Showing off my current edc

BJE

BJE

Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
3,079
Opinel No. 8 modified by me.
Shaped and finished handle, dropped the tip a little, removed lock ring and adjusted pivot to make a friction folder.
Do you see a knife?







Sorry for the awful pics, but I hate taking pictures and putting them online because its a real pain for me to do and they don't turn out well:grumpy:.

As far as the knife goes, I love it, even though its a No.8, after the handle mods and removal of lock ring, it carries like a No. 7 1/2.
Patina is coming along slowly, as I haven't been using it for much food prep, mostly just opening packages of parts at work and slicing pieces off a block of cheese for dinner.

I really prefer it without the lock ring, and I think I have the tension dialed in just right so its smooth to open but won't do so accidentally in my pocket.

Just wanted to share my current carry piece without taking up a whole page on the Opinel pic thread with my overly large pictures.
 
Nice work!:thumbup:

Love the shade of stain, and the depth of it. Did you use a clear coat of something over it?

I've removed the locking ring on one of mine for a trial run a while ago, and not only did I not miss it, but I found the knife actually felt better in the hand without it. Friction folders are a good tool for self discovery while using. Kind of a learning tool in what we really need and don't need. Back to basics, you could say.

Carl.
 
jackknife said:
Nice work!:thumbup:

Love the shade of stain, and the depth of it. Did you use a clear coat of something over it?

I've removed the locking ring on one of mine for a trial run a while ago, and not only did I not miss it, but I found the knife actually felt better in the hand without it. Friction folders are a good tool for self discovery while using. Kind of a learning tool in what we really need and don't need. Back to basics, you could say.

Carl.
Click to expand...
Yes, I used a coat or two of polyurethane over several coats of stain. It is the standard beech wood and is rather harder to stain compared to other woods.
I also did a No.7 the same way, I think its the prettier of the two and the handle definitely looks better than this one, but this is what keeps going in my pocket because its a little rougher around the edges so I don't mind carrying and using the heck out of it.

I will have to get around to taking pics of all my modified Opinels, and if I can get my ladies knife from her, she has a lovely No. 6 we modified together with no stain, only poly so its a real fair color and quite different from what I usually see.
 
The last Opinel I did, I didn't use any stain either. Just took it down, made a deeper curve in the belly so it can be pinched open, and when smoothed down to 500 paper and 0000 steel wool, I just did a couple thin coats of the Minwax clear poly. I've done so many with a deeper hue, I was just in the mood for a lighter more natural wood color. The beach is hard to get the stain in deep. The locking ring was removed post photo session. It's become my 'beater' knife.

9052475266_d899c75637_c.jpg
 
That's I'd almost exactly how hers looks. I didn't think I would like it at first, but she insisted she didn't want any stain. I think it looks quite good like that now.
 
Nice looking knives guys. I'm just not ready to give up the locking ring yet.
Jim
 
It's a great folder either way. It's starting to turn me off to knives with springs, just really liking that smooth controllable action with no spring.
 
Thanks for the kind words. The mods give it character and makes my no. 8 different from every one else's, makes it feel like a knife I would carry.
 
Grateful said:
Nice looking knives guys. I'm just not ready to give up the locking ring yet.
Jim
Click to expand...

Take a deep breath and say to yourself, "I can do this!" then take off the locking ring. Put it in the sock drawer for a future time of you think you will need it. Look at me, Jm, you can do it!!
:D

Carl.
 
This is inspiring me to finally get around to modding my opinel #8! Seems like much more fun to carry now that its a "custom" knife.
 
thomasvsgodzilla said:
This is inspiring me to finally get around to modding my opinel #8! Seems like much more fun to carry now that its a "custom" knife.
Click to expand...

More enjoyable for sure, I find the No. 8 a little chunky for pocket carry in stock form, but after smoothing out the handle a bit it rides much better.
 
Very nice knife, a lot of handles look good on an Opinel but I really prefer the darker ones like the OP, walnut and so forth look striking on an Opinel. I like the way they look without the locking ring too, but I'm not yet going to bother removing it. As I get more I'll remove the ring on one, but for the rest they stay on. I use my pinel as a friction folder a lot, maybe even most of the time, but I like to leave the ring on because sometimes for some cutting tasks I'd rather have it, like cutting wood. People have cut wood and so forth with friction folders before, but I'd prefer to use the lock for such tasks as a matter of preference. But I'll have a ringless Opinel eventually.
 
jackknife said:
Take a deep breath and say to yourself, "I can do this!" then take off the locking ring. Put it in the sock drawer for a future time of you think you will need it. Look at me, Jm, you can do it!!
:D

Carl.
Click to expand...

