Appreciation for the Explorer

[captain spaulding]

buy a beater 3 or 4 layer sak for a few dollars. make it into a 2 layer or 1 layer. Rinse repeat. 

Good suggestion   The thing is, I have no equipment with which to experiment.  Is there anything I really need to have to try this, or can mods be done without anything special?

My Yeoman was my first, and so far only, mod.  I'm planning on making more though.   

I didn't have any special equipment, and found I only needed a very minor investment in tools.  I already had a bench vise with an anvil on it, so if you don't have something like that, I think it would be a good idea to get one, though you could probably do without it.  I also bought a center punch for making divots in the ends of the pins to help with drilling them out, and a set of small pin punches for knocking out the pins once I had drilled the peen out of the bushing.  I used a hand-drill, and I'm sure I could have gotten better results if I had a drill-press, but it wasn't necessary.  I also bought a small jeweler's hammer to use for peening the new pins. 

I took apart a Compact and an old Explorer to make my Yeoman.  While I did end up mismatching the blade and the side plate when I put it back together (there's an annoying bit of side to side play in the blade as a result), it was a very enlightening and rewarding experience.     Definitely took me out of my comfort zone, and really forced me to think back and remember what I learned in a semester of machine shop in high school.  But, I'm glad I did it, and am looking forward to making more mods in the future, once I can afford to buy appropriate donors.   

Good to hear all of this. I have an explorer and Bantam for possible modding uses.    I have been drooling over a Yeoman.  We are basically neighbors.   

In all seriousness i'm not ready to donate my Explorer to be torn down right now, but I am planning on buying another when I get the money and using the existing Explorer as Mod material. If your interested then we should talk.   

[WiSAKfan]

@stot ^ lol, good point.  I believe it is still showing them respect by giving them new lives.  It's similar to art that deconstructs different art and reuses it in new ways.

airports and the internet have really changed the game in how these little guys can get around.

Monrogue, I would say we are really just taking about model semantics, don't be worried.  I believe technically the yeoman to be an explorer with one less layer.  Yes you get the same thing adding a phillips/mag layer to compact, except you'd have the hook with file that the compacts have.  The original yeomans don't have that.

My point is save that awesome compact and use it for what it is (great 2 layer knife) and sacrifice a bantam, which you can find cheap.

yes the nail nick sits a little lower.  again nothing that would make me personally want to use a compact over a bantam for it.

opinions may differ

 

[Monrogue]

@stot ^ lol, good point.  I believe it is still showing them respect by giving them new lives.  It's similar to art that deconstructs different art and reuses it in new ways.

airports and the internet have really changed the game in how these little guys can get around.

Monrogue, I would say we are really just taking about model semantics, don't be worried.  I believe technically the yeoman to be an explorer with one less layer.  Yes you get the same thing adding a phillips/mag layer to compact, except you'd have the hook with file that the compacts have.  The original yeomans don't have that.

My point is save that awesome compact and use it for what it is (great 2 layer knife) and sacrifice a bantam, which you can find cheap.

yes the nail nick sits a little lower.  again nothing that would make me personally want to use a compact over a bantam for it.

opinions may differ

Oh I see   I like that hook with the file actually.  I love the Compact as it's nearly perfect, but it lacks any sort of phillips screwdriver, and I love the mag glass as it's both fun and useful.  If I could just get that mag/phillips layer on my Compact, I would quite possibly have my ideal SAK.  One can dream

[captain spaulding]

Here is what I normally carry instead of my Explorer. I love that it has the inline Philips and mag glass like the Explorer, but with Pliers and Awl. I'm thinking I am going to start carrying the Explorer for a while though.

[sir_mike]

If you put scissors on that Soldier instead of the pliers, then that would be the perfect one for me! 

[Monrogue]

Here is what I normally carry instead of my Explorer. I love that it has the inline Philips and mag glass like the Explorer, but with Pliers and Awl. I'm thinking I am going to start carrying the Explorer for a while though.


(Image removed from quote.)
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Is that Alox SAK modded?  That's a pretty neat combo of tools.  My ideal Alox would be the knife/awl layer-scissors layer-mag glass layer with both openers fit side by side at the other end. 

[captain spaulding]

I wouldn't call it a Soldier, but I do agree scissors would be great. I honestly love the size of it as is though.

[kkokkolis]

I am considering a Climber Plus 1 layer model for EDC as a lighter pocketable alternative to my XLT and more capable in an urban setting that what I now have. I am puzzled about the 4th layer and currently I am inclined to a Mountaineer. Explorer's Philips can be substituted by the Can Opener's driver or the File's tip for smaller screws. The lens is useful but not every day need. The File's tip removes staples and can be magnetized I guess for tiny screws fishing. The file does manicure (the old type is preferred here) and together with the saw are useful for work on plastic (all around in the town) and also for metal and even wood. But I didn't make up my mind yet.
Are there any other suggestions for the "best" 4th layer option? I guess the 3rd layer is scissors (and hook) for a great majority of us, that's what Mods usually do anyway.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

buy a beater 3 or 4 layer sak for a few dollars. make it into a 2 layer or 1 layer. Rinse repeat. 

Good suggestion   The thing is, I have no equipment with which to experiment.  Is there anything I really need to have to try this, or can mods be done without anything special?

My Yeoman was my first, and so far only, mod.  I'm planning on making more though.   

I didn't have any special equipment, and found I only needed a very minor investment in tools.  I already had a bench vise with an anvil on it, so if you don't have something like that, I think it would be a good idea to get one, though you could probably do without it.  I also bought a center punch for making divots in the ends of the pins to help with drilling them out, and a set of small pin punches for knocking out the pins once I had drilled the peen out of the bushing.  I used a hand-drill, and I'm sure I could have gotten better results if I had a drill-press, but it wasn't necessary.  I also bought a small jeweler's hammer to use for peening the new pins. 

