ZapWizard's Leatherman Free P4 Mods

[Slygrin]

I finally got the scalpel holder installed. I ordered the wrong one to begin  with. Got the right one and installed it today.I wasn't sure I really needed it, but after several trips out to the garage for my X-acto  blade kit, I figured it needed to be in my P4. It's going to come in real handy. Now, Mr. ZapWizard, please stop making new stuff for the P4. I'm running out of  things to replace!

[ZapWizard]

Nice P4 you got there. I am also running out of things to replace. I got the tritium vial prototypes in, and didn't have any blades even left in my P4 to install them into. (I am going to put the main blade back in)

[Poncho65]

Sweet modding, Slygrin

[Slygrin]

Is it OK to post up a scalpel holder for sale on this site? Like I said in my earlier post, I  ordered the wrong one to begin with. I have a "medium" available. I don't want to break any rules.

[SteveC]

Is it OK to post up a scalpel holder for sale on this site? Like I said in my earlier post, I  ordered the wrong one to begin with. I have a "medium" available. I don't want to break any rules.

Yes, be sure to read the rules. Here's a link to the for sale forum   

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/board,7.0.html

[Slygrin]

Yes, be sure to read the rules. Here's a link to the for sale forum   

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/board,7.0.html

Thanks! I know I should have just looked tor the rules.

[Slygrin]

Just an FYI. The Scalpel holder is working great. Since I replaced the scissors for it, I've used it probably10x more than I have scissors in the last year. 2nd best mod i've done, I do use the bit holder much more though.

[ZapWizard]

So someone on YouTube pointed out the new Havalon #70A blades which don't have the sharp tip. I have ordered these since the scalpel holder can tilt out and cause the point to be exposed.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011730QDY/

[carl]

Is there any Leatherman multitool where a mod to increase the thickness can be done? 

Allowing the thickness to be increased can allow extra implements to be added without removing original implements.   

[SteveC]

Is there any Leatherman multitool where a mod to increase the thickness can be done? 

Allowing the thickness to be increased can allow extra implements to be added without removing original implements.

You can squeeze a few extra tools in a Rebar using pivot screws from a Blast.

[GeneralOsik]

Hello all, this is my first post here. First, please pardon me if my online forum etiquette is lacking, it's been about 20 years since I've been on a forum of this style, since my Jedi Council forums days.

@ZapWizard, your mods have made me seriously reconsider my daily carry Multi-tool of 15 years, my trusty Victorinox SwissTool X. I work in IT, and I use it daily to pull and trim zip ties, unscrew PC components, slice packages or pallets open, and cut lots of things. I heard about the Leatherman Free P4, and decided to give Leatherman a solid chance at upsetting the venerable SwissTool.

I'm a tinkerer at heart, and I'm always looking to change or improve the things I choose to buy. The other day while I was cleaning the packing tape residue off the blade, I realized that there were about half the tools I never use. Then there's the scissors, which I know you guys love, but they are annoying me. Maybe it's because they don't cut well anymore, and Victorinox wouldn't warranty them, so I don't like them. The fact that Victorinox makes it difficult to modify their tool, and that their warranty procedure leaves something to be desired, I immediately turned to the best option for modification. In my opinion, that would be Leatherman. I've always wanted a Wave, ever since I saw Adam Savage use one on MythBusters. I've looked for them at thrift stores, but haven't had any luck, so I'm probably going to buy one used on fleaBay.

Since I'm looking to slim down my EDC, I'm looking for a tool that can replace one of my essential tools, a precision screwdriver. Now, I know what you're saying, the Wave has one, but that's too small for my needs. I personally carry, and outfit my IT department and team with Klein Tools precision screwdrivers. They come in a few sizes, and the bit is a non standard 3.5mm size, with integrated ball bearing retainer. There are three versions I own, and many more configurations for different trades. The models I own are the 32717 39 bit set with driver (just ordered because new tools), 32581 4 in 1 electronics screwdriver (my bench top, desk top, and laptop bag driver), and the 32614 4 in 1 pocket carry screwdriver (you guessed it, my pocket carry). They also have 32613, 32585, 32314, maybe a few others. I absolutely love these tools! The bits are dual sided, very high quality, self retaining, magnetic, and a nice length for laptop screws. The top cap spins nicely, but after a while, the rubber grip loosens and slides down. The pocket clip sucks, so it sort of just sits in my pocket most times I use it. You can find them on Amazon for pretty cheap, so when the grips wear out, I toss them, keep the barrels and bits, and order a new one.

