when you have some hard cutting to do ...

[dogrunner]

I just got back from 3 months camping in Alaska. I brought several knives with me, but there were only 2 knives I had on me at all times.

My D4 handled most of the light cutting jobs.

But when I wanted a hard-use folder, my "go to" knife was always my Gen1 Lil Temperance leaf-blade (carried in sheath on pack strap, clip removed, handle reshaped to my preferred shape). That knife is rock-solid, you can put a lot of pressure into a cut, and the blade handles everything.

If I needed more cutting power than that I had to dig a fixed blade out of my pack (which takes too long ).

In case you are interested, I also had with me a Pacific Salt SE, my paramil PE (which is my main chore knife at home and around the farm), a D'Allara DP, a few non-spydie fixed blades, and a small Granfor Bruks ax. Most saw little action.

I'm glad I have the Lil Temp, but I really want another one (always have a back up !!). Anxiously awaiting the next edition (patience ...).

[bell]

How bout a pic of your custom Lil Temp?

[uhiforgot]

How bout a pic of your custom Lil Temp?

I'll second that :D

[tonyfromky]

Ha, give it to Vincent so he can build a hovercraft, then report back!

[dogrunner]

How bout a pic of your custom Lil Temp?

stay tuned (where did I put that camera). I gotta say, though, it is not a sleek professional job. My tools were a hacksaw, a couple of files, and sandpaper (and a respirator :rolleyes: ).

I'll get a pic posted soon, with apologies to Lil Temp lovers, and especially to Sal.

[Vincent]

Ha, give it to Vincent so he can build a hovercraft, then report back!

Its not running yet. But the knives all held up pretty well I must say.




anyway Camping in Alaska for 3 months sounds great.

[dogrunner]

A few shots of the mod'd handle. Nothing original here, I was going for a Chinook II shape (my favorite spyderco handle, also similiar to the old line Swamprat handles). The main thing I did was remove all the wide parts and finger cut-outs, which just did not work for my stubby fingers.

disclaimer- I know I voided the warranty by making mods. But it works much better for my hands, and I don't think I screwed up any important functions (like the lock, or blade closure )

closed


open


open, other side


angled view showing evidence of hackmanship


Alaska was awesome. Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of a spydie on a glacier or something. I saw a few bears. Up close. MOST of them were through the window of my truck :D

I was not going to be able to go home and get more stuff if I didn't have something I needed, so I brought more stuff than I would have if space had been limiting (I drove a pickup). I mostly camped out of the truck, which works as long as you are on the road system (i.e., not in the bush somewhere). When I was backpacking, I only brought the 2 folders and 1 small fixed blade. It was summer, so I left the axe in the truck. All my cooking was on a campstove anyway.

The great thing about the lil temp is you really only need the one knife for almost anything (it slices, it dices) short of chopping (that's what axes are for, and ok, its not my favorite hunting knife either).

Need to go back and do some moose hunting (there are lots of moose).

[Th232]

Nice work! If that's what it takes to make it perfect for you, who am I to complain about it?

[zenheretic]

I like your mod. It would work better for my stubby fingers too!

[dogrunner]

thanks. The factory handle is very safe and secure for any sort of cutting and with the changes I can get a good grip.

I realize I may be in the minority, but this is what I had been hoping for when the Manix came out - a Chinook II handle with a Lil Temp blade, lock, construction, etc.

I just found the thread back in June about the (postponed) next edition of the Lil Temp. A lot of comments about how much folks liked the handle shape. So my hope is that when the new version comes out, the handle is made of something that I can reshape again (assuming it has something like the original shape). That means G10 or micarta, not the metals that some folks are asking for (just my $0.03). (And personally I love the green color of the original, but I'm not picky about color).

Great utility knife (and still good for SD/MBC imo, except against bears :D , which is a whole different thread).