Opinel mods

Thanatophagous · Feb 3, 2011

Just wanted to concentrate those photos of Opinel mods (because I love Opinels) for next modders to get some inspiration from pics here. So I start with mine

Just sanded down the edges on the handle, dyed it brown ( I was trying to go for sort of used effect and I guess it worked) and used 2 coats of boiled linseed oil, just to give it a little more shine

Knife Crazied · Feb 3, 2011

Very nice!

berzerker · Feb 3, 2011

Nice work. I've always thought the handle needed to be less angular.

There seems to be an entire cult of Opinel modders:

This site is in French, but clicking the names will bring up the work of each artist.

http://michel.montlahuc.free.fr/opinel4.htm

samblam · Feb 3, 2011

i really need to pick up one of the opinels to see what it's all about, and for the price i'll prolly ought to pick up a few different sizes.

thanks
sam

thejamppa · Feb 4, 2011

Great minds think alike when it comes to handle. This is my user #8. I made 3 mdofications: 2 on blade and one handle:

1) I modified blade into drop ppoint. IMHO it works better for my needs.
2) I modfied the end of blade where kick is in slippies. The regular square felt nasty in my hands, so I angled it
3) I modified the handle, making itm ore round and comfortable to use.

+ I've sunken knife few times in oil to make wood more resistant to the water but that's not real modification I would count.

Future plans: Sanding down entire handle lightly, removing old coatings fully and perhaps dying the wood.

Ray5118 · Feb 4, 2011

berzerker said:
Nice work. I've always thought the handle needed to be less angular.

There seems to be an entire cult of Opinel modders:

This site is in French, but clicking the names will bring up the work of each artist.

http://michel.montlahuc.free.fr/opinel4.htm

Wow ! The artwork on that website puts this knife into a whole other category.
Thanks for posting the site.

Nightshifter · Feb 4, 2011

I have a few Opinels in my collection. May have to mod one a little just for fun. Nice link, thanks.
Paul

woseyjales · Feb 4, 2011

I've sanded & stained a few Opies.
Mimicing Case a bit I refer to them as Wj 'pocket wore' Opinels.
EDC#1 is No.6 carbon 'PW'

No.6 'PW' Walnut

No.7 carbone 'PW'

No.6 Olivewood 'PW'

Not sure if it's general knowledge yet, but for those wanting more wood to work with
Opinel does offer some with larger unfinished handles, it's called the ebauche line.
I haven't tried them myself.

LKJW · Feb 4, 2011

Thanks for the link, Berzerker. Totally going to do some whittlin' on my old #8. :thumbup:

mitch13 · Feb 4, 2011

Some nice mods:thumbup:
mitch

Thanatophagous · Feb 5, 2011

I was thinking about putting a drop point on that baby but I really like the the clip point better aesthetically and since its so thin its really sharp as scalpel. But Its still a work in progress (and I think all opis should be) because I was thinking forcing some wicked patina pattern on it or maybe just a little dip in vinegar so it gets that acquired patina look like it has been used for long time (I want to make it age really fast

)

Seals · Feb 5, 2011

This is making want to buy Opinals just so i can play modding them.Man,This place is wicked on my meager pocketbook.

At least they are pretty cheap.:thumbup:

supratentorial · Feb 5, 2011

I can't find the link but I saw photos of a modified Opinel that accomodated both an Opinel blade and saw. The blades were on the same side and used the same viro bloc. If I recall correctly, the handle was custom made on a lathe but it actually looked like an Opinel handle.

No mods yet but here's a photo of a few of my Opinels:

goodeyesniper · Feb 6, 2011

Always wanted to do the Wharncliffe mod on one. And my dad just so happened to snap the tip off of his #6 that I gave him while working. And got it nice and rusty by cutting sod and not wiping the mud off.

I have no idea what happened, though. I told him to set it aside so I could clean it up, but haven't seen it since.

6thtexas · Feb 7, 2011

My modded #8

Blue Sky · Feb 7, 2011

I get a lot of use from these, the pics and the knives. They both started out as #12's.

Steve_Holt · Feb 7, 2011

This is a No. 8 on which I re-shaped the handle and blade, and added a sideways lanyard and an EZ open notch. I haven't stained or finished the handle yet, because I'm not exactly happy with the handle shape yet. I had almost forgotten about it until I saw this thread.

dannyp · Feb 7, 2011

Here's my NO9.

At first I modified the blade to a spear point and added a lanyard hole. Later I shortened the handle which got rid of the hole and added the EO notch so the blade can be pinched open. The wharnie mod looks very cool. I may have to pick up one of the bigger ones and do it myself.

berzerker · Feb 8, 2011

Wharnie mods are fairly easy. The result is also a great first knife for a child.

I made one from a #10, when my son said he wanted to learn to whittle (he was 7, at the time). I laid the open blade on a wet rag, and used a cutting wheel (going through the blade a little bit at a time). The rag and pace of cutting kept the blade cool. Then I added a new nail-nick with a small diameter grinding wheel, and an easy-open notch with a wood rasp.

Steve_Holt · Feb 10, 2011

Well, you guys got to me again. After reading this thread, I got out a spare Opinel #7 and did a few mods.

I made it a sheep's foot blade and cut down the handle, along with adding an EZ open notch. I added a finger groove on the side and a lanyard for my pinkie to get a little extra traction on this small knife. I've been playing around with etching, and attempted to etch a horseshoe on the back, but it turned out really bad. I also added a sterling silver die to the lanyard for looks. Well either that or a plastic die from a Mardi Gras necklace.

It may look pretty crappy, but I bet I won't be able to get it out of my pocket for a week! There's just something fun about mangling a knife.

Opinel mods

Attachments