The Quill - a double LM Squirt mod with pens

[benbergman]

For a couple years I've been carrying a Skeletool supplemented with a Squirt ES4. This combination has fit my needs fairly well, but I found keeping the ES4 in my fob pocket caused that pocket to wear out on a couple pairs of my pants. The Skeletool and ES4 rub against each other through it. I don't love hanging the ES4 from my keys as I find deploying it is annoying and I use it often enough that the extra time adds up.

Inspired by Metro's experiments in his Splash thread from back in the day, I decided to try a double ended Squirt mod. The small ES4 scissors are okay, but access to larger scissors was appealing. I also suspected that with the extra length on the one side I could find a way to get a decent pen integrated in there. It is still a work in progress, but I'm getting excited by how it is turning out so far so figured I should start a build thread. Based on the elongated form factor, the integrated pen, and all the pointy bits that fold out, I think "Quill" is a fitting name for it.

So far I've got a Squirt S4 and E4 disassembled and combined with M3 screws while I wait for pivots. I've also got a rough first iteration of a retractable pen inspired by the retractable SAK pen, however mine uses the standard (though a tad obscure) D1 refills used in some mini-pens and multi-pens. The mechanism has broken in a bit since the video, but I can probably still improve it a bit.











More to come: two pens, nicer scales, proper pivots, probably a key or two, maybe more!

[jimmiewalker]

A very smart idea! I like it! Is it easy to carry in the pockets?

[SteveC]

Interesting mod   

[benbergman]

A very smart idea! I like it! Is it easy to carry in the pockets?

Haven't tested this yet (the M3 bolts are too long, and no sense cutting them when pivots should be arriving in a couple days). That said, it is about the size of 1.5 pens, and I'm already used to carrying 2 pens with me in my left pocket, so this should replace at least one of those.

[willfcc]

Where did you source the scales?


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[benbergman]

Where did you source the scales?

I knew I forgot some important information. I designed and 3D printed them myself on an FDM/FFF style 3D printer with 0.08mm layer heights to get the high detail needed for the small features. And since 3D prints don't need to be flat, I've integrated the washers/spacers at the center of the scale to improve rigidity where the two multitools are joined.



Here is a transparent shot from my CAD software of the scale showing the slider mechanism.



You can see the pen refill extends beyond the length of a single Squirt scale into the second portion, but there was enough room to still tuck it under the tweezers and eyeglass screwdriver. On the opposite scale I'm thinking I'll put the awl from the P4 and maybe something else like a pin or SAK toothpick.

[Gareth]

I remember the SwissPen that was around a few years ago but you've gotten it beat by a country mile. 

[theonew]

Unique and very cool

[Poncho65]

Very cool I  the idea of it being a clip pen Very little overall of all the tools with that mod as well I have always love the tiny Phillips on the ES4 as well

Great job and I can't wait to see it after the pivots arrive

 

[pfrsantos]

Wow! That's...



Awesome work, dude!

 

[King_Gorilla]

 
I love it.      

When the SOG baton tools came out I laughed that they wasted so much space on the pen and the light when Victorinox had already built small pens and lights into their scales similar to what you did here. 

I'm confused.  How do you hold the MT to use these tools at the bottom?   

[Aloha]

Well look at that  .  Thats some creativity to say the least.   

[Trebor Redins]

Any chance you could post the 3D model you used for the pen? Happy to pay for it through something like shapeways as well or just venmo you directly!

[pa_strunk]

Absolutely awesome mod.