Tips on customizing a Swiss army knife

[Gino88]

Nice to meet you Swiss Army Knights,

I am Gino from the Netherlands and I am a SAK Enthousiast. I have a small collection of Victorinox and Wenger knives from which most notable is probably an original Dutch Army Victorinox Knive. Besides that I carry around daily a more modern Victorinox Trailmaster, however lately I have found myself in need of more tools and it seems the Trailmaster is just a bit limited for me

So I went ahead an looked on the internet for a replacement of my Trailmaster. I had the following demands as I use the SAK on hiking/camping but also for general indoor use.

- A good set of pliers ( I also have a Victorinox Work champ but those pliers aren’t really usefull, so I looked at the Swisstools or the Rangergrip series)
- A good wood saw blade for outdoor use
- Can/bottle opener for general use
- Flat screwdriver + philips screwdriver for general use
- A one handed knife for general use
- Prefferably a standard hex bitholder because I also have a bike which uses a lot of allen and torx bolts

Problem is no victorinox can offer me what I want. Because the Swisstool is heavy and big and the Knive is not one handed. Then we have only 3 Rangergrip models left that offer serious pliers, being the Boatsman, Handyman (174) and the Handyman (74) without the hex bitholder.

Unfortunately none of these offer a saw blade and they have a cork screw instead of a philips screwdriver. So I decided I want to create my own custom Victorinox knive based on the Rangergrip Boatman, which has enough space to modify the required tools.

So basically what I want to do is buy a Boatsman and A Rangergrip 178 in green/black. Then I want to switch the saw blades, the philips screwdriver and the scales. Te result would be a Boatsman that offers a saw blade, a philips screw and a neath dark green/black scale instead of the bright Yellow one.

Now before I go ahead and order these Knives and void the warranty I was thinking I maybe should check in for tips first. I already saw some Youtube tutorials and from where I stand it looks pretty simple. I only Need to drill out one of the three copper tubes, the one that is holding the Marlin tool.

Then I only need to pull it out partially so the marlin tool and the bottle opener will fall out. Then I replacet hem with the saw and bottle opener and push back the pin. Readjusting it with a tiny bit of copper solder or punching it flat a little.

Anyone that could think of thing that could go wrong with this idea?
Any comment is highly appreciated,
Gino

[SirVicaLot]

Interesting idea. Hopefully our experienced mod folk have tips for you 

Welcome to MTo! 

[Wspeed]

Hope you can get it done 
Sounds like a great idea 
And welcome to 

[ElevenBlade]

 

I have no experience modding, but plenty of people on this forum do.

I'm surprised that Victorinox didn't make just one more version of their Ranger series with pliers and a saw.  Those pliers would be perfect for small jobs that could come up on relatively higher impact outdoor activities.  Especially for people like me that don't want to carry a plier based MT outdoors.

Maybe they're up to their antics again... leaving one tool out of an activity-specific tool, so you need to buy two.   

[VICMAN]

Welcome to the forum Gino88!

[Barry Rowland]

Welcome aboard!  You might want to check out the Modders section for the folks that really know the modding business.

[McStitchy]

Welcome to the MTO forums Gino88 

That would be an awesome SAK 
However, it might not be as easy as it seems to.

Drilling out a pin means it cannot be peened (hammered) back into shape again for reassembling. It will be too short then.
Unfortunately soldering will not work well either.
It will just not have the strength needed, or damage the aluminium liner, depending on the soldering type.

Apart from that, exchanging the implements like that means that you'll have to push against the spring to put in the new tool which is not easy to do that way.

I would suggest a proper disassembling and with complete new pins.
You might try out modding an old SAK first to gather some experience with it 

Or... what about a Vic. Spirit with Bit set and a separate folder? 

[Borg]

   If it was me i would redo the whole thing..or check out the old Wengers as i'm pretty sure what you are looking to make already exists, welcome aboard 

[Borg]

It was the Rangergrip 90 i was thinking of, no marlin though 

[Gino88]

Thanks all for the welcome and positive replies 

Welcome to the MTO forums Gino88 

That would be an awesome SAK 
However, it might not be as easy as it seems to.

Drilling out a pin means it cannot be peened (hammered) back into shape again for reassembling. It will be too short then.
Unfortunately soldering will not work well either.
It will just not have the strength needed, or damage the aluminium liner, depending on the soldering type.

Apart from that, exchanging the implements like that means that you'll have to push against the spring to put in the new tool which is not easy to do that way.

I would suggest a proper disassembling and with complete new pins.
You might try out modding an old SAK first to gather some experience with it 

Or... what about a Vic. Spirit with Bit set and a separate folder? 

Thanks for your comment, I completely missed out on the custom board, should I make a seperate thread overthere?

