My first Opinel, and some mods!

J

jmflem

Joined
Feb 1, 2014
Messages
373
On Wednesday I received in the mail my first Opinel, a No6 in walnut. I didn't like how it was directly from the package so....I did some mods :D! I rounded off the end, took away some wood near the nail nick for easier opening, filed the tip down some for more of a drop point shape, added a lanyard hole (this came out a little sloppy since I didn't have access to a drill press), and refinished the handle with some oil. I'm considering some more mods, maybe I'll take a shot at mirror polishing the blade or something. I carried it at work today and it's quite a difference from my usual carry of a RAT1 :p! I like the knife, but I probably won't be carrying it that often. I'm thinking I might try a Spyderco DF2 G10 for EDC.

Here's some pics:
1966796_451319275014507_689996264110762479_n.jpg

10356184_451319235014511_8735643474512626226_n.jpg

10247429_451319251681176_21384254416047430_n.jpg


Let me know what you think, and feel free to post pictures of your own Opinel mods!
 
Last edited:
You have done all mods which make sense although more can be fun. I might have made the EZ open notch deeper but that's me.

Oh, you can work on the locking ring a bit too.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28597626/tuning-opinels.txt

But like I say, you've got it.

Now carry it for a while. Most Spyrdercos are great slicers too but an Opinel would outclass most knives in that area. Give the Opie some time before you try others, just for funnsies.
 
Yours looks great. I echo what davek14 said - give it a try. It will grow on you and as you use it, you may even find you want to modify it more to meet your needs and your hand. It is a process of making it right for you.
Here are a few mods I made to a couple of opines.





 
Opinels are awesome. Great work! You've inspired me to go pick up a few more and start playing with them. All of mine are vintage and I wouldn't want to ruin them. I think I'm going to put a tanto grind on one, stain the handle black, and blackwash the blade and metal hardware in order to make a tactical Opinel. :D
 
Thanks guys! The lanyard mod I did looks a lot better in the picture than in real life. The tube goes in at an uneven angle, and the wood is chipped around the hole. The lanyard itself helps to cover up some of the mistakes though. And I think I dulled the tip when making the blade shape change :p. I'll probably carry it some more, but it doesn't really "turn me on", if you know what I'm saying. I guess it just isn't my style. Nonetheless I'll still be carrying it.
 
davek14 said:
You have done all mods which make sense although more can be fun. I might have made the EZ open notch deeper but that's me.

Oh, you can work on the locking ring a bit too.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28597626/tuning-opinels.txt

But like I say, you've got it.

Now carry it for a while. Most Spyrdercos are great slicers too but an Opinel would outclass most knives in that area. Give the Opie some time before you try others, just for funnsies.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I tried removing the pivot pin to loosen it a little bit, but I was too scared of breaking the knife :p! I think it'll be fine as is.
 
Good to see you tried your hand at modding! If you don't like it give it a chance, the only thing that can happenis that you grow more fond of it! Try using it as your pocket knife for food in addition to another knife.
 
And some pics for jmflem...
here's the last two I worked on,a #8 Garden Knife & a #7 Cohglan's.
DSCN2164.jpg


And a #9.
DSCN2028.jpg


And a #6 I put some brass brads in to mimic brass pins.

DSCN1982.jpg


Don't feel bad about the crooked lanyard hole,you can only see one side at a time anyhoo.;)
I busted a #6 handle trying to flair a brass tube in it.:o
You could always sand down the wood around the tube(and the tube itself) to remove the chip outs.A little thinning wouldn't hurt after all.

I still have a #6 & 7 to work on plus the parts of the 6 I busted up.

Modding Opies is fun,the wood is warm in hand & they are lighter in pocket than a slip joint.:)



Oh and I Love that stubby #7 Joan!
 
mykel m said:
And some pics for jmflem...
here's the last two I worked on,a #8 Garden Knife & a #7 Cohglan's.
DSCN2164.jpg


And a #9.
DSCN2028.jpg


And a #6 I put some brass brads in to mimic brass pins.

