The Evil Incarnate: Evil's modern interpretation of the Mini-Tool.....

[evil510]

Hey there, gang. Long post, so bare with me. Well, it is about that time of the year when things tend to get crazy busy and I typically go on summer hiatus from MTO for a little while. I thought that before doing so that I would do something a bit different. I usually don't post on my creations until they are well on their way to being done. Even then, I often hold back until I feel they are complete according to my criteria. Free time, or a lack thereof, is also always a major factor. I decided for this particular creation, that I would include you all in on some of the creative process along the way. I didn't want you all to have to wait months or maybe even years until this project is complete to know what I was working on. Also, by posting on it, it adds a little personal pressure on me to complete it in a more timely fashion. Please bare a few things in mind. First off, minus the plier head and pivot bolts thus far, everything is being created from the ground up with bare materials. From the frames to all implements, all are being handmade. In short, it is tedious and time consuming and honestly, I have no idea when this project will be done. At any given point in time, I always have many projects going at the same time. I am doing what I can on it before I have to throw it on the back burner until things slow down again. Another thing to keep in mind is that, just like with some of my other tools, I have no set gameplan and anything is subject to change. Hell, I may even end up changing the name before I call it done. My projects often evolve along the way. Project Skeletool for example went through transformations before I felt it truly suited my needs, which took years.....

~ evil ~


A 3 inch tool that can handle the use and abuse of the larger multitools? A tool that small and yet so big and strong? I know it may not seem to make sense, a contradiction in terms, but that's what I set out to create. I've actually wanted such a tool for many years. Honestly it was back when I was new to modifying multitools and my skillset, tools and experience were in their early stages. Rather than being a standalone tool, this is meant to be a companion tool with a somewhat limited toolset to compliment my EDC. At 3 inches, the Incarnate is a tool that is only 1/2" longer than a Micra, no longer than a Style CS/PS and 1/4" shorter than a Juice. Width is actually a little less than that of a Wave. Thickness is that of a Core/ST300.....


I'll start this off with a little modification. Initially, I started off this project utilizing a plier head out of an older Surge that I had laying around. I then opted to use an ST300 plier head that I had installed into my older Surge. Since I do quite a bit of wiring jobs it made sense to go with replaceable cutters. I realized one thing that always bothered me with many plier heads is that the cutting edges often protrude too far into the gripping area for my liking. They create pressure points that would often mangle things I am working with. This little modification remedies that to some degree. I have a set of wire stripping blades that I made years ago but have since gone missing in action. I may end up making another set for this tool. We'll see.....

Unmodified plier head. Here you can see how the front egdes of the replaceable cutters interfere with the circular gripping area.....


On the left is the stock cutting blade. On the right is the one that I modified. No cutting area lost. Win-win.....


Modification done. New design flows and blends in with the rest of the gripping area. I also added a bevel to the mounting bolts.....


Close-up view. Much more friendly to fasteners.....



Some quick and dirty bushings and washers made to mock up new frames.....



Test fitting width of new frames. Bottom view.....


Top view of new frames shaped and beveled. Rough draft of final bushings made from 6061 aluminum. These will end up being fully polished when done. I'll mill out material from the backsides at some point to save a little weight. Oversized phosphor bronze washers made as well.....


Stage one of frames complete.....


Pliers deployed. I kept handle splay to a bare minimum. Nowhere near being done, I have been test EDC'ing it in this form for a little while now. Pairing it with my Micra or Style EV1, it has performed better than expected and am looking forward to it being complete.....


Another view.....


Yet another view.....



Second stage of frames. Bottom edges radiused and beveled.....


Slots cut for slipjoint function. Still need to be bent, etc.....


New pivot holes drilled. Second stage of frames near completion. After fine tuning, they'll be sent out for heat treatment.....


Pivot bolts installed.....


Another view.....



A few comparison shots.....

From left to right: Micra > Style EV1 > Incarnate > Spyderco Ambitious > Project Skeletool.....


As you can see it is no longer than a Style CS/PS.....



All nailnicks will be kept inboard. I made these notches to facilitate deployment.....


As of yet, I have only started on one of the inner tools. Most of my smaller tools have slicing blades, so, I opted for something with a little more belly on this tool. I went with a modified drop point. No grind or nailnick yet, just the basic shape so far. Fashioned out of D2 toolsteel.....


Another view.....


Close-up view of knife tip clearance within the tool. Excuse the dirt and metal particles everywhere. The entire tool as a whole is very unrefined at this point.....



My encounter with the Mini-Tool.....

