Mountaineer Mod: large Executive

C

CraigTbone

Joined
Mar 4, 2019
Messages
121
I started a thread to explore the concept of a larger Executive. I tried to edit the title of that thread to reflect the mod that I will be performing but could not. So here is a thread with an appropriate title.

I have ordered a Mountaineer as the start for a mod and a Spartan for a donor. The tools on an Exec are close to my ideal EDC pocket knife. I just want a little longer sharp blade for food, as in when a restaurant has dull knives or no knives at all.

For years now I have thought that I would like a pocket knife with a long and a short blade for every day tasks. And a long serrated blade for food (serrations to protect sharp edge when cutting on a plate). And a short blade, extra sharp, saved for special needs.

I am planning on starting with a Mountaineer, replacing the two openers with the two sharp blades from the Spartan (along with the spring). The awl on the back side looks like it will operate with the spring (just based on photos that I have looked at) but it is narrower so it will need a spacer to fill the gap.

I believed that I had it all thought through but today I realized that the key ring on both the Mountaineer and Spartan is attached to the opener layer spring. So my mod would not have a key ring. It will not be carried with keys but used for a safety lanyard when needed.

My 30 year old 91mm multi-layer Champ(?) has the key ring lug on the sharp blade layer.

Soooo, is there a way of getting a blade spring with a key ring lug that is compatible with the Mountaineer / Spartan?
 
Craig, I posted the answer on MTO for the same question, so please do feel free to read it. But the short answer, I would humbly suggest to not take apart the vintage 91mm champ just for a lanyard hole, and instead, buy a 91mm compact and get the lanyard spacer from the blade layer.
 
Thanks for the input comis. For my pocket EDC I do not want the openers. There is one on my Leatherman. I do want the two additional blades.

I am not going to take parts from the old Champ. I was just pointing out that other tools have the key ring attached to other layers than the opener layer.

The Spartan was purchased as a donor for the two additional blades but I was not thinking about the key ring lug.

So the question is where can I get compatible parts to include a key ring lug? The Compact you mentioned has only one blade, not two so it does not look like it will be of any use.

From what I can see in the photos on the Victorinox web site, for 91mm, if it has an opener layer that is were the key ring lug is. If no opener layer it also has only one blade.

Looking at the exploded photos it looks as if it might be possible to reshape the opener spring a little to make it work with the knives while keeping the key ring lug.

I have taken apart and modded several 111mm SAKs so I have a little experience dealing with all the pieces.
 
More answers on MTO already, but fellow MTO member did give a decent suggestion of making your own lanyard 'spacer' for the blade layer or get it from the compact. Sometimes I see people selling parts or 2nd hand SAK on ebay, so those could be an viable options to get the parts.

I think the spring for openers and blade layers are so vastly different that it may be quite difficult to make it work. And the spring thickness difference between the two layers would also mean the tension for the knives will be very different as well. An easier solution maybe just to migrate the whole blade layer from another SAK, and replace the corkscrew with the awl from openers. It will not be a perfect replacement, but it's still worth a try.
 
If you can wait a couple more hours until I get home, I'll look through my extra parts. I seem to recall having catch bits with keyring loops that would work, or possibly springs that would work for you. I'll let you know.
 
Yep, I have a couple of catch bits (the spacer that goes next to the small blade to make up the difference in thickness between the small and large blades) that have the keyring loop. If you e-mail me a shipping address (I have a Gmail account the same as my username here) I'll drop one in an envelope and mail it to you. The hole may have to be enlarged a bit (it may have come from an 84mm which uses smaller pin stock), but it will work and it's the easiest way I know to add a keyring to one.
 
That is very kind of you yablanowitz. Thank you.

I will send an email now.

No panic as the knives have not yet arrived.

Craig T
 
I recieved an email notifying me that the Mountaineer and Spartan I order has shipped. Should be delivered Friday.

Now that the key ring issue seems to be solved I am thinking through all the other details.

My research indicated that the end pins are 2.5mm dia and the middle pin is 2.2mm dia. Can anyone confirm this?

Another feature I had not thought about is a pen slot in the cover. Would be handy and adds zero size. I really like bright yellow and blue covers. How likely am I to find yellow or blue 91mm covers with a pen slot? Pretty slim is my guess. Is it possible to mill a slot in a non-pen slot cover?

It looks like the "want to buy section" is not being used. Where should I put a want to buy entry for these covers?
 
The pin sizes you list sound like the measurements I got from pieces I had torn down. By the way, there are four pins on the 91mm SAK, not three. The pivot pin for the back tools doesn't have a collar for the scales to snap onto, it is just peened (or spun if you have the tool).