DSCN1982.jpg


Don't feel bad about the crooked lanyard hole,you can only see one side at a time anyhoo.;)
I busted a #6 handle trying to flair a brass tube in it.:o
You could always sand down the wood around the tube(and the tube itself) to remove the chip outs.A little thinning wouldn't hurt after all.

I still have a #6 & 7 to work on plus the parts of the 6 I busted up.

Modding Opies is fun,the wood is warm in hand & they are lighter in pocket than a slip joint.:)



Oh and I Love that stubby #7 Joan!
Click to expand...


Always like seeing your work my friend!!! :thumbup:
 
mykel m said:
Don't feel bad about the crooked lanyard hole,you can only see one side at a time anyhoo.;)
I busted a #6 handle trying to flair a brass tube in it.:o
You could always sand down the wood around the tube(and the tube itself) to remove the chip outs.A little thinning wouldn't hurt after all.

I still have a #6 & 7 to work on plus the parts of the 6 I busted up.

Modding Opies is fun,the wood is warm in hand & they are lighter in pocket than a slip joint.:)
Click to expand...

I did try sanding around the hole to make it big, but the chip is pretty deep. I could sand more if I wanted too, but it's no biggy. On the bright side, it adds character to the knife ;).
 
jmflem said:
Yeah, I tried removing the pivot pin to loosen it a little bit, but I was too scared of breaking the knife :p! I think it'll be fine as is.
Click to expand...

Like I say, you've done all the mods which make sense. I used to do too much.

I took the knife completely apart on a couple and I'll never do it again. You have to sand or file the peening off one side to get the pivot pin out. The peening is done at the factory just right (mostly:)) to stop the locking ring from riding up when you lock it closed.

You did a great job.

Mykel m, how did you do that.
 
jmflem said:
No no, I'm interested! (that is if you are okay with sharing your process with the public)
Click to expand...
Nope, I don't mind sharing the process at all JM.:)
I sanded the factory finish off & shaped the handles before cutting the jigging.
I cut the groves/jigging with a little ball end Dremel cutting/engraving bit, then used a black Sharpie to darken the groves, then sanded all the sharp edges down,stained with Fiebing's Med. Brown Leather Dye and finally gave 'em a couple of coats of BLO.
The Fiebing's I bought for use on antler or bone & found it penetrates the Beechwood Opi handles great vs Minwax wood stain and it bleeds off some of the sharpie ink giving a more natural look IMO.
The black lock rings on the #7 & 8 were blackened with Caswell's Stainless Steel Blackener & the #9 & 6 were etched with Radio Shack PCB Etchant.
 
mykel m said:
Nope, I don't mind sharing the process at all JM.:)
I sanded the factory finish off & shaped the handles before cutting the jigging.
I cut the groves/jigging with a little ball end Dremel cutting/engraving bit, then used a black Sharpie to darken the groves, then sanded all the sharp edges down,stained with Fiebing's Med. Brown Leather Dye and finally gave 'em a couple of coats of BLO.
The Fiebing's I bought for use on antler or bone & found it penetrates the Beechwood Opi handles great vs Minwax wood stain and it bleeds off some of the sharpie ink giving a more natural look IMO.
The black lock rings on the #7 & 8 were blackened with Caswell's Stainless Steel Blackener & the #9 & 6 were etched with Radio Shack PCB Etchant.
Click to expand...

I figured you used that kind of dremel bit for the grooves. I used the same thing for when I had to make the grooves for the tang of a Mora blank I was making a handle for (that was the first time I'd ever made a handle for a knife, and I must say it came out really well. Here's the link for the Mora if your interested: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1170978-Custom-Wooden-Handled-Mora). The idea of the leather dye is really cool. It actually crossed my mind what leather dye would do to the wood while I was working on my Opie :p. Really nice job man!
 
mykel m said:
Visitor message sent so we don't highjack jm's thread Dave.
Click to expand...

This was a correct response.
Other alternative answer would be to start a separate thread, which might end up in the Maintenance and Tinkering Forum.

The Traditional Forum is for discussing the knives, not how to modify them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top