- Joined
- Dec 22, 2006
- Messages
- 2,194
I got out the camera and got some shots of tools I've come across lately. I wanted to see what I could add to use with a knife to get features I might find in a multi-tool.
Here's the County Comm Micro Widgy Prybar with paracord pants. I gutted the cord to get a thinner effect on the grip:
Today, I went to my favorite tool store in Seattle, Hardwicks. They have every hand tool you can imagine and more. If you get to Seattle, this place is a must see. There are glass cases full of great stuff and all kinds of items literally hanging from the ceiling.
I came up with a thin file for $5. I was trying to modify it and ended up with a good striker for a Firesteel, but not much file. I was trying to Dremel a hole for a lanyard and pushed too hard and snapped it off. I did take a "before" picture. What I was after was to get rid of the tail (managed that easy enough), smooth the bottom a bit and drill a hole for a lanyard. I'll have to get another and try again. If you have a good way to make a small hole in a file, let me know! It's a 4" file, bastard cut and called a Warding file, traditionally used by locksmiths. It's about 1/8" thick, very light (0.5oz), and cuts on the edge too.
I spread some stuff out on the dining room table to get a shot:
At 12:00 is a Dermasafe folding razor, sold by County Comm. They were developed for a disposable surgical prep razor. They are SHARP so they need to be used with care. I wonder about putting one in a PSK as I might do more damage than good with one. If you want to field dress a frog or a mouse, this is the tool! They make a hacksaw just like the razor. I have one-- somewhere, but couldn't find it. I wouldn't want to do a lot of cutting with the hacksaw version, but it is a decent quality blade. It would make a great firesteel striker.
The black cylinder is a tiny Fisher Space pen, a Stowaway. It's not refillable and it about as light as it gets unless you use a bare refill. It goes great with a Write in the Rain mini notebook.
The tweezers to the left of the pen are from AG Russell and have a little lanyard mount. They are designed to chase ticks and slivers. I bout a used pack and found them in the pocket-- they work.
There's a good ol' P-38 can opener there next to the tweezers. If we're going to emulate a multi-tool, here's the can opener.
2:00, a Buck Hartsook. I think they have good qualities for a backup for a larger knife and basic cutting chores. Like others have said here, it's the stone flake for the 21st century. 0.5oz of S30V
Note the homemade fob and the orange County Comm LED microlight on the sheath that sells for a buck. The neck lanyard is gutted paracord lightly stitched together so it won't hang me on a branch.
Fiskars embroidery scissors. This is where the light bulb came on for me: if you have a knife you like and it lacks scissors, BUY SOME %^&* SCISSORS. These weigh 0.7oz and I bought them in a flea market for $1. Now I don't need to replace my Trekker for a knife with scissors and these cut well and are easier to use than ones tucked into a multitool handle.
To the left of the Fiskars are a pair of Pakistani-made hemostats. Handy little tool, 0.5oz, and $1.50 at my favorite tool store. If you don't need or want big pliers, these might float your boat. Like having another hand when trying to tie small line, clamp for glueing, or pulling nose hairs.
The small knife is a Boker Subcom in Desert Tan. Next one will be a Wharcom, but still a handy little knife. I have a Trance too. The flat design really lends itself to packing.
Above the Boker is another try at a file. I had and old Nicholson I picked up at a garage sale and it was pretty easy to set it in a vice and trim the length by snapping it with a hammer. I went for 4" to leave enough meat to hang onto. I smoothed up the snapped edge on my belt sander. It needs a lanyard hole. The weight is 0.9oz. The Warding file would weigh less than half that, but this one would take a lot more abuse. Another good Firesteel striker here.
Above the file is a Victorinox stainless serrated paring knife. 3.5" blade, 0.5oz, and cost is $3 new. Razor sharp and dirt cheap, it's a perfect PSK companion to a larger knife and suited to repairs, food prep, and cleaning fish and small game. It has a handle you can actually get a good grip on. Commercial fishing supplies sell them by the case and they have cordura and kydex sheaths available-- which cost far more than the knives. They come in a plastic slip case that I think goes with PSK use and the weight and cost of the knife.
The lighter is a Colibri CX Gear Windproof. Refillable, piezo electric ignition, water resisatnt and has a heated element to keep it going in a hurricane.
The pliers at 6:00 are a pair of Swiss-Tech's. They are a multi-tool in themselves, but they are the best option I could find for a good screwdriver. I'm looking for a non-magnetic handle that will take 1/4" bits. I don't put any magnetic devices in my wilderness gear to avoid any problems with compasses. I have a couple knives that need to be kept clear of my compass when taking a bearing. Getting back to the Swiss-Tech's-- they would make a nice simple paring with a fixed blade. Imagine a mora and the Swiss-Tech for a nice little set. I do question needing a screwdriver in the wilderness unless you have equipment that may need it. The small prybar would probably fulfill most wilderness use for a screwdriver-- prying and scraping.
The 4LN Vise Grips were another perceptual stretch-- they only weigh 3.5oz. I had thought of them as heavier. I use 6oz as a dead average for multi-tools, so this could be used with several other small tools and still be under the weight of say, a Gerber 400. If you want pliers, what's better than some Vice Grips? They're only $11-$12.
The green-handled slipjoint pliers are Diamond model K-14; they weigh just 1.9oz and are 4-3/4" long. Sadly, Diamond has gone out of business. You can get baby Chanellocks too. Again, if you just need pliers, you can get something like this.