Many years ago, I had a brief ownership of a Leatherman Mini-Tool. Most here know that I am not a collector, rather a hard core user. While I admired the theory and concept behind it, in practical use it simply fell just a little short for my EDC needs so I passed it along to a fellow member who could better appreciate it. I know they refer to the pliers as full sized. I compare them to perhaps those of the juice line. Which for me, I consider light to medium duty. I've broken a total of five LM plier heads over the years, so I feel I have a reasonable sense of how much abuse they can endure. Also, with the mini-tool only having two main inner tools, I was yearning for just a wee little bit more. My new tool utilizes the big boy of LM pliers out of an ST300 and will have four main tools. I will eventually add features integrated into the handles. As of now, I don't know what those will be. I use my rotary tools daily, so perhaps a dedicated collet wrench. The options are endless at this point, so we'll see. As for the main tools. Two will be a knife blade and an awl, the two I never mind having doubles of. I am steering towards a dedicated bit driver as well. Scissors, perhaps, though this tool will always be a companion to another tool that has capable scissors. A few other knowns: I am going to keep all nailnicks inboard within the handles (think Core). I figure you have to open up the handles regardless if you want to use a tool and I want to keep the exterior lines clean. Plans as of now are to add a triple set of beveled holes to each handle like those I added to Style EV1. Fast forward years later, I reflect on my desire for a modern version of that old tool that left an imprint on me.....


Built like a tank and a formidable tool in standard form, one can only grip so hard without proper leverage. Some of you may have noticed something hiding behind the knife blade in the last photo.....

Zoomed out a bit.....


Peek-a-boo.....


Another view.....


Close-up view of nailnicks for inner handles. Deployable from all four corners vs. two of the original Mini-Tool.....


Temporary stickers. Part of my brainstorming process. I may go with decals, engraving or maybe even skeletonizing. We'll see......


Fully deployed, a.k.a. beast mode, the handles are 1/4" longer than those of a Surge/ST300. Got leverage? Check.....


It's kinda crazy, being able to carry around this tool that is no longer than my Style EV1 when closed that transforms into this behemoth.....



Well, that's all folks, until I have time to work on this project more. It's going back part-time into my EDC rotation to get a feel for where I want this project to go from here. This project has already spawned ideas to make use of other leftover plier heads I have laying around.....

~ evil ~

[Gerhard Gerber]

YOU ARE THE MAN!!!!! 

Where's the We're Not Worthy icone?!?!?!?!?!?

Truly excellent work 

 

 

[AHB]

That. Is. Utterly. Amazing..!!! 
Great job (as always) Evil..

[derekmac]

That thing is amazing!! 

[gregozedobe]

It's the new (heavy duty) mini !!!!    

[jerseydevil]

WANT!

[Syph007]

Love it!   

The original mini is still one of my favs, and I like your Take on a modern one.

[Mercury]

I will be checking this thread with great interest.  As a former professional and now hobby machinist, it has me wanting a bench mill and lathe more than ever!!

[SteveC]

awesome 

[Aloha]

 

[Kampfer]

Like I said before about your other projects, you didn't mod the tool, you made it!

Pure evil.

[rdub934]

Outstanding

[Sparky415]

That. Is. Utterly. Amazing..!!! 
Great job (as always) Evil..

What he said 

 

[alexTOOL]

Nice...   

Do you accept orders???   

[ReamerPunch]

 
What a beauty! Can someone send a link to LM?
#bringbackthemini

[detron]

 

now I want something I cannot have 


seriously,  great work!  I am SOO jealous.

[ironraven]

 

I've said this before. I'll say it again.

HEY YOU! YEAH YOU! AT LEATHERMAN! Give this man money! This is what the people want, not your stupid surfer and snowboarder tools!

Seriously, I too have always loved the idea of the mini and found the execution wanting. This would seriously rock in some of my tool sets.

[Mercury]

I've said this before. I'll say it again.

HEY YOU! YEAH YOU! AT LEATHERMAN! Give this man money! This is what the people want, not your stupid surfer and snowboarder tools!

Seriously, I too have always loved the idea of the mini and found the execution wanting. This would seriously rock in some of my tool sets.

My thoughts exactly.  But I won't go off on another rant about those ridiculous surf and snowboard themed paperweights.

[leathermon]

Truly fantastic, amazing job. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

[tattoosteve99]

Holy smokes! Pop in, amaze us, and then pop out. Just like you always do! Love it   I like your style

[evil510]

YOU ARE THE MAN!!!!!  Where's the We're Not Worthy icone?!?!?!?!?!? Truly excellent work  tu:

Thank you, Gerber..... 

That. Is. Utterly. Amazing..!!!  Great job (as always) Evil..

