My Gerber Clutch Tweaks

[kl27x]

File:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/klee27x/MT_mods8.jpg
1. Removed the raised safety border around the file. Now I could theoretically file through a bar in my prison cell, given a few years of determined effort.
2. Added a chisel/scraper to tip, chisel ground.
3. Mini gut hook for plastic packaging. This is symmetrically ground from both side, not chisel ground. I found that my prototype chisel-ground guthook (made on an old jigsaw blade) was hard to use, because it wanted to wander to one side.

Plier head:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/klee27x/ClutchReprofile.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/klee27x/Clutchwirecutter.jpg
1. Thinned the tips down a tad. This allow the tip to get in between stuff, like when I need to straighten a pin in an electrical connector or IC.
2. Reprofiled the wire cutter so it no longer tries to spit out wires.

Handles:
Just slightly rounded off the edges, is all.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/klee27x/MT_mods5.jpg

[AHB]

Good to see some Clutch love and that's really great work.. 
Eventhough I don't have one myself, I can certainly see the advantages. 

[Gareth]

They're all excellent ideas, I especially like the plier tips and wire cutter.

[David Bowen]

Just goes to show how you can mod something without needing to take the whole thing apart. Great work kl27x, more folks out there should be encouraged to void their warranty 

[MultiMat]

Great stuff K  .
I really like this especially



Once I have a couple of items I am keen to do my own 'Gut hook' tool mod 

[ryan1835]

i hope gerber are watching 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Good looking mod's there mate

[Zed]

some cool mods there mate, 

[BlueDot]

3. Mini gut hook for plastic packaging. This is symmetrically ground from both side, not chisel ground. I found that my prototype chisel-ground guthook (made on an old jigsaw blade) was hard to use, because it wanted to wander to one side.

How does one grind the hook for gut?  I was thinking dremel with long thin stone, then noticed the grind marks look like a large flat wheel (on edge).

[kl27x]

How does one grind the hook for gut?  I was thinking dremel with long thin stone, then noticed the grind marks look like a large flat wheel (on edge).

Your initial impression is the right one. After removing the diamond grit on the surface with a cutting disc, I shaped the slot wiith a diamond-file cylindrical bit. Then to sharpen it I switched to a small conical soft stone and gave it very light touches at low speed.


Re: all the positive feedback:

Thanks, evry1! If I did it over again...

I ground off the border of the file, first. If I'd have known I was going to add a gut hook, later, I would have left a bit at the point of the hook so it would stick out a bit. As is, I can't really pierce a package with the stubby little hook. I supposed I could thin the rest of the file down a bit, but for now there's that chisel edge tip for making the initial entry wound.

[J-sews]

Excellent work there kl!  Have you gutted any clam packages with it yet to see how it works?

[kl27x]

Thanks! I take that as high praise from the maker of the SOG Power Cutter! But I'm even more humbled by your amazing Crunch flipping skills, and am eagerly awaiting the high frame rate slo-mo sequel that will finally silence all the critics!  

To be honest, I haven't had the opportunity to open any clamshells since making this. Fortune has sent my way many packages with flimsy stapled on plastic and the like. So all I know is that it slices and dices loose sheets of clamshell-type plastic like a Ginsu knife in a late-night infomercial, but I'm not really sure how it will work on the real thing. I think it will work pretty good on some types, and not so well on others. But I can always fall back to the chisel tip, which was my go-to tool for the job before I made the guthook.

[J-sews]

Oops, it seems as though my reputation proceeds me!

Sounds like either way your covered when it comes to attacking clam shells then. How about the wire cutters? Have you had a chance to test them out yet?

[kl27x]

Wire cutters have been used quite a bit and work as planned. They make is easier to strip and cut SOFT electrical wires. I went slow, to avoid losing temper on the edge and I kept the cutting edge angle sharp rather than flattening it (as you might if you wanted to cut harder wire).

Take a good look at your Clutch's wire cutter. It's short. It's close to the pivot bolt. It's a shear-action with a lot of overlap. Bottom line: by the time the front half of the wire cutters even start to open, the blades are already at quite an oblique angle!

[J-sews]

Wire cutters have been used quite a bit and work as planned. They make is easier to strip and cut SOFT electrical wires. I went slow, to avoid losing temper on the edge and I kept the cutting edge angle sharp rather than flattening it (as you might if you wanted to cut harder wire).

Take a good look at your Clutch's wire cutter. It's short. It's close to the pivot bolt. It's a shear-action with a lot of overlap. Bottom line: by the time the front half of the wire cutters even start to open, the blades are already at quite an oblique angle!

Yah, I see what you mean. Not a very good design is it?  

[PyroJames]

Awesome mod, kl27x! 

[sawman]

Great mods, all improvements