You can't machine a pen slot in standard scales (they are hollow), but you should be able to get Plus scales in any color you want with the pen slot already there.

The Want to Buy section of the Exchange is in use, but since you have to be a Gold or higher member to sell, you also have to be Gold or higher to see what others want to buy. You can post a thread there and you will be able to see it, as will anyone else with selling rights.
 
So far I have found only a few sources for SAK handles. None from a US supplier. I guess I will order from SwissArmyKnifeShop in Switzerland and hope it does not take too long to arrive.
 
The Mountaineer and Spartan have arrived.

The knife blade spacer/key ring lug so kindly donated by yablanowitz is here.

The new handles with pen, toothpick & tweezers are on order, supposed to have been shipped.

Oh, I need to double check that I have the correct rod stock for the pins, I believe I do.

Just need a little time. I continue to work from home. Any spare time I have been making masks.

I am excited to do this mod.
 
Since all my spare time is taken making masks right now I have not been able to start this mod. But I am thinking about it.

I have been carrying the stock Mountaineer for a week or so. It is 4 layers, a bit thicker than I would prefer. My proposed mod would remain at 4 layers. I can live with that if needed but...

I do not want to loose any of the top side tools (other than the openers that will be replaced with the knife blades from the Spartan).

Has a fingernail file ever been put on the back side of a SAK? Could the stock nail file be reprofiled & shortened and replace the hook?

That would allow the removal of the nail file layer, dropping down to 3 layers.
 
CraigTbone said:
Since all my spare time is taken making masks right now I have not been able to start this mod. But I am thinking about it.

I have been carrying the stock Mountaineer for a week or so. It is 4 layers, a bit thicker than I would prefer. My proposed mod would remain at 4 layers. I can live with that if needed but...

I do not want to loose any of the top side tools (other than the openers that will be replaced with the knife blades from the Spartan).

Has a fingernail file ever been put on the back side of a SAK? Could the stock nail file be reprofiled & shortened and replace the hook?

That would allow the removal of the nail file layer, dropping down to 3 layers.
Click to expand...

Good luck with masks, that's for a good cause!

If you plan to just have a three layers SAK or a Mountaineer without the metal saw/file, then Climber would be a great choice to carry, or you could start with a Climber as a base for the mod.

If you have set your mind to mod the Mountaineer and will be replacing the openers layer with another set of blades, since you will need a tool at the back of the blades layer anyway and you want a "nail file", maybe to consider putting a 58mm nail file to fill the void? However, since the width of the tool would be different, so you probably may have to fashion some spacer to make up the width. I have seen 58mm nail file installed on the back of 91mm in the past, but I haven't formally done one onto the blade layer myself, but I'd suggest to study the disassemble photos closely and that should give you a good estimate whether it is feasible or not.
 
Good info Comis.

I was thinking of removing the file layer from the Mountaineer and putting some sort of file on the back replacing the hook. I would prefer to keep the awl if possible.

But a nail cleaner file is important to me. That is why I initially started with a Mountaineer. But if a back side nail tool is possible, the Climber is a more logical knife to start with.

Are there disassembly photos in this forum?
 
I think there are some in general, but in terms of disassembly photos volume on multitool/SAKs, I think MTO probably will have more. In fact, you probably could find reference in MTO about the backside 58mm tool installment.
 
Until I have some time to actually start this mod, I keep thinking about it.

Is this possible?...
Instead of removing the hook and replacing with a nail file (from a Classic or other donor) could a flat face of the hook shaft be textured to function as a nail file?
 
The hook on the Compact has had a cut file on the side at least part of the time, so I'd say it's at least possible.
 
I just did an image search for the Compact. A few photos show the textured surface if you zoom in. I never saw that before. Very clever.

I don't see me buying a Compact to donate just one tool. Does anyone know just how to create that rough texture of the nail file?
 
It does baffle me sometimes why that hook is not installed on every SAK? But I guess they have made so many millions of knives/tools that probably even a small change like that might alter the bottom line for them.

CraigTbone said:
I just did an image search for the Compact. A few photos show the textured surface if you zoom in. I never saw that before. Very clever.

I don't see me buying a Compact to donate just one tool. Does anyone know just how to create that rough texture of the nail file?
Click to expand...

No experience in this, but to think outside the box, maybe acid itching to create an uneven patterned surface? I was a few youtube videoes for making file, pretty interesting process, but personally, I'd much rather to find individual tool or 2nd hand broken blade SAK on ebay than to make one myself.
 
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