Thank you, AHB..... 

That thing is amazing!! 

Thank you, Derek.....

It's the new (heavy duty) mini !!!!    

Thank you gregozedobe. I've also been referring to it as the not so mini, mini or the Mini HD.....

WANT!

It's nice to be a able to create a tool that I've been wanting for years.....

Love it!    The original mini is still one of my favs, and I like your Take on a modern one.

Thank you, Syph..... Now, if I could only find the time to complete it, lol.....

I will be checking this thread with great interest.  As a former professional and now hobby machinist, it has me wanting a bench mill and lathe more than ever!!

All these years, I had no idea. I'd love to see some of the things you could make with tools in hand.....

awesome 

Thank you, Steve..... 

Thank you, Aloha..... 

Like I said before about your other projects, you didn't mod the tool, you made it! Pure evil.

Thank you, Kamfer. It has been an experience, evolving from modding and swapping tools, etc., to being able to create them from raw materials.....

Outstanding

Thank you, rdub..... 

That. Is. Utterly. Amazing..!!! 
Great job (as always) Evil..

What he said 

Thank you, Sparky.... 

Nice...    Do you accept orders???   

Thank you, alexTOOL. Maybe one day if/when creating Multitools becomes my "thing". It's only been a part time hobby thus far. I feel bad as it is, having to have some members here on a long waiting list. I thank them for their patience.....

What a beauty! Can someone send a link to LM #bringbackthemini

Thank you, Reamer.....

now I want something I cannot have  seriously,  great work!  I am SOO jealous

Thank you, detron.....

I've said this before. I'll say it again. HEY YOU! YEAH YOU! AT LEATHERMAN! Give this man money! This is what the people want, not your stupid surfer and snowboarder tools! Seriously, I too have always loved the idea of the mini and found the execution wanting. This would seriously rock in some of my tool sets.

Thank you, iron raven. I think I've said this somewhere before as well...  if they threw me in a far away corner to work by myself like a mad scientist and kept me supplied with burritos, I'm game, lol. Seriously though, I've personally had no interest in their current offerings since the release of the Style CS/PS, MUT era, which was quite some years ago. Just my two cents, they don't make them like they used to. This tool, in fact, reflects aspects of one of my all time favorite tools, the Core.....

I've said this before. I'll say it again. HEY YOU! YEAH YOU! AT LEATHERMAN! Give this man money! This is what the people want, not your stupid surfer and snowboarder tools! Seriously, I too have always loved the idea of the mini and found the execution wanting. This would seriously rock in some of my tool sets.

My thoughts exactly.  But I won't go off on another rant about those ridiculous surf and snowboard themed paperweights.

I must admit, now you have me curious and I want to see said paperweights. Maybe when I have time I'll have a look.....

Truly fantastic, amazing job.

Thank you, Leathermon.....

Holy smokes! Pop in, amaze us, and then pop out. Just like you always do! Love it   I like your style

Thank you, Steve Yes, I know that I tend to show up in intermittent spurts, especially this time of the year when other aspects of my life get busy. I'm hoping this time around I won't stray too far for too long.....

[NKlamerus]

Incredible as always

Have you ever thought about wearing a GoPro around the shop? You could upload the raw video anywhere on the internet and we could watch for hours on end

[captain spaulding]

I've said this before. I'll say it again.

HEY YOU! YEAH YOU! AT LEATHERMAN! Give this man money! This is what the people want, not your stupid surfer and snowboarder tools!

Seriously, I too have always loved the idea of the mini and found the execution wanting. This would seriously rock in some of my tool sets.

First off, incredible work as always Evil. You never cease to impress!

I completely agree with the others. We need people like you working at Leatherman. 

[Gareth]

Great stuff Evil.

I like the fact you've decreased the gap between the handles when deployed.  The larger and larger splay LM have gone with over the years has become a real bugbear for me.

[evil510]

Incredible as always . Have you ever thought about wearing a GoPro around the shop? You could upload the raw video anywhere on the internet and we could watch for hours on end

Thank you, NKlamerus. I'd be ashamed and embarrassed to do that at the moment. As much of a perfectionist as I am, one might think that I would be a neat freak. My work area is always in a perpetual state of organized chaos. When I am focused and in the zone, I really do tend to work like a mad scientist throwing stuff around. What may look like an unorganized mess to others actually holds logic to me. For example, ask me where anything is and I'll be able to tell you where it is amongst the chaos..... 

I've said this before. I'll say it again.

HEY YOU! YEAH YOU! AT LEATHERMAN! Give this man money! This is what the people want, not your stupid surfer and snowboarder tools!