I took apart a Compact and an old Explorer to make my Yeoman.  While I did end up mismatching the blade and the side plate when I put it back together (there's an annoying bit of side to side play in the blade as a result), it was a very enlightening and rewarding experience.     Definitely took me out of my comfort zone, and really forced me to think back and remember what I learned in a semester of machine shop in high school.  But, I'm glad I did it, and am looking forward to making more mods in the future, once I can afford to buy appropriate donors.   

Good to hear all of this. I have an explorer and Bantam for possible modding uses.    I have been drooling over a Yeoman.  We are basically neighbors.   

In all seriousness i'm not ready to donate my Explorer to be torn down right now, but I am planning on buying another when I get the money and using the existing Explorer as Mod material. If your interested then we should talk.   

Just let me know!    As a rough guesstimate, I'd say it'd take an afternoon to do it all from the beginning; taking apart the donors, setting new pins, doing the assembly, and pinning it all back together and putting scales on.  I'm sure someone more accomplished than I at modding could do it in a fraction of the time, but now that I've already done one, I've got a pretty good idea of how to streamline the process.

[captain spaulding]

Is that Alox SAK modded?  That's a pretty neat combo of tools.  My ideal Alox would be the knife/awl layer-scissors layer-mag glass layer with both openers fit side by side at the other end.

Yes it is a Mod by Steve. It is honestly in the top 3 of my favorite SAK's I own.   

[TurkTeen]

Perfect 4-layer you say? A Spartan Lite plus scissors and a magnifier instead of the phillips(a LED addict I am).

[Monrogue]

Is that Alox SAK modded?  That's a pretty neat combo of tools.  My ideal Alox would be the knife/awl layer-scissors layer-mag glass layer with both openers fit side by side at the other end.

Yes it is a Mod by Steve. It is honestly in the top 3 of my favorite SAK's I own.   

Cool   I really want to have an alox mod done, but it isn't a cheap job, so it's gotta wait for now

[adobo]

[Monrogue]

(Image removed from quote.)

Nice, I like the yellow

[Monrogue]

In keeping with the spirit of appreciating the Explorer, I put it to some use yesterday.  We were putting up a new curtain rod in our bedroom.  I used the awl to start the screw holes for each bracket.  The brackets were screwed in with a power drill screwdriver bit, but given the angle of approach due to the bracket design, that would only get them so far.  Out comes the Explorer's phillips to finish the job   I will say that the backspring phillips wouldn't have worked on this task, so that's another +1 for the inline phillips.

That's the great thing about the Explorer.  It has just about anything you would need on a daily basis for a variety of tasks.   

[PTRSAK]

I'm going to post this one again, just because I like it.

[Northern Geek]

Very nice that one.. 

[Monrogue]

That's a sweet Explorer

[nuphoria]

That's a good enough reason to post it

[magentus]

My lovely daughter bought me an Explorer yesterday in a local antique shop. It needs a little TLC, including a new spring for the scissors, but she inspected it thoroughly, and haggled the price down to £7.50! I'm really chuffed with it but have to wait until the end of May before I can get my mitts on it.

I can't wait!

[nuphoria]

Great price... I sold a used one for £10 to a member in need here once, and I thought that was low!

[magentus]

Great price... I sold a used one for £10 to a member in need here once, and I thought that was low!

Yes, I was really pleased with the price and thought it was a good deal. The seller hadn't done themselves any favours really - the main blade was clogged with some kind of gluey material which will take a matter of minutes to clean off. The only thing that really needs doing is a new spring for the scissors - It's an older model with the fluted corkscrew so I'm hoping the spring will be easy to get hold of, but even at it's original price of £9.50 I thought it was a bit of a bargain.

Just got to hold out until May.......................................

[Monrogue]

I received a clip to attach to my Explorer's keyring for better pocket carry.  I am happy to say that it works like a charm and makes the Explorer much less noticeable and uncomfortable to pocket carry.  So now I appreciate my Explorer even more

[sir_mike]

I received a clip to attach to my Explorer's keyring for better pocket carry.  I am happy to say that it works like a charm and makes the Explorer much less noticeable and uncomfortable to pocket carry.  So now I appreciate my Explorer even more

That is how I carry mine and by being tucked to the outside of the pocket, it carries much easier! 

[Monrogue]

I received a clip to attach to my Explorer's keyring for better pocket carry.  I am happy to say that it works like a charm and makes the Explorer much less noticeable and uncomfortable to pocket carry.  So now I appreciate my Explorer even more

That is how I carry mine and by being tucked to the outside of the pocket, it carries much easier! 

Exactly.  The bulk is barely noticeable now and it's not even in the way when I reach into my pocket.  I like this method much better

[Mercury]

I love my explorer, but I just can't pocket carry it.  I tried to today, but I just can't stand the bulk.  I just use belt sheaths for my tools.

[Monrogue]

I love my explorer, but I just can't pocket carry it.  I tried to today, but I just can't stand the bulk.  I just use belt sheaths for my tools.

So you use a belt sheath for the Explorer?  Have you tried a suspension clip?  It worked wonders for me, but I'm not into the belt sheath method, so I'm more willing to try other methods. 

[Mercury]

I tried a suspension clip but it wasn't very comfortable.  The belt sheaths just work better.  Right now I'm using a freestyle sheath with my spare torch in the side pocket.

[Monrogue]

I tried a suspension clip but it wasn't very comfortable.  The belt sheaths just work better.  Right now I'm using a freestyle sheath with my spare torch in the side pocket.

Hey, to each his own   I didn't know there was a sheath for the Freestyle.

[JAfromMn]

my explorer out exploring