What I would love to do is integrate this bit into a Leatherman tool, either a Wave or a P2 or P4. Because of the slimmer size, it would actually take up less space than your existing 4mm bit mod, which is amazing by the way! It would also integrate dual tips, in a wide variety of options, or specific tips from the 39 bit set. If you are interested in this mod, I would be happy to send you a tool above of your choice, or the ones that I recommend. And since I don't quite know if I still know how to upload photos, or what this forum's link policy is, I'll leave you to search for the above model numbers.

Thank you all for spurring my interest into another hobby I can tinker with! Now I'm going to go back to page 42 of the Leatherman Mods thread. 

[ZapWizard]

I've always wanted a Wave, ever since I saw Adam Savage use one on MythBusters

What I would love to do is integrate this bit into a Leatherman tool, either a Wave or a P2 or P4.

FYI, that video of Adam making his Wave holster is what got me started on all this in the first place.

I had an old RadioShack screwdriver that had those 3.5mm double sided bits with built in ball retention. I loved using them. The ball might mean no magnet is needed, which has been a pain for the 4mm bit driver.
The 32717 model is the most interesting since it come with so many bits.

0.5mm isn't much of a saving over 4mm, but I am interested in trying out a design, I am not sure when I will get to doing it, but its on the list now.

[GeneralOsik]

FYI, that video of Adam making his Wave holster is what got me started on all this in the first place.

I had an old RadioShack screwdriver that had those 3.5mm double sided bits with built in ball retention. I loved using them. The ball might mean no magnet is needed, which has been a pain for the 4mm bit driver.
The 32717 model is the most interesting since it come with so many bits.

0.5mm isn't much of a saving over 4mm, but I am interested in trying out a design, I am not sure when I will get to doing it, but its on the list now.

I'm so glad you're interested!

I don't have it yet, but the 32717 bits look to be one sided and with no ball bearing retainer. Who knows, the bits might even be 4mm like iFixit or Wiha. All of the other tools listed look to have the 3.5mm dual sided bits with retainer. I also went ahead and ordered 32314, which appears to have all of the 4 different dual sided bits from the 4 in 1 sets, but no Schrader bit from the 32613 3 in 1 HVAC set. There is also a difference between the bits on my bench driver and my pocket driver. One set is slightly longer, and the bit pairing is different too. When I get home from work, I'll take some photos and upload them. That being said, I would recommend 32314 if you want all the different dual sided bits, 32581 and 32613 if you want to play with the different bit sizes and pairings, and 32717 if you want the large variety of single sided bits. Once you're ready to dig in, send me a message and I'll ship you some Klein Tools!

[GeneralOsik]

Here is an Imgur album https://imgur.com/a/Gfld8vM showcasing the bits from the two Klein drivers I have on hand.

How do you guys live with the file size limit?

[SteveC]

Here is an Imgur album https://imgur.com/a/Gfld8vM showcasing the bits from the two Klein drivers I have on hand.

How do you guys live with the file size limit?

Use the bbcode img tags from imgur or you can use a resizing app.

[GeneralOsik]

I just got the Klein 32314, and these bits won't work. Two are 3.5mm, but the other two are 4mm and 4.75, or 3/16th. I should have seen this coming, since the tool is designed to be used with 9/64, 5/32, and 3/16 hardware. Those parts of the tool hold the bits.

I also got the 32717, and I have to say, this is the nicest bit set I own! The handle is almost identical to the pocket carry one I have, and the bit retention in the case is perfect. The case is very hard plastic and very nice. The bits are 3.5mm, 32.60mm long, but one sided.

I will order 32585, which has 4 Torx bits. This, with the 32581, should hold all 8 full length, dual sided, ball retention 3.5mm bits Klein sells.

Maybe there is a way to design the holder to either hold a double sided bit, or a single sided bit with a magnet installed in the bottom?

[massmanjr]

ZapWizard, any update/news on the Laser-etched ruler along inside of scales?  I apologize if I overlooked a recent post on this topic.

[massmanjr]

Bump... Zapwizard, any news on the above inquiry?

