Trying to make a Rev knife, help appreciated!

[GearedForwards]

I've never liked my Rev, it was cheap and that is evidently for a reason, it's overall rather smurf. But inspired by the lieks of Poncho's Chargeknife and Adam5's Multiforce knife and emboldened with what is likely ADHD whilst listening to my players talk, I set about the task of making myself a Revknife.

Well I got it apart and this has led to my questions that I'd love some help with:

-It doesn't look like there's anyway to get tools on both sides, there's no way to tension them at all, is this right?

-The blade now has blade rub that wasn't there before, there's a black spacer in the bottom of the knife section, but was there meant to be a washer or something down there too? If not can I just shove a (now) excess washer in there to make the space?

-I want to make the tools: Combo, Phillips and file/ruler but there isn't enough space due to the thickness of the Phillips. At first I thought I'll just dump the washers, but there's only one. The other side of the retention housing is actually a pressed out piece. I started the process of filing that down but I'm doubitng myself whether it's worth the time and effort if all I'm going to do is ruin the entire thing

Any and all help appreciated, just trying to make the most out of a smurf tool 

[PitCarver]

I've never liked mine either...

Oh crap, I don't even have one to dislike, GF, but now I'm wanting one to take apart.

Guess I can say that taking them apart and putting them back together will take some trial and error.  After I did my Multiforce and picked up another one too, I found several old and cheep enough MTs that I have that I want to do some playing around with.

I'm not gonna try doing anything, with any of them yet until this covid brain fog clears out more.

[Poncho65]

I actually don't own a Rev

I hope you can mod it to something more your liking though  can't wait to see what you come up with

 

[Adam5]

I only had a couple of minutes to look at mine. It looks like it require a bit of Dremel work to modify the frame on the plier head end of the handle to create backsprings. But I really don't know until I can disassemble it.

Here is a thread that gives a description of where the washers go:
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,80267.msg1847438.html#msg1847438

[Adam5]

-It doesn't look like there's anyway to get tools on both sides, there's no way to tension them at all, is this right?

I took mine apart this morning. I think that it is possible to install all of the tools with retention, but it would require some work with a rotary tool.

The two drivers would go in the plier head pivot.

The handle would need to be cut to create a backspring. There is not enough metal at the knife side of the handle due to the liner lock, so it would have to be cut and bent on the other half. Washers would have to be installed so that the drivers would stay in that half of the handle.


The backsprings on the other end have a small offset bend at the end. The new backspring may need to match this in some way.

[Adam5]

I actually don't own a Rev

I am so disappointed in you right now   

 

[ComboTool]

I don't own a Rev, but it seems very similar in construction to the Wingman. There was a half-Wingman thread not too long ago, you should find some information there.

[GearedForwards]

Thanks for the advice and links guys!

Adam5: That shot looks like the tool end of the knife half, is your spring assembly integral to the handle like on the other side? Mine has an inner housing that the tools fit within to provide spring tension.

Since I'd have to cue the handle to create a spring on the other side I think I'll leave it half empty, a shame but I don't feel comfortable cutting into it yet. Do you think Phillips+Combo tool+file would fit in the knife tool selection if there's no washers and I filed down the pressed out washer?

[GearedForwards]

Yeah the knife handle of my Rev looks nothing like the other threads or pictures in the Rev club, my washers also don't match Badwolf's list 

[Adam5]

Thanks for the advice and links guys!

Adam5: That shot looks like the tool end of the knife half, is your spring assembly integral to the handle like on the other side? Mine has an inner housing that the tools fit within to provide spring tension.

In both of my photos, the knife half is on the underside. On the tool end, each half of the handle has been cut to create a backspring (as can be seen in the second photo).

Since I'd have to cue the handle to create a spring on the other side I think I'll leave it half empty, a shame but I don't feel comfortable cutting into it yet. Do you think Phillips+Combo tool+file would fit in the knife tool selection if there's no washers and I filed down the pressed out washer?

That combination of tools is 6.7mm without washers. There is enough room in the interior space for those tools if you file the pressed washer a bit or replace it with a thinner washer. But you may need to file the top lip of the handle also. The top lip of the knife half encroaches into the tool space on my Rev. Some of that lip would have to go away if the Phillips+Combo tool+file were installed so that the tool next to the knife could fold out.

