ZapWizard's Leatherman Free P4 Mods

[ZapWizard]

I thought I had a good design for the thumb-tabs, and had SLS prototypes in hand last week.
The design was three small tabs held together by a sprue to reduce costs (Shapeways charges per-part)

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In CAD these flat-head screws were supposed to be just a bit bigger than the slot, and they would secure the thumb tabs to the blade without any glue needed.
They are tiny #0-80x1/8L screws. But reality turned out that they fit through the slot, and were nearly impossible to thread into the tiny blind holes.

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The prototypes did show they work pretty well. It makes it easier to open the blade, and easier to keep you thumb on one spot through the whole opening process.
However, I had to redesign them to figure out another securing method besides super glue.

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This is the new design. It uses either #1-72 or M2 set screws. The set screws go almost the full length of the thumb tab. This time the hole they go into is tapered.
The top edge is set to that it should start to thread easily. Then the hole tapers down to the point that the hole is undersized. This along with a split in the back should make it so that the screw clamps the plastic sideways into the slot.
We will see once the second revision arrives.

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The holster, driver, first run prints have all been ordered  I didn't pay extra this time for rush processing, so it will be almost a month before I get them in my hands.

[genevabuck]

Wow. Very nice. Any guess on costs?

[ZapWizard]

Pricing should work out to be $39 for the holsters (Same as my others), $25 for the bit holder, and $14 for the thumb tabs. Those prices are mostly Shapeways production costs.

[Happy Gilmore]

Pricing should work out to be $39 for the holsters (Same as my others), $25 for the bit holder, and $14 for the thumb tabs. Those prices are mostly Shapeways production costs.

OMG that is so reasonable for the bit holder. Any chance of designing a 1/4" hex bit holder for the wave/charge platform? If anyone can, you probably could.

[Poncho65]

  Some very nice work, Zap

[ZapWizard]

My production holster arrived today!

The good news is no design changes needed. Those seven previous prototypes paid off. The holster works perfectly. The tool snaps in with a satisfying click and is very secure with no rattling. It is slightly less secure when docked upside down due to the spring angle, but still good enough not to fall out if shaken upside down.

I did record a nice video showing off everything. But it turned out to be too blurry and with too much wind noisey. (Dead cat's don't work as well as they should). I will record another video once I get some time later next week.

The new production thumb tabs also arrived, along with the tiny set screws. They also fit perfectly and look great. The expanding set-screw lock worked like a charm.

Both of these are available on my Shapeways store. The link is in my signature.

The swappable bit holder also is here, but will require some drilling and more experimentation which I don't have time for this week. The bad news there is it probably will need to looe the bottle opener, as some Leatherman bits just don't have enough surface area at the back to fully engage with the magnet, and are weakly held right now.

[Happy Gilmore]

That looks absolutely beautiful!  

[zoidberg]

Everything looks good.
And I understand you've designed over/with what was already there but those thumb tabs are over the blade edge.
Having experienced this from some well known knife brands, it's something I choose to move away from.

[ZapWizard]

And I understand you've designed over/with what was already there but those thumb tabs are over the blade edge.
Having experienced this from some well known knife brands, it's something I choose to move away from.

I am not sure what you mean by "over the blade edge". The tabs are all within the profile of the blade. And other than the main blade: They are all just barely larger than the thumb opening they go into. None of them extend more than a fraction of a millimeter past the back of the blade, so they won't interfere with other tools.

If you meant they rise above the scales on the tool. Currently they rise just 0.7mm above the surface. Just enough to grip even with gloves, but not enough to snag on anything.

[zoidberg]

(Image removed from quote.)

I am not sure what you mean by "over the blade edge". The tabs are all within the profile of the blade. And other than the main blade: They are all just barely larger than the thumb opening they go into. None of them extend more than a fraction of a millimeter past the back of the blade, so they won't interfere with other tools.

If you meant they rise above the scales on the tool. Currently they rise just 0.7mm above the surface. Just enough to grip even with gloves, but not enough to snag on anything.

I mean it interrupts the line between the edge and the back of the blade.
When cutting the thumb tab will snag.
IMO this reduces the effective length of the blade or saw.

[gerleatherberman]

Depends on what you're cutting. They wouldn't interfere with rope cutting, tube cutting, zip tie cutting, etc. The only thing I do that it would shorten the effective length of the blade is cutting fruit, and I rarely cut fruit with an MT blade. Maybe wood carving in some respects.

In fact, the thumb tabs would make it more comfortable to put your thumb on the spine of the blades.

I'm ordering a set of thumb tabs in white this weekend.

[Juan el Boricua]

ZapWizard, those are really good -looking, well-designed accessories you made...kudos to you Sir! Will you consider doing the thumb tabs and sheath for the gen2 and 3 Waves? I'll be interested in two sets!

[gerleatherberman]

Check out his store. Lots of cool tool accessories.

[ZapWizard]

I mean it interrupts the line between the edge and the back of the blade.
When cutting the thumb tab will snag.
IMO this reduces the effective length of the blade or saw.

I definitely agree for the saw. And honestly, I didn't even think about it. Other than the saw I have never used the full depth/length of any blade myself.

I'm ordering a set of thumb tabs in white this weekend.

FYI: Nylon is an absorbent material. Lighter colors will show dirt quite quickly.

ZapWizard, those are really good -looking, well-designed accessories you made...kudos to you Sir! Will you consider doing the thumb tabs and sheath for the gen2 and 3 Waves? I'll be interested in two sets!