Regarding the pins, I have read some topics in the mods section but unfortunately most picture do not show. I have watched some youtube videos and some say that it's most easy to to hammer out the pins, which also makes it easier to re-use them and the rings, because I have searched on this forum and Google but I cannot find those brass pins anywhere. I can get some brass wire from the local DIY store, but I am not sure if that will be strong enough or in the right thickness. Regarding the strength my idea was that if I only remove one out of 4 pins, it's less of an issue if it's soldered because I can't go anywhere anyway.

The problem with complete dissambly is that I cannot find the pins and also the spring pin seems like a pain to remove. If I rebuild it completely I would prefer using bolts and knuts anyway but again I am not sure where to find suitable bolts and knuts which fit well. The scales are not really an issue since I am planning on 3d printing them anyway in the future.

Regarding your suggestion; I have teared down one of my older SAK's earlier. Drilling the pins out manually worked quite well, pushing the blade back with the spring still in place was a bit of a pain but I got it down eventually. I will try to hammer out one of the pins on my older SAK tomorrow to see if that works.

And I like doing things myself and have only one thing to carry with me, so I am pretty convinced this is right way to go, I am just not sure if it will work  . If it works I am planning on 3d printing a bit case which will fit partly inside the opening in the middle which is created by the wide leaver of the pliers so I can carry a few extra bits without a seperate bit holder.

Edit: I did find a local webshop that sells 2,5 mm Stainless steel bolts and knuts and 2 mm copper bolts and knuts but I am not sure what the pin sizes of the Rangergrip are, I see some 2.2 mm dimensions in older threads, but not much info about these bigger sized knives.

It was the Rangergrip 90 i was thinking of, no marlin though 

This would be exactly what I am looking for, unfortunately the Wenger Rangegrip 90 isn’t available anywhere

[Rapidray]

Interesting - hope it works out for you! 

[Antti Lammi]

There are quite few models on Wenger that might suite you best like RangeGrip 90 and RangeGrip 88, tho those 2 doesnt have backtool phillips.

[Gino88]

There are quite few models on Wenger that might suite you best like RangeGrip 90 and RangeGrip 88, tho those 2 doesnt have backtool phillips.

Yes, I noticed that but unfortunately none of these models are available, also looked on ebay and other second hand sites.

I have a small update on the project. Actually punching out the brass pins with a screw or a nail went well on my old Victornox which you can see in below picture.

I decided to order the knives to take a closer look and I got them in today. And I must say I was actually a bit dissapointed by the pliers. Sure they are sturdy and the folding mechanism is actually very well thought out. However the pliers take up a lot of space, the Boatsman is heavy and big. That is something I can accept but the main problem is the pliers only open a little bit. Even the flimsy pliers on the Workchamp have a bigger bite as you can see in below picture.

I use the pliers mainly for tightening and untightening bolts and screws and I think that the additional price, effort and size of the pliers is not worth it. Also I really like the size and the weight of the 178 model as it is. So I decided to change my project. Instead of modifying the Boatsman I am gonna modify the 178 model. The plan is to make a 3d printed bitholder of metal which can fold over the screwdriver. This will ofcourse not be suited for heave duty tasks, but it will enable me to do light tasks and also have an in-line hex bit driver, which is more comfortably to hold.

Secondly I want to replace the can opener of the 178 with the pliers of my Swisschamp and to accomodate enough room also change/and or modify the can opener at the opposite side for a smaller one or a filed down one. This way I will still have a very small plier for light tasks and have a hex driver while having a very compact package and saving a lot of money because I can send back the Boatsman and instead re-use my old knive.



Any comments or ideas are appreciated.

[Antti Lammi]

Have you thinked to change to LM wave/charge or Surge. Surge is sure heavier and sturdier than wave/charge but wave/charge is lighter and still excellent tool.
Seems like LM could be better option for you




Only Tools Matters

[karlito]

^^^ My thoughts exactly

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

[comis]

I don't have experience modding the 130mm and 111mm frames, but reading the original post and the later posts.  Here are some thoughts:

1) I searched the Mod squad for posts, and here are some reference that might be helpful:

Modding a SAK 111(with a 111mm disassembled)
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,79309.msg1794577.html#msg1794577

SAK Exploded / Dismantled Photos (mostly 91mm disassembled, but drawing for 111mm)
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,81046.0.html

need help "one handing" a Ranger Gardner 71 (with 130mm disassembled)
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,58919.msg1074961.html#msg1074961

Just looking at the 111mm and 130mm photo, it is without doubt there exist a very significant difference between tang and spring shapes of the two.  I am entirely sure their tools are interchangeable, even if one is willing to do the heavy modding.


2) I have the Wenger Mike Horn, and after weighting it on a balance, it comes in at a hefty 251g(8.85oz).  It might not be the same config that you want, but Wenger pliers does weight quite a bit, and I guesstimate the configuration that you plan in the original post will still going to weight a fair deal.  With that in mind, Antti Lammi and karlitos' suggestions are very relevant, because a LM Charge weights exactly around 250g but the pliers are more substantial, their tool implements are decent and the size is more pocket friendly.  Not to mention there are other alternative that's weight even less with smaller profile, such as Wave.  While Vic spirit is probably my favorite MT of them all, but when it comes to OHO blade and solid pliers, I think LM products do have a lead here.

[Gino88]

Thanks for pointing out the Leatherman Models, however I do not like the plier based tools, I am more of a SAK fan. Besides that most LM's have a lot of stuff I don't need and they do not support a normal 1/4 bit without an extension. And I would really prefer to have only one tool to carry around without seperate accessories.

I don't have experience modding the 130mm and 111mm frames, but reading the original post and the later posts.  Here are some thoughts:

1) I searched the Mod squad for posts, and here are some reference that might be helpful:

Modding a SAK 111(with a 111mm disassembled)
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,79309.msg1794577.html#msg1794577

SAK Exploded / Dismantled Photos (mostly 91mm disassembled, but drawing for 111mm)
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,81046.0.html

need help "one handing" a Ranger Gardner 71 (with 130mm disassembled)
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,58919.msg1074961.html#msg1074961

Just looking at the 111mm and 130mm photo, it is without doubt there exist a very significant difference between tang and spring shapes of the two.  I am entirely sure their tools are interchangeable, even if one is willing to do the heavy modding.


2) I have the Wenger Mike Horn, and after weighting it on a balance, it comes in at a hefty 251g(8.85oz).  It might not be the same config that you want, but Wenger pliers does weight quite a bit, and I guesstimate the configuration that you plan in the original post will still going to weight a fair deal.  With that in mind, Antti Lammi and karlitos' suggestions are very relevant, because a LM Charge weights exactly around 250g but the pliers are more substantial, their tool implements are decent and the size is more pocket friendly.  Not to mention there are other alternative that's weight even less with smaller profile, such as Wave.  While Vic spirit is probably my favorite MT of them all, but when it comes to OHO blade and solid pliers, I think LM products do have a lead here.

Thanks for this helpfull post, from reading the threads you linked to I actually found out that all Rangergrip models have the 1/4 hex driver hidden behind the scales. I got it confirmed on my own knive and what's even better is there is already some kind of indent in the plastic so you don't have to measure out where to cut it (see the red arrow in the picture). It will still be hard to do it nicely but this means now I am only missing a Pliers on my Rangergirp 178.


So I have decided to order some bolts, knuts and copper threading and build up the Knive completely as some suggested earlier in this topic. What I will do is simply add an extra 6 mm thick layer to the 178. On the right side it will feature a small pliers and a small scissors from an older Swisschamp and on the other side it will feature a 3d printed bitholder that can hold 4 or 5 full size 1/4 hex bits.

I think this is (for me a satisfying compromise), also this means I only have to buy one cheaper Rangergrip knive to accomodate the extra layer and I can re-use the pliers and scissors of my older Swisschamp Knive. And if the mod works well I am planning to improve my older Swiss champ also.

[Rapidray]

Nice photo! 

[SirVicaLot]

Why do they hide the hex driver behind the scales?? 

[ElevenBlade]

Thanks for pointing out the Leatherman Models, however I do not like the plier based tools, I am more of a SAK fan. Besides that most LM's have a lot of stuff I don't need and they do not support a normal 1/4 bit without an extension. And I would really prefer to have only one tool to carry around without seperate accessories.
Thanks for this helpfull post, from reading the threads you linked to I actually found out that all Rangergrip models have the 1/4 hex driver hidden behind the scales. I got it confirmed on my own knive and what's even better is there is already some kind of indent in the plastic so you don't have to measure out where to cut it (see the red arrow in the picture). It will still be hard to do it nicely but this means now I am only missing a Pliers on my Rangergirp 178.
(Image removed from quote.)

So I have decided to order some bolts, knuts and copper threading and build up the Knive completely as some suggested earlier in this topic. What I will do is simply add an extra 6 mm thick layer to the 178. On the right side it will feature a small pliers and a small scissors from an older Swisschamp and on the other side it will feature a 3d printed bitholder that can hold 4 or 5 full size 1/4 hex bits.

I think this is (for me a satisfying compromise), also this means I only have to buy one cheaper Rangergrip knive to accomodate the extra layer and I can re-use the pliers and scissors of my older Swisschamp Knive. And if the mod works well I am planning to improve my older Swiss champ also.

Nice discovery.  I can imagine that Victorinox would make all their 130mm scales one way to simplify the assembly line.  And that they'd be up to their antics again, of limiting a particular tool here and there just to keep us wanting something else. 

Besides we already knew that the Boatsman is for the boatsman, the Hiker is for the hiker... Your average boatsman or handyman would need a bit driver, but a hunter or gardener wouldn't really need one.  That's part of the charm of SAKs for me - each person has a sort of alignment in the generic sense.  Maybe that idea is from too many years of playing Dungeons and Dragons.