Are there any SAK modifiers on here?

WillbertR

WillbertR

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Oct 5, 2025
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It’s sometimes the case that Victorinox simply don’t make a knife with the tool selection people want. As a result I’ve seen loads of modified SAKs online. These aren’t cheap though, so I’m going to have a go at trying it myself. I’m looking for tips and tricks to make things easier.
 
Going to move this to the Multi-tool / SAK forum.
 
The toughest part of any SAK modification is the pins/rivets: both drilling them out when you’re disassembling a SAK and replacing them when you’re reassembling it.
 
A drill press helps a lot. Depending on what you are trying to do, cobalt drill bits for hardened steel can be very useful as well. The 84mm and 91mm SAKs use different size pins, and the back tools on the 91mm use a smaller pin than the main pins.

Each tool/blade is made to fit a specific end of a specific spring, so whatever you have in mind may not be possible unless you can fabricate new springs. These aren't Legos, you can't just put them together any way you want.

Celidor models have collars (or grommets) on the pins to hold the covers, and they have a sharp lip around the top which often damages the plastic covers when they are removed. You may need new covers or you may use epoxy to reattach the covers, but too much will render the scale tool slots unusable.

I also made a jig to hold the pins and pile side scale in place and aligned. It makes assembly much easier.

Good luck, have fun and above all, be patient. You'll soon see why those customs are expensive.
 
WillbertR said:
It’s sometimes the case that Victorinox simply don’t make a knife with the tool selection people want. As a result I’ve seen loads of modified SAKs online. These aren’t cheap though, so I’m going to have a go at trying it myself. I’m looking for tips and tricks to make things easier.
Click to expand...
That's an ambitious project! Start by practicing on a cheap, used SAK first. Getting the rivets right is the trickiest part, so watch a few disassembly videos closely.
 
JimDaysen said:
That's an ambitious project! Start by practicing on a cheap, used SAK first. Getting the rivets right is the trickiest part, so watch a few disassembly videos closely.
Click to expand...

I’m a hobby machinist so I’ve gone over some of the steps in my mind. I intend to make some jigs to make things easier and more repeatable. Removing and replacing the rivets should be easy. The only tricky part I can see are the Rivet Cups. It would be quite easy to damage these during disassembly. You can buy replacements on Etsy but they aren’t cheap, about £20 a set.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/180...47e38f381e517a52a2065dc&variation0=4846500984
 
Last edited:
yablanowitz said:
A drill press helps a lot. Depending on what you are trying to do, cobalt drill bits for hardened steel can be very useful as well. The 84mm and 91mm SAKs use different size pins, and the back tools on the 91mm use a smaller pin than the main pins.

Each tool/blade is made to fit a specific end of a specific spring, so whatever you have in mind may not be possible unless you can fabricate new springs. These aren't Legos, you can't just put them together any way you want.

Celidor models have collars (or grommets) on the pins to hold the covers, and they have a sharp lip around the top which often damages the plastic covers when they are removed. You may need new covers or you may use epoxy to reattach the covers, but too much will render the scale tool slots unusable.

I also made a jig to hold the pins and pile side scale in place and aligned. It makes assembly much easier.

Good luck, have fun and above all, be patient. You'll soon see why those customs are expensive.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. Yes, there are some variations that would be very tricky to make. Manufacturing new back springs is not within my skill set (or most others it seems) although I’ve seen some modified.

It’s a real shame that replacement SAK blades etc aren’t generally available as spare parts, but I can understand why Victorinox don’t do this. I do have a small selection from an old budget 91mm I took apart some years ago and I now have two donor knives to play with. As soon as my credit card recovers I’ll be buying some new plus scales and a few other bits like some G10 to make some liners. I won’t be going down the Titanium Scales route, they’re far too expensive for me! The first custom I plan will be a fairly simple three layer model for a personal EDC.

I’m fairly lucky to have a small workshop with a Lathe and Milling machine and my own sand blaster.

Those Rivet Cups though are a real nasty looking part to make at home. I could probably make one or two but making whole sets if I need them could be a problem! 😂 Don’t drill too deep is the answer when taking it apart!
 
The rivet cups are indeed very easy to damage during disassembly. You have to get the drill bit perfectly centered on the head of the pin when you drill them out. If you’re off-center (or if the bit wanders), you’ll drill through the rivet cup.

You should be able to drill the pins on one side and tap them out the other side.
 
What I was planing to do is to turn a guide “pin” with a hollow end on my lathe to accurately place the knife under the quill of my milling machine. Once the knife is clamped in place I was also thinking of using a stepped bushing to stop the drill bit wandering for the initial drilling. I may even be able to make a sleeve to fit over the drill bit to prevent over drilling. It sounds complicated but easy to make on my lathe. Possibly not worth the effort for one knife, but if I decide to do any more it could save me time, and the hassle of sourcing those Rivet Cups. Still some trial and error though to start with though. I’m a big fan of using jigs in my workshop.
 
That sounds like a great idea. Just so you know, on a 91mm SAK the 3 pivot pins are 2.5mm and the fourth pin is 2.2mm. It’s almost impossible to find 2.2mm brass rod; I usually sand or grind down 2.5mm rod until it fits through the holes. You can probably do a much neater job by turning it down with a lathe.
 
hsherzfeld said:
That sounds like a great idea. Just so you know, on a 91mm SAK the 3 pivot pins are 2.5mm and the fourth pin is 2.2mm. It’s almost impossible to find 2.2mm brass rod; I usually sand or grind down 2.5mm rod until it fits through the holes. You can probably do a much neater job by turning it down with a lathe.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I bought 2.5mm and 2.2mm Brass Rod on Amazon.
 
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