonable level of intoxication to determine 'real world use'.... well, it's now tested. Works great. Opens on first pull, even when things get wobbly.

sawman · **Reply #53 on:** October 18, 2015, 02:01:15 AM

I'm glad that bottle opener's working for ya Lynn

Grathr · **Reply #54 on:** October 18, 2015, 08:00:14 AM

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Lynn LeFey · **Reply #55 on:** October 19, 2015, 02:54:22 AM

So, what did my CAK do for me today?

Nothing.

Here it is sitting on the railing of my deck, after a long day of waiting patiently to fulfill my every whim.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #56 on:** October 19, 2015, 06:38:12 PM

More coupon clipping today...

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #57 on:** October 20, 2015, 09:18:57 PM

Today, I went around our house, and tested the flathead driver on many of the flathead screws holding our house together. It must just be the age of the house, because most of our door hardware has flathead screws.

It did pretty well. Certainly good enough to tighten the odd loose screw.

Also, since repeening, it is MUCH less prone to collapsing shut while being used for screw driving.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #58 on:** October 22, 2015, 02:33:11 AM

The CAK cuts the cheese.

Etherealicer · **Reply #59 on:** October 22, 2015, 07:55:57 AM

Good for the CAK, I mean there is no guarantee that a knife can cut cheese (or butter):

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Lynn's 31 day OBMT Challenge and the Coghlan's 7-Function Army Knife

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