Seriously, I too have always loved the idea of the mini and found the execution wanting. This would seriously rock in some of my tool sets.

First off, incredible work as always Evil. You never cease to impress!

I completely agree with the others. We need people like you working at Leatherman. 

Thank you, Captain..... 

Great stuff Evil.

I like the fact you've decreased the gap between the handles when deployed.  The larger and larger splay LM have gone with over the years has become a real bugbear for me.

Thank you, Gareth..... I set out to create minimal splay because it is more practical and efficient for me. I have big hands and even I have issues with the amount of splay LM and others put on their tools. Case in point, I once owned a geared SOG, literally for one day. Specs looked good on paper but in my practical use they were pretty much useless. Even when gripping something rather small, the splay was totally unacceptable to me. Just my personal opinion, of course. Anyway, I got rid of that thing asap. I minimize the splay on all of my medium-large multitools whenever possible.....

[Syncop8r]

Great project. More useful than a Mini. A Maxi...?

I minimize the splay on all of my medium-large multitools whenever possible.....

How do you do that? I'm guessing you file back either the stop on the piler head to the inside of the pivot or the handle where it meets it?
I'm thinking of doing this on my Surge....

[evil510]

Great project. More useful than a Mini. A Maxi...?

I minimize the splay on all of my medium-large multitools whenever possible.....

How do you do that? I'm guessing you file back either the stop on the piler head to the inside of the pivot or the handle where it meets it?
I'm thinking of doing this on my Surge....

Thank you, syncop8r. Yes, you are correct. Either or, though typically easier to do the handles. This varies from tool to tool. This modification works best on multitools with the tools on the inside. You can reduce splay very noticeably. On multitools with outside opening tools such as the Wave or Surge, you can only go so far before the spines of the tools will contact each other. Another thing to keep in mind, especially for the Wave and Surge is that on the handles between where the plier stops and the liner lock is a weak link, so you may opt to reduce the pier head instead. Hope this helps.....

[Mercury]

Great stuff Evil.

I like the fact you've decreased the gap between the handles when deployed.  The larger and larger splay LM have gone with over the years has become a real bugbear for me.

Ditto!  I have medium hands, but even my LM blast splays too far if I grip anything larger than 1/4 inch with it.  Even my OG supertool fits my hands better. 


As for my creations, they have fallen flat due to a severe lack of equipment.  I've never had my own mill or lathe at home, not even a drill press.  I have the skill and experience, just need the fund-age and really the space to put the machines and I could have a cracking fun hobby.  I have no interest in cutting metal for profit any more, but I do really enjoy the process of building something from a solid chunk of material and a CAD drawing. 

[Syncop8r]

Thanks for the advice Evil.

I guess I have large hands; for me the issue is not the width of splay but rather the angle as my hands want to slide toward the plier heads.

[evil510]

 
As for my creations, they have fallen flat due to a severe lack of equipment.  I've never had my own mill or lathe at home, not even a drill press.  I have the skill and experience, just need the fund-age and really the space to put the machines and I could have a cracking fun hobby.  I have no interest in cutting metal for profit any more, but I do really enjoy the process of building something from a solid chunk of material and a CAD drawing. 

This was actually briefly discussed somewhere here on the forum years ago. I am very old school, traditional. Contrary to what many would believe, my workshop consists of very basic hand and power tools. I have no mill, no lathe, though I do have a drill press, various saws and welders. Everything I do is manual labor, nothing is automated. What I do have a lot of are custom jigs and tools that I created to help with tasks. Example: Years ago, when I first started making my own blades, believe it or not, one of the most frustrating things for me to do was the unassuming nailnick. I avoided them like the plague and would opt for drilling/tapping etc for a thumbstud instead. I researched various ways other knife makers did them, from stamping, to fly cutters, etc. Most of them were done with more expensive high tech ways of doing them. I didn't do enough nailnicks to warrant such expenditures. As good as I am with freehanding things, nailnicks can be a lot of work to come out right. I came up with a ultra low tech jig I dubbed the nailnicker that creates perfect nailnicks in no time flat in a repeatable process. It's about being creative and making do with what you have. I have never once worked from a CAD drawing, just freehand notes and diagrams that I've made. I would venture a guess that some of that would change if ever I got into mass production.....

Thanks for the advice Evil.

I guess I have large hands; for me the issue is not the width of splay but rather the angle as my hands want to slide toward the plier heads.

More than welcome    Whenever I come across a new tool, I do a simple test. I open the handles as wide as they will go and judge how easy/comfortable they are in practical use at that width and I will modify accordingly, if possible.....