Modding an Alox Classic to add a toothpick! And tweezers !

[JohnWE]

There must be a way to add the tweezers and toothpick to an Alox handled classic.

Adding an additional layer behind the scales?

Has anyone done it?

I would happily deal with the extra thickness of such a modification in exchange for those great tweezers and a toothpick!

 

[afishhunter]

No way I know of to add the scale tools to an Alox.

You'd have to remove the scales, mill the slots in the underside and the cut-outs/notches for the heads.

You could carry the the toothpick and tweezers in a small wood matchstick box or matchstick safe in your pocket (those for the 58mm models, anyway. I'm not sure if the 91mm model's would fit.
Another option would be in your Altoids tin, along with the hank of twine/jute, flint and steel, bandaids, small bottle of aspirin, after bite, snake bite kit, coach's/sports whistle, needle and thread, and the other small emergency/survival stuff stuff you normally carry in it.

That's one of the reasons I'm not all that fond of the Alox models. The lack of scissors and punch/awl/reamer on most, and no multi-use corkscrew also "hurts" them, in my opinion.
I admit most of the colors look good both new and after a few years use.

 

[Guy McVer]

There must be a way to add the tweezers and toothpick to an Alox handled classic.

Adding an additional layer behind the scales?

Has anyone done it?

I would happily deal with the extra thickness of such a modification in exchange for those great tweezers and a toothpick!

Build #192 — F2S Customs

f2scustoms.com

The tweezer holder is custom made from G10. The tweezers are held in place by their springiness. It should be possible to create a separate holder for the toothpick, but I think the tolerances would need to be a lot more precise to properly friction fit the toothpick.

Something like that is not worth the effort and the cost to me. It adds way too much thickness. One of the advantages of alox scales is in how much thinner they make the swiss army knife. With a modification like this, you are negating that advantage.

Get a pair of Uncle Bill's Sliver Grippers. They are a far superior set of simple, slim, light weight, high quality stainless steel tweezers which go on your key chain. They've been around for decades and they've been carried and used all over the world.

As far as the toothpick goes: they're disgusting. There is nothing more nauseating than a plastic toothpick that's been contaminated with years of accumulated pocket crud. Clean it all you want, but it still goes right back in the same filthy scale slot anyway. If you really need a toothpick, buy a box of them and throw them away after using them. Or get a titanium/brass/copper toothpick, because these metals at least have antimicrobial properties.

 

[kamakiri.knives]

Adding an additional layer behind the scales?

Has anyone done it?

I haven’t, bit I would use a liner or two to create the space under the scale. Angled, so they both fit on one side.

 

[ScottK]

I wrestled with the need to add a toothpick or tweezers when I'm carrying an Alox knife. There are several options as discussed in this thread, my idea was to simply add the toothpick or tweezers to a "Chris Reeve Coil Lanyard" it's easy to insert the toothpick or tweezers, based on my experience if the coil lanyard is tight it holds the tool very well as shown in the photo below (toothpick in lanyard is circled in red). Not an elegant in knife body solution, but it works.

 

[kamakiri.knives]

I would happily deal with the extra thickness of such a modification

Did some measurements and the space could be made with a range of about 1.5mm-2mm increase in thickness overall. So 3 or 4 OEM nickel silver spacers could be modified to make the space. 4 would make enough room for the OEM T&T heads to sit flush with the cutouts needed in the alox.

 

[tiguy7]

Here are a couple of custom Titanium scaled SAK’s that have tool modifications. The skeletonized handle has a slot for a pair of tweezers but no liner. The swinging tool drawer SAK has room for 3 or 4 tools. It is shown with a FerroCerium rod, a pen, and a pair of tweezers. You can squeeze a shortened wooden toothpick along side the other tools.View attachment 1912051View attachment 1912052

 

[Guy McVer]

The swinging tool drawer SAK has room for 3 or 4 tools. It is shown with a FerroCerium rod, a pen, and a pair of tweezers.

Slightly off topic, but where do you get ferro rods that skinny? Is it stronger than a Firefly or do you still need to support it with your finger to keep it from snapping? How many uses do you get out of it before it's too fragile?

 

[tiguy7]

It came with the knife. I use a Bic. The bottom knife in the pic has a more robust F/C rod which is rectangular in cross section. You may notice that the scale is thicker to accept the rod. I still use the Bic (and white gas). View attachment 1912066View attachment 1912067

 

[Guy McVer]

The bottom knife in the pic has a more robust F/C rod which is rectangular in cross section.

Yeah that one is a Firefly. I guess that answers my second question. Those are made by Tortoise Gear.

If you ever have to use it, make sure to strike it along the thin side. It's stronger in that direction and less likely to break. Also be sure to support the other side with your index finger.

 

[tiguy7]

Yeah that one is a Firefly. I guess that answers my second question. Those are made by Tortoise Gear.

If you ever have to use it, make sure to strike it along the thin side. It's stronger in that direction and less likely to break. Also be sure to support the other side with your index finger.

I will do that and use accelerant but try to keep the solvent off my support finger.

 

[kamakiri.knives]

My primitive cellidor example of the angled arrangement: