Opinel Mod

[manofthewoods]

Having posted this on British blades' i thought i would share this with you as well. Took my old opinel no 8, and carved away with my SAK, and then sanded away with 'wet and dry' to get a nice shape. Then a couple of coats of 'colron' finishing wax, to finish.

The great thing about an opinel is that they are really cheap to buy, a great locking system, and really easy to sharpen and edge retention. Thos of us who don't like paying 'big' money for Knives, can make a cheap knife [less than atenner] into a personal item.. cheers

 

[davek]

Love my opi's

Still wish I could find a cheap locking ring though. On the last two pics I'm showing one I made for a #8 I got for cheap without one. The smaller opi's don't have one either. It's a good mod, but I spent way too much time on it.

 

[Mutley]

I have a #8 Opinel with a leather case and sharpening stick.

Real cheap and mine has a lovely custom handle with Marmottes on.

 

[philaw]

I started a thread a couple of days ago to get ideas for a new uk-legal penknife and one of the options now is to get an opinel no5, which is non-locking. This made me think of what someone on here suggested: just remove the locking ring.

Now, to the point (finally), wouldn't it be great if you could reverse the ring on an opinel (awkward because it's not symetrical) so that it would lock CLOSED but not open? That MIGHT make it legal for every day carry, and would solve the old problem of it coming open whenerv it wants. Just a suggestion. Phil

 

[philaw]

I started a thread a couple of days ago to get ideas for a new uk-legal penknife and one of the options now is to get an opinel no5, which is non-locking. This made me think of what someone on here suggested: just remove the locking ring.

Now, to the point (finally), wouldn't it be great if you could reverse the ring on an old opinel that doesn't lock closed (awkward because it's not symetrical) so that it would lock CLOSED but not open? That MIGHT make it legal for every day carry, and would solve the old problem of it coming open whenerv it wants. Just a suggestion! Phil

 

[Marts]

The current lock rings on opinels lock open and closed. At least mine do.


Won't make it any more legal though.

 

[Keith_Beef]

The current lock rings on opinels lock open and closed. At least mine do.


Won't make it any more legal though.

I modified one of my Opinels a (a N°6) few years ago, to make it lock shut as well as open.

A couple of years ago, or so, the factory altered the design of the ring to lock shut.

Keith.

 

[gregorach]

I have an old non-locking No 6, which I don't really like to use anymore because the swivel is far too loose to feel secure. The handle is basically useless for working with this knife - I have to hold it by the blade or risk losing my fingers.

If it's non-locking, I definitely want a slipjoint.

 

[philaw]

I just re-read my first post and it's a total mess. I wrote it in a real hurry.

What I meant was that the worst two things about an opinel as an every day carry are that the lock makes them illegal, and they sometimes open in your bag/ pocket. A locking ring that was modified to let it lock closed, but not open would solve the second problem, and might also make it legal because it wouldn't lock open. It's a lot of work to go to, but the blades are good enough that it might be worth it for someone with the right skill.

 

[Marts]

Hi Phil

Your first post (both of them ) wasn't that much of a mess - I responded by saying..

1 Opinel have already made the adjustment you suggest so their locks now lock the blade when its closed.

2 It would still be illegal under UK law because it locks when the blade is open.

 

[addyb]

I don't mean to be prudent, but why are the UK's knife laws so strict?

Up here in The Great White North of Canada, I see people walking around with 8 inch fixed blades on their belts, or locking hunting blades. No-one really cares.

Mind you, the only thing remotely resembling a knife that I carry anymore is a Victorinox Swiss Card that I stole off my Dad. It resides in my backpack for when I go to campus for classes.

(But then again, a lot people I know don't even bother locking their house doors. sooo......)

 

[JimH]

I don't mean to be prudent, but why are the UK's knife laws so strict?

[a] There's a lot of us crammed into a small space.

Many of us are idiots.

[c] Present company excepted.

[d] But not the legislature.

Think that about covers it...

Oh, and no Grizzlies to fight off, so don't need a sword.

Jim.

 

[Adrian M]

What I meant was that the worst two things about an opinel as an every day carry are that the lock makes them illegal, and they sometimes open in your bag/ pocket. A locking ring that was modified to let it lock closed, but not open would solve the second problem, .

Could you replace the pivot pin with something that tightens so you can at least increase the tension (like they are when new) so it dosen't open accidently.

Adrian

 

[addyb]

The latest Opinel models have a second cut on the "viroblock" locking ring that do just that, stop them from opening in your pocket.

Cheers,

Adam

 

[Keith_Beef]

Could you replace the pivot pin with something that tightens so you can at least increase the tension (like they are when new) so it dosen't open accidently.

Adrian

Increasing the tension with a screwing pivot might be possible, but the pivot isn't a very big diameter, so this might not be possible.

The wood wears, and shrinks a little, making the blade loose. Allow the wood to swell a little, by leaving in a slightly more humid atmosphere, and the action will tighten.

You could also take off the ring, and mount it on the other end of the handle. This way, you could lick the blade shut into the handle, but couldn't lock it open. This sort of defeats the object, in any case, of the Opinel in useful sizes.

Also, you have to face the facts.

If you get pulled over by a policeman, and he finds a "sharp or bladed object" on you, then you are possibly in trouble that no amount of discussion could resolve.

If you can show that you have good reason, you can have a Number 8 Opinel (over 3" blade and locking mechanism).

If you can't show a good reason for it, even though S.139 of the 1988 Criminal Justice Act specifically states that you can carry a folding knife with a blade of 3" of less, so long as the blade doesn't lock open, you can still be convicted for another offense under the 1953 Prevention of Crime Act (thanks to Danzo for recently pointing this out on BB, and for the link to http://www.bailii.org/ for reference).

Keith.