Leatherman Wave Custom Belt Clip
If you’re anything like me and you like Multitools, you’ll be familiar with what has kind of become the de facto standard – The Leatherman Wave. I’ve had one of these for years and it became an extension of my arm. I also have a few other models, but after loosing my stainless steel Wave a few months back, I switched between various others in my collection and could never settle on one that fit me like the Wave.
After mourning my Wave for a few months (read: complaining about not being able to find it anywhere. Constantly…) I was surprised with a Black Oxide Wave as a gift for my graduation. Sure, I may be exaggerating a little, but it felt like one of those videos you see of a baby being given the gift of hearing for the first time.
Now, with my trusty new tool in hand (still hope I find the original one. 🙁 ), All I was lacking was the optional pocket clip. This helps to keep the tool upright at the edge of your pocket, making it more easily accessible and also prevents you from getting saggy pockets from carrying it on the regular. Previously, I had the official Leatherman pocket clip but at around €15 blips for a simple metal plate, I thought this time I’d have a go at making my own.
I had an old hacksaw blade lying around that could become raw materials. because how cool would it be to have a hacksaw blade pocket clip??
The Leatherman has a neat little mechanism for quickly attaching/detaching the pocket clip, so I got to work on fashioning the end of the hacksaw blade to match the opening in the tool.
Shaping the fork
I used a piece of wood screwed to my work bench to secure the blade while I attacked it with an angle grinder.
Trial and Error: Getting it tight
Trial fitting the clip into the tool.
This took a few attempts. The important thing is to make sure its a tight fit. If it’s too loose then it’ll flop around a bit and it can pop off pretty easily (I learned this from an earlier attempt).
Getting the Bend
Once I was happy with the fit of the blade into the tool, I decided where I wanted the bend to start. I used a needle nose pliers and a propane torch to heat and shape the blade to the required shape. The heat is an essential step, as hacksaw blades are really brittle and will shatter if bent beyond their limit.
The finished product
All in, it took about 15 mins to make this and I really like the look of the saw teeth along the side (They’re pretty dull, so they don’t get caught on my clothes).
I placed another slight bend in the clip at the oposite end so that it’s easier to hook over the pocket without needing to fiddle about with it. Way cooler than the official version and cost me nothing! 😀