[ZapWizard]

ZapWizard, any update/news on the Laser-etched ruler along inside of scales?  I apologize if I overlooked a recent post on this topic.

Sorry, apparently I ignored a email update on this thread, and forgot to manually check for updates!

I have put some thought into this. It means taking apart the FREE p4 entirely to do the etching. I still plan on doing this on my own personal P4, but I have lots of other things I am working on all at the same time, so its just on the back burner.

Also CO2 laser etcher I have access to requires me to use Cermark to mark bare metals. I can't directly etch the metal like a fiber laser could.
Cermark is a fusible ceramic coating that is sprayed onto metal and then laser etched. The markings are permanent and durable. However, the overspray has to be washed off with water, and I am not fond of dunking the assembled tool in water. Cermark is also very expensive, and while using our company supply for a one off is no issue, but offering it to others as a service means I would have to purchase my own can of it.

I'm so glad you're interested!

Regarding the 3.5mm bit holder, but sorry I have decided to not design it.

In the past few months I have had no less than four customers have issues with the 4mm bit holder arriving with a clogged magnet slot inside.  The part is made from adhesively jointed steel powder that goes through a sintering process where the adhesive is exchanged for bronze. Using compressed air they have to clear any powder from inside the middle, but it isn't always cleared and so clogs and burrs sometimes remain. On top of that while clearing the powder, they have to be careful not to bend, squish or otherwise deform the part.
 
So far Shapeways has replaced each of the clogged prints, but they won't do that forever. If there are enough reprints/complaints they will deem the part "unprintable" and I will have to pull the 4mm bit holder from the market. A 3.5mm holder just will make this issue worse. I am also not confident I can tune the tolerances without a lot of prototypes.

[MisterGizmo]

Regarding the 3.5mm bit holder, but sorry I have decided to not design it.

In the past few months I have had no less than four customers have issues with the 4mm bit holder arriving with a clogged magnet slot inside.  The part is made from adhesively jointed steel powder that goes through a sintering process where the adhesive is exchanged for bronze. Using compressed air they have to clear any powder from inside the middle, but it isn't always cleared and so clogs and burrs sometimes remain. On top of that while clearing the powder, they have to be careful not to bend, squish or otherwise deform the part.
 
So far Shapeways has replaced each of the clogged prints, but they won't do that forever. If there are enough reprints/complaints they will deem the part "unprintable" and I will have to pull the 4mm bit holder from the market. A 3.5mm holder just will make this issue worse. I am also not confident I can tune the tolerances without a lot of prototypes.

Can this clog be cleared with a 1/8" drill bit, similar to what you show in your video? I have no problem doing this kind of tuning but if the clog is really bad and drilling it out is not an option than I hesitate to order this. And what is the ratio of good parts to clogged parts, you say 4 were clogged but how many were ordered and delivered without clogs?

I am really impressed with the mods you have done and am about to order most of them, but I need to know weather this 4 mm bit holder is a good idea to get, thanks.

[ZapWizard]

If the 1/8" (3.2mm) hole can get clogged, than so can the 3.5mm hex opening. Also the smaller the hex opening the tighter the tolerance needs to be. I am not confident that the smaller opening will work every time.

Drilling this material is actually quite difficult even with cutting fluid and a carbide coated bit. It has both the hardness of stainless steel, and to binding of bronze.

The ratio is pretty low on the 4mm, but when it does happen it means the customer has to contact Shapways customer service, which I cannot do on their behalf. For some customers they just want a refund, which comes out of my pocket as Shapeways doesn't offer any warranty or refund beyond re-prints that are their fault.

[MisterGizmo]

If the 1/8" (3.2mm) hole can get clogged, than so can the 3.5mm hex opening. Also the smaller the hex opening the tighter the tolerance needs to be. I am not confident that the smaller opening will work every time.

Drilling this material is actually quite difficult even with cutting fluid and a carbide coated bit. It has both the hardness of stainless steel, and to binding of bronze.

The ratio is pretty low on the 4mm, but when it does happen it means the customer has to contact Shapways customer service, which I cannot do on their behalf. For some customers they just want a refund, which comes out of my pocket as Shapeways doesn't offer any warranty or refund beyond re-prints that are their fault.