I forgot to include an emory board. Cheap and easy to find, they are a light and quick and dirty way to get an abrasive in your PSK.
Here's the County Comm Micro Widgy Prybar with paracord pants. I gutted the cord to get a thinner effect on the grip:
Today, I went to my favorite tool store in Seattle, Hardwicks. They have every hand tool you can imagine and more. If you get to Seattle, this place is a must see. There are glass cases full of great stuff and all kinds of items literally hanging from the ceiling.
I came up with a thin file for $5. I was trying to modify it and ended up with a good striker for a Firesteel, but not much file. I was trying to Dremel a hole for a lanyard and pushed too hard and snapped it off. I did take a "before" picture. What I was after was to get rid of the tail (managed that easy enough), smooth the bottom a bit and drill a hole for a lanyard. I'll have to get another and try again. If you have a good way to make a small hole in a file, let me know! It's a 4" file, bastard cut and called a Warding file, traditionally used by locksmiths. It's about 1/8" thick, very light (0.5oz), and cuts on the edge too.
I spread some stuff out on the dining room table to get a shot:
At 12:00 is a Dermasafe folding razor, sold by County Comm. They were developed for a disposable surgical prep razor. They are SHARP so they need to be used with care. I wonder about putting one in a PSK as I might do more damage than good with one. If you want to field dress a frog or a mouse, this is the tool! They make a hacksaw just like the razor. I have one-- somewhere, but couldn't find it. I wouldn't want to do a lot of cutting with the hacksaw version, but it is a decent quality blade. It would make a great firesteel striker.
The black cylinder is a tiny Fisher Space pen, a Stowaway. It's not refillable and it about as light as it gets unless you use a bare refill. It goes great with a Write in the Rain mini notebook.
The tweezers to the left of the pen are from AG Russell and have a little lanyard mount. They are designed to chase ticks and slivers. I bout a used pack and found them in the pocket-- they work.
There's a good ol' P-38 can opener there next to the tweezers. If we're going to emulate a multi-tool, here's the can opener.
2:00, a Buck Hartsook. I think they have good qualities for a backup for a larger knife and basic cutting chores. Like others have said here, it's the stone flake for the 21st century. 0.5oz of S30V
Note the homemade fob and the orange County Comm LED microlight on the sheath that sells for a buck. The neck lanyard is gutted paracord lightly stitched together so it won't hang me on a branch. Fiskars embroidery scissors. This is where the light bulb came on for me: if you have a knife you like and it lacks scissors, BUY SOME %^&* SCISSORS. These weigh 0.7oz and I bought them in a flea market for $1. Now I don't need to replace my Trekker for a knife with scissors and these cut well and are easier to use than ones tucked into a multitool handle.
To the left of the Fiskars are a pair of Pakistani-made hemostats. Handy little tool, 0.5oz, and $1.50 at my favorite tool store. If you don't need or want big pliers, these might float your boat. Like having another hand when trying to tie small line, clamp for glueing, or pulling nose hairs.
The small knife is a Boker Subcom in Desert Tan. Next one will be a Wharcom, but still a handy little knife. I have a Trance too. The flat design really lends itself to packing.
Above the Boker is another try at a file. I had and old Nicholson I picked up at a garage sale and it was pretty easy to set it in a vice and trim the length by snapping it with a hammer. I went for 4" to leave enough meat to hang onto. I smoothed up the snapped edge on my belt sander. It needs a lanyard hole. The weight is 0.9oz. The Warding file would weigh less than half that, but this one would take a lot more abuse. Another good Firesteel striker here.
Above the file is a Victorinox stainless serrated paring knife. 3.5" blade, 0.5oz, and cost is $3 new. Razor sharp and dirt cheap, it's a perfect PSK companion to a larger knife and suited to repairs, food prep, and cleaning fish and small game. It has a handle you can actually get a good grip on. Commercial fishing supplies sell them by the case and they have cordura and kydex sheaths available-- which cost far more than the knives. They come in a plastic slip case that I think goes with PSK use and the weight and cost of the knife.
The lighter is a Colibri CX Gear Windproof. Refillable, piezo electric ignition, water resisatnt and has a heated element to keep it going in a hurricane.
The pliers at 6:00 are a pair of Swiss-Tech's. They are a multi-tool in themselves, but they are the best option I could find for a good screwdriver. I'm looking for a non-magnetic handle that will take 1/4" bits. I don't put any magnetic devices in my wilderness gear to avoid any problems with compasses. I have a couple knives that need to be kept clear of my compass when taking a bearing. Getting back to the Swiss-Tech's-- they would make a nice simple paring with a fixed blade. Imagine a mora and the Swiss-Tech for a nice little set. I do question needing a screwdriver in the wilderness unless you have equipment that may need it. The small prybar would probably fulfill most wilderness use for a screwdriver-- prying and scraping.
The 4LN Vise Grips were another perceptual stretch-- they only weigh 3.5oz. I had thought of them as heavier. I use 6oz as a dead average for multi-tools, so this could be used with several other small tools and still be under the weight of say, a Gerber 400. If you want pliers, what's better than some Vice Grips? They're only $11-$12.
The green-handled slipjoint pliers are Diamond model K-14; they weigh just 1.9oz and are 4-3/4" long. Sadly, Diamond has gone out of business. You can get baby Chanellocks too. Again, if you just need pliers, you can get something like this.
I forgot to include an emory board. Cheap and easy to find, they are a light and quick and dirty way to get an abrasive in your PSK.