It is on my list of projects to tackle someday.

[SirVicaLot]

This project is awesome, very nice work Sir 

[Poncho65]

This project is awesome, very nice work Sir 

 

[Wspeed]

 

[Dutch_Tooler]

Some more  from me. Definitely interested in the bit holder...

[gerleatherberman]

Thanks for the info, Zap!

After installation, would a few coats of cyanoacrylate do the trick in creating a strong stain resistant barrier?
I know it would keep them from coming out easily for sure. 

[ZapWizard]

The Nylon is solid but still absorbent. As all nylon materials are. The surface is a bit more so just due to the sintering process this will smooth out quickly. Then be easier to clean. But sealing it with a clear coat or super glue should work.

The Nylon also has a higher melting point than the softening point of super glue. So if you want to remove them you can try heating the glass surface gently to release the glue. Similar to how folks use CA glue to hold items onto a lathe plate.

[gerleatherberman]

Many thanks, ZapWizard!

[ZapWizard]

Okay, I have my prototype bit holder modification. Reminder: This uses a 3D printed piece and a magnet to hold the Leatherman Flat Hex interchangeable bits

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The good news: The bottle opener works great. 

The sintered stainless steel material is very strong. It took several minutes of drilling to ream out the 1/4" deep magnet hole to fit the magnet just right. I have no doubt it will hold up to some heavy torque.
The surface is pitted, as a result of the sintering process. But the surface is polished and actually quite low friction. There will be no issues deploying the tool (once the profile is tweaked, more on that later)

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The bad news: The bottle opener cutout makes holding a bit straight impossible. 

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The magnet inside does a good job of holding the bit in, but not straight. It can easily tilt away. I will have to skip my precious Topo Chico, or find another solution.
The internal magnet also doesn't interact with the tool catch magnet at all, so no worries there. The stainless steel is attractive enough to hold close the same as the other tools.

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I made the prototype as a way to test the tolerances of the material, as well as the general fit and strength.
I did screw up, in that I followed the profile of the blades, and not the other tools. You can see this in the image above, the blade have a more difficult to deploy profile, while the smaller tools have more of a curve to make them easier to deploy.
Right now the open latch effect isn't as solid as I want. So I will have some re-designs and another prototype or two.

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There are a few options to preserve the bottle opener:
-Modify the can-opener tool to work as a bottle opener (Like the Wave does)
-Make a can-opener bit. (I sort of am leaning towards this one)
-Try to figure out some other placement for it on the bit holder (will work on this also)

[ZapWizard]

The video on the holtser is now live:

[Raoul Octav]

My2cents, maybe focus on a bit adapter for the small bits, the ones used by victorinox cibertool

[Happy Gilmore]

My2cents, maybe focus on a bit adapter for the small bits, the ones used by victorinox cibertool

Your referring to 4mm percision bits.
But the Leatherman bits store flat which is really nice. That being said, using 4mm bits would be so so so much cheaper and give the tool access to tons of other proprietary bits. It also opens up a lot more space on the tool because they are smaller than Leatherman bits.

Now that you mention it, I'd probably prefer the 4mm bits overall because of how easy they are to replace. A full set, including a spare driver costs less than 10$.

[ZapWizard]

Here is the re-designed non-can opener version. It can probably keep the 1/4" hex opening.
I am not quite happy with it. The flat end doesn't look great, but is needed to keep up the material thickness.

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...maybe focus on a bit adapter for the small bits, the ones used by victorinox cibertool

Since this will be a product mostly for tool modders, that is a good idea. I use a set of 4mm precision bits constantly at work. The only catch is they don't have the larger Torx and screw sizes.
Above is a mock-up image, showing a 4mm bit will fit nicely, and won't require the 5 degree tilt. I may even be able to get the can opener back in.

I may be able to develop both at the same time, it would just double my prototyping costs. 

[Happy Gilmore]

(Image removed from quote.)

Here is the re-designed non-can opener version. It can probably keep the 1/4" hex opening.
I am not quite happy with it. The flat end doesn't look great, but is needed to keep up the material thickness.

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(Image removed from quote.)

Since this will be a product mostly for tool modders, that is a good idea. I use a set of 4mm precision bits constantly at work. The only catch is they don't have the larger Torx and screw sizes.
Above is a mock-up image, showing a 4mm bit will fit nicely, and won't require the 5 degree tilt. I may even be able to get the can opener back in.

I may be able to develop both at the same time, it would just double my prototyping costs. 

Seriously bro, u are amazing. I was going to hold off on the p2 or p4, but you might be forcing me with how awesome these are. I'd do a poll to see which one is more likely to get bought. Sales from one can help offset the other. I do think the 4mm/ bottle opener might be very enticing. Is the 1/4" hex hole still possible with that setup? If so than the 4mm would be better because it's basically a 3 in 1 tool. I'd definitely buy that. Especially since that means it can use the two most common bit shapes. In modding I use the percision bits over the leatherman ones 90% of the time.

[Dutch_Tooler]

Interesting option to use the 4mm bits  . That combined with a cap lifter and 1/4" hex would be awesome 

[Wspeed]

That looks excellent ZapWizard

[Happy Gilmore]

Interesting option to use the 4mm bits  . That combined with a cap lifter and 1/4" hex would be awesome 

A 4mm setup would also likely be stronger because of it's shape. This would also benefit a 1/4" hole.

Imagine if you could add a T-shank exchanger instead of serrated blade. That would let u use the surge saw and file setup..now I'm dreaming