Sorry, I wasn't asking about the hypothetical 3.5mm hex holder, that was another guy. I just wanted to ask about the frequency of the 4mm prints having clogs and if there was a way for me to clear it if it happens. It sounds like it is not too frequent so will order one and hope for the best. It's good to know that refund requests come out of your pocket - that is a terrible policy by Shapeways - if I have get a clogged one I will ask them to reprint, the last thing I want to do is take it out of your pocket and discourage you from continuing these awesome mods!

[RedMango]

Mr. Wizard,

Is there any chance you could do one of your very clear videos (or photo, whatever works for you) showing us the finishes of your bit mods side by side? I really can't decide between Bronzed Silver, Polished Bronze, Bronzed Black, etc.

[fishbulb59]

My ears were burning in this thread.

I tried several different 4mm and 3.5mm tools to get a multi-bit driver in my pocket. (I'm looking at the same Wiha driver and Klein bit set on my desk right now.) I ended up getting a Husky 8-in-1 Precision Slotted and Philips Screwdriver from Home Depot. It was like $6, and it comes with a few two-sided bits with ball bearing retention that are 3.5mm wide. They have another one with Torx bits, if you're into that sort of thing.

It got me what I wanted: A 4.8mm-wide bit driver tool and extra bits in my pocket.



I designed that driver and had Shapeways print it, but I ground down the sides a bit to allow it to close up into the knife a bit better.



The bit driver is exactly as wide as one "thick" tool and one "thin" tool. I also did a scalpel holder that's the same thickness as a single "thick" tool:





The idea is that you can stack both of those tools with the original blade and they'll all fit nicely into a T2. Both of the bits are a bit longer than normal, closer to the length of the main blade, because I was already printing a custom backplane. If there's sufficient interest, I can probably tweak both of these to make them publicly available.

[ZapWizard]

Mr. Wizard,

Is there any chance you could do one of your very clear videos (or photo, whatever works for you) showing us the finishes of your bit mods side by side? I really can't decide between Bronzed Silver, Polished Bronze, Bronzed Black, etc.

In the photo the two top scalpel holders and the loose flat bit holder are all both "Bronze Silver Steel". As you can see the color can vary a bit.
The flat bit holder in the P4 is the "Black Bronze Steel". It seems to have a treatment that will patina off in time. (Which I actually like)
The 4mm bit holder that is in the P2 at the bottom of the tool is the straight bronze color, which is more even, but also duller looking.

My ears were burning in this thread.

Both designs look good. Did you need to grind it down due to the minimum thickness that Shapeways required?

[fishbulb59]

Both designs look good. Did you need to grind it down due to the minimum thickness that Shapeways required?

No, it wasn't them. I had done the same thing you did on one of your bit adapters, where I took advantage of the additional width available toward the end of the bit when there's a spring on either side. I think I had done an extra 0.8mm on either side, figuring I'd probably end up grinding it down a bit. When I got the tool back from Shapeways, it fit, but it brushed against the blade on one side and the scale on the other in a way that annoyed me. I think my next iteration of that tool is going to be shorter, so it will fit with the original plastic spacer in place, and also a bit narrower so I don't have to grind it down. This full-length version is also a bit heavier than I'd like, so making it shorter will help with that too.

[CovertPenguin]

What did you use to cut the Surge T shank file and saw down to fit inside the P4? I can't seem to find anything detailing how to shorten file steel.

[ZapWizard]

What did you use to cut the Surge T shank file and saw down to fit inside the P4? I can't seem to find anything detailing how to shorten file steel.

I just used a Dremel with a reinforced cutoff wheel, and then a stone grinder to smooth the cut.
Since it is a hardened steel file, you can't use a hack saw or anything metal to make the cut.

[CovertPenguin]

Thank you, Zap. I'm patiently awaiting the arrival of both the T shank & bit holders from Shapeways for my P4. 

[RedMango]

I think for those that have removed the stock clip for using with one of Zaps holsters, I have an interesting idea. I know Zap has recommended a screw set to fill these holes, but what if we could use this opportunity to do something a little more fun.

I wonder if someone (Zap wink wink) could develop a little tiny area for engraving using this space. Like a little plate that fits seamlessly  with the style of the Leatherman free, that we could take to an engraver to put our initials or something in.

Anyway I thought that would be more fun than just filling it with screws.