You just don't know clumsy I can be.:D One of my Opinal concerns has been the wood swelling and making it hard to open. Well this has happened and I am surprised to find that I don't mind it at all. It's not really hard to open and I do use it some now without the ring in the locking position for simple straight cuts. Since it takes a little more force to open it, it also takes a little more to close it.
I am still amazed at how much I like my #7.
Jim
 
Grateful said:
You just don't know clumsy I can be.:D One of my Opinal concerns has been the wood swelling and making it hard to open. Well this has happened and I am surprised to find that I don't mind it at all. It's not really hard to open and I do use it some now without the ring in the locking position for simple straight cuts. Since it takes a little more force to open it, it also takes a little more to close it.
I am still amazed at how much I like my #7.
Jim
Click to expand...

I've heard of swelling Opinels being unopenable but it seems rare enough I don't worry about it, but I'm looking to order one with an engraving, and I am going to get a walnut one because I like the look of it. But there is a side benefit with getting the walnut one, in that it is fairly resistant to swelling I hear. It won't swell, but it looks swell :D (Ha ha, ha, erm, excuse me).
 
Grateful said:
You just don't know clumsy I can be.:D One of my Opinal concerns has been the wood swelling and making it hard to open. Well this has happened and I am surprised to find that I don't mind it at all. It's not really hard to open and I do use it some now without the ring in the locking position for simple straight cuts. Since it takes a little more force to open it, it also takes a little more to close it.
I am still amazed at how much I like my #7.
Jim
Click to expand...

I hear ya, Jim. It's like a leap of faith, you have to reach a point where you do it. Removing the ring on an Opinel is a leap of faith. I figured that 90% of my cutting is a strait forward cut, like a piece of rope, a box top, making a hot dog stick for the grandchild, or a slice off something to eat.

But like you, I've found that the slight swelling of the wood when wet is not a bad thing. In fact, that's what made me snug up my Opinel to use as a friction folder. I not only found that I liked the action, but the Opinel and the Sardinian Resolza are spoiling me in that I'm liking pocket knives with springs less as time goes by. I'm finding that a stiff friction folder is easier to handle than a regular knife with heavy springs, and is safer to boot. No getting away from you and snapping back.

I guess it all keeps coming back to the 31 flavors thing. Something a little different for everyone.

Carl.
 
jackknife said:
I hear ya, Jim. It's like a leap of faith, you have to reach a point where you do it. Removing the ring on an Opinel is a leap of faith. I figured that 90% of my cutting is a strait forward cut, like a piece of rope, a box top, making a hot dog stick for the grandchild, or a slice off something to eat.

But like you, I've found that the slight swelling of the wood when wet is not a bad thing. In fact, that's what made me snug up my Opinel to use as a friction folder. I not only found that I liked the action, but the Opinel and the Sardinian Resolza are spoiling me in that I'm liking pocket knives with springs less as time goes by. I'm finding that a stiff friction folder is easier to handle than a regular knife with heavy springs, and is safer to boot. No getting away from you and snapping back.

I guess it all keeps coming back to the 31 flavors thing. Something a little different for everyone.

Carl.
Click to expand...

I now you used to do some whittling Carl (maybe still do, not sure), have you used your friction folders to whittle at all? If so, any trouble getting the blade, or at least it's tip, to track during the cut, say when doing smaller more detailed cuts? Any blade movement during this type of use?
 
NoNameNomad said:
I now you used to do some whittling Carl (maybe still do, not sure), have you used your friction folders to whittle at all? If so, any trouble getting the blade, or at least it's tip, to track during the cut, say when doing smaller more detailed cuts? Any blade movement during this type of use?
Click to expand...

I've never done a great deal of whittling, but when I did, I found that the smaller the blade, the better. The pen blade of my peanut, and the small blade of a Vic tinker are good. My friction folders are everyday cutting and slicing tools for whatever. The blades are too big for small detailed work like whittling a chain or a box in the cage. Although the Opinel's do great work in the kitchen, slicing and dicing for a good stir fry.

Carl.
 
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