[GearedForwards]

Thank you all for the help it was invaluable! So I finally did it, I gave up on changing about the tool load out and decided to just use all of them. The washers from both handles were actual perfect to fit everything in. I didn't cut a spring in the handle for the phillips and flat head, the friction alone is actually enough to keep them closed and open. On another day I'll need to file the tangs down so that they open 180, not the bit of an angle they do now. Pictures!

The finished product


The weird spring assembly my Rev has instead of the cut, integral springs that seem normal?





The package opener that seems to be so popular



I ground the flat side into a bit more of a point to penetrate a little better into hard plastics



The current angle of the plier side drivers



Initial Thoughts: This. Is. So. Much. Better. It's so tool dense and immensely easy to carry now, I actually like it and look forward to trying ti out, compared to it's complete form which say almost entirely unused in my MT box since I got it 6 years ago. I think the friction tension will be enough for the plier side, whilst currently they can collapse, there's enough driver length to support the tools in use and filling them down to open straight will largely fix that. Of course I won't bear down too hard on them, but this was never going to be a hard use kind of tool.

I did take the diamond file of the wave to the package opener and the wire stripper to apply some edge finishing that the factory should have. I had planned to file down the flat head into more of a chisel, and will some day, but it was too annoying to do today.

I did have a problem, as I had started to file down the pressed washer to try and change the tool load out, the package opener would rub and get stuck down beneath the lip of the frame when closed.

I fixed this in the most technical manner I could think of: I filled the handle out of the way and bent the crap out of the tool to realign things to functioning order, with not visible or functional deformities 

[Adam5]

Congratulations! 
I agree that that the Rev is much better as a knife than plier-based.

Leatherman definitely made a change in how the backspring is made sometime during the last 6 years (yours is 6 years old and mine was purchased this year). And it appears to have gone unnoticed on MTo. No doubt because of the lack of interest in the Rev.

[Poncho65]

That looks great Congrats on getting it together and having so much utility packed in it

Great pics and writeup as well

[Sam Lim]

Congratulations! 
I agree that that the Rev is much better as a knife than plier-based.

Leatherman definitely made a change in how the backspring is made sometime during the last 6 years (yours is 6 years old and mine was purchased this year). And it appears to have gone unnoticed on MTo. No doubt because of the lack of interest in the Rev.

I didn't realise his 2nd pic was a Rev. It seems LM decided to make a standard for the "knife" side handle. What's even weirder is they decided to leave just a hole for the rivet that holes the spring tab for the wingman/sidekick's pliers. So LM nowadays.. So many shortcuts.. 

[GearedForwards]

Thanks guys

The change to making the knife side spring the same style as the driver said is an improvement (though I'd say probably more fragile), it was a huge pain trying to get everything lined up whilst everything is in separate pieces with floating spring tension 

I'm looking forward to doing more of these in future when I can get my hands on something like a Multiforce or Charge/Wave parts, though being in the UK that will probably be well over a year from now when I'm in the states with access to Ebay 

[SteveC]

Good job !   

[GearedForwards]

Thanks Steve!

Is there a badge for stuff like this? 

[bismouth]

Just a few words to say thanks to you.

I've got a Rev sitting in a drawer since a few years... And I've started searching mod ideas. Bam, found your post and i've just switch the 2 screwdrivers instead of the jaw and it become a "close to perfect" knife for EDC!

A little bit of grinding on the side of the phillips screwdriver to get a longer reach for my specific use but a very easy mod!

[GearedForwards]

Just a few words to say thanks to you.

I've got a Rev sitting in a drawer since a few years... And I've started searching mod ideas. Bam, found your post and i've just switch the 2 screwdrivers instead of the jaw and it become a "close to perfect" knife for EDC!

A little bit of grinding on the side of the phillips screwdriver to get a longer reach for my specific use but a very easy mod!

Very happy this helped you out! It turned the Rev from something that sat in my MT box with no hopes of use into something I choose to carry on occasion