OK&T Special Project (Photo Heavy)

[prom52]

First the back story....during our last visit to the shop before my wife & I packed up and left the summer home we were renting in Georgia I spoke with Chris about a project that would give him an opportunity to create the first "tool" in his line up. The specs I gave him were pretty simple, however, as you'll soon see, he managed to turn "simple" into "incredible":

The handle material I gave Chris was a piece of 50 yr old vintage micarta that I picked up from Ben Tendick. I asked for a basic slab sided handle that would display the cool weave in the micarta. As you can now see, Chris let his creative side run loose and crafted an OK&T bottle opener with incredible ergonomics:

The handle design just melts into your hand and offers a couple of grip options:

From the side, this little puppy has lines that rival an Italian sports car:

Chris stacked the micarta to allow for a very nice expression of the weave in the micarta:

It wouldn't be official without his Maker's Mark:

It didn't actually come in this box, however, I thought it was a cool way to display it:

Of course with all the excitement I couldn't help putting it through the paces of a full photo shoot....Work it baby, work it:

Here it is getting ready for beach duty later today in our Yeti Hopper:

One of the coolest aspects of this project was that Chris told me he actually had fun crafting it. I was so afraid that it would turn out to be one of those P.I.T.A. projects that I was elated to hear that it provided him an opportunity to let his creative side run loose. Rather than steal any of Chris's thunder, I'll invite him to comment on the project, together with his vision for the future.

In closing I would like to express my sincere thanks to Chris for taking me up on the project, and in crafting what I consider to be a true keepsake. You nailed it Chris !!!

Peter

 

[Tim the Wizard]

That is a sexy bottle opener. One of those would help me fulfill my new years obligation of drinking more...

Now to find some of that Belgian abbey tripel...

^This is as it should be in the best of all possible worlds.

 

[M4Super90]

OK, I definitely need a glow in the dark version of this for the FJ kit!! Super cool Peter and Chris!!!!

I'd like to make a suggestion. On most of my YETI coolers I've drilled a hole and made it where you can use a push button quick detach sling mount which I can mount a QD opener to the side of the cooler. There's a lot pf places you can use that mounting system. Just throwing out some ideas Chris....

 

[Kymedic45]

I'm in for one in Blue


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Odaon]

This is pretty awesome! Beautiful work as usual Chris, awesome idea!

 

[Warrior108]

Nice! What steel is it made of? Just asking because Corona or Dos Equis are my typical go to and my openers at home usually get pits if/when I forget to clean the salt off them. Been wondering if a Ti opener or some other metal might be more salt proof, so I've been looking for an opener. Great timing!

 

[Comprehensivist]

That turned out amazing! I love the contouring and thickness of the handle. The vintage micarta gives it an old world Pub type of character. I definitely need to get on the list for one of those.

Great job Chris!! Congratulations Peter (or has Snow Monkey claimed ownership? )

Phil

 

[FeralGentleman]

That is very nice Peter. It looks like Chris did a great job planning and executing some usable ergos into that handle. The vintage micarta just adds the right amount of WOW factor for bottle opener number 1.

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

First the back story....during our last visit to the shop before my wife & I packed up and left the summer home we were renting in Georgia I spoke with Chris about a project that would give him an opportunity to create the first "tool" in his line up. The specs I gave him were pretty simple, however, as you'll soon see, he managed to turn "simple" into "incredible":

The handle material I gave Chris was a piece of 50 yr old vintage micarta that I picked up from Ben Tendick. I asked for a basic slab sided handle that would display the cool weave in the micarta. As you can now see, Chris let his creative side run loose and crafted an OK&T bottle opener with incredible ergonomics:

Peter,
I was excited to see your bottle opener arrived after much anticipation. Thank you for letting me have the creative freedom to create a unique piece for you.

Peter came to me with a Yeti bottle opener and the vintage Micarta, and asked me to put a simple scaled handle on it for it. I don't know how many of you have met Peter but he has Large hands by my standards and I am on the cusp of an XL myself. After having the materials for a few days and mulling it over, I decided I really wanted the opportunity to create something different and individually tailored. I thought to myself there is a reason he ask me and I can do better than the simple scale on either side construction.

I had an abstract idea in my head of what I wanted to achieve, and had never constructed anything of this sort prior.
After a few weeks of going back and forth looking for sources of inspiration and a loose idea on how to execute. I decided to just go ahead and work out the remaining hangups I had with my hands. You could say there was a learning curve throughout the process.


Here are some pictures and descriptions of the construction process.



I started out making a sort of puzzle piece out of micarta for the bottle opener to sit in while I build and then sculpt the handle around it. I had to had file this piece to shape as close as I could to insure a tight fit.


Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki



After that I laminated the bottom part of the handle to the puzzle piece, the bottle opener is not attached yet, at this point I am still working it out as I go and am not certain of my next step, it's all part of the fun in the experience though.


Hosted on Fotki


Here is a side view showing the half sculpted handle.


Hosted on Fotki


Bottom View

Hosted on Fotki



Next I glued the top scale on with the bottle opener permanently seated inside the handle, I also would like to mention there were absolutely no pins used or harmed in the production of this project, LOL!


Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki



After that I started the final sculpting which ending with a good bit of handle filing to smooth out the final shape, the pictures below are of the bottle opener rough shaped.


Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki



Next up was the hand sanding and finishing stage I uploaded 2 videos here when I was completed to get a better feel for the contours and ergonomics.
In the video I still have some file marks and scratches I need to get out of the handle.

[video=youtube;VrNgddzSkc8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrNgddzSkc8[/video]


[video=youtube;LrCzwIbgoOw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrCzwIbgoOw[/video]

The handle design just melts into your hand and offers a couple of grip options:

From the side, this little puppy has lines that rival an Italian sports car:

Chris stacked the micarta to allow for a very nice expression of the weave in the micarta:

It wouldn't be official without his Maker's Mark:

It didn't actually come in this box, however, I thought it was a cool way to display it:

I like them with curves!! The italians make some of the sexiest cars and I draw some inspiration from those lines sometimes.
Loving the in use pictures Peter! Looks like you figured out a few handy grips, it also works pretty well in a reverse grip as well.
I really liked this vintage Micarta and it has an interesting weave pattern as Peter stated.

Of course with all the excitement I couldn't help putting it through the paces of a full photo shoot....Work it baby, work it:

Here it is getting ready for beach duty later today in our Yeti Hopper:

One of the coolest aspects of this project was that Chris told me he actually had fun crafting it. I was so afraid that it would turn out to be one of those P.I.T.A. projects that I was elated to hear that it provided him an opportunity to let his creative side run loose. Rather than steal any of Chris's thunder, I'll invite him to comment on the project, together with his vision for the future.

In closing I would like to express my sincere thanks to Chris for taking me up on the project, and in crafting what I consider to be a true keepsake. You nailed it Chris !!!

Peter

You're Very Welcome, I was happy to oblige
Awesome Photos too Peter, you did a great job capturing the essence of the Bottle opener and revealing all its curves and angles, not an easy task with a profile with this much depth.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work on this project for you and, for providing the material inspiration to put the Tool in Osprey Knife & Tool.

I did enjoy making this, it also allowed me to experiment and work out ideas that have been floating around in. My head, it has inevitably opened up more creative possibilities for me.

As Peter has stated I have a vision for myself and my brand that goes beyond making knives, hence why included the tool in my Company name, I hope to add many more tools to my catalog of offerings.



Last but not least I will show you guy's one major source of inspiration or reference I used in designing the handle, I figured it might garner some laughs out of you guy's but hey Schick knows what they are doing.

Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on FotkiHosted on Fotki

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

That is a sexy bottle opener. One of those would help me fulfill my new years obligation of drinking more...

Thanks Jerrett! I can help you with that obligation!

OK, I definitely need a glow in the dark version of this for the FJ kit!! Super cool Peter and Chris!!!!

I thought the same thing as soon as I made it! At Least the Glow CF part. :thumbup:

I'd like to make a suggestion. On most of my YETI coolers I've drilled a hole and made it where you can use a push button quick detach sling mount which I can mount a QD opener to the side of the cooler. There's a lot of places you can use that mounting system. Just throwing out some ideas Chris....

I have to admit, you lost me on this one, pictures please!

I'm in for one in Blue
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I new that one was coming, lol. Looks like I will have a few of these to make.

This is pretty awesome! Beautiful work as usual Chris, awesome idea!

Thanks Odaon!

Nice! What steel is it made of? Just asking because Corona or Dos Equis are my typical go to and my openers at home usually get pits if/when I forget to clean the salt off them. Been wondering if a Ti opener or some other metal might be more salt proof, so I've been looking for an opener. Great timing!

I have no Idea what the metal is made of, I think it is a stainless, Peter provided the Bottle opening part. I am looking into manufacturing my own.

That turned out amazing! I love the contouring and thickness of the handle. The vintage micarta gives it an old world Pub type of character. I definitely need to get on the list for one of those.

Great job Chris!! Congratulations Peter (or has Snow Monkey claimed ownership? )

Phil

Thanks Phil!
I thought the vintage Micarta added that Pub feel as well, and I had a lot of fun making it. I can see a CF handle one in your future perhaps?

That is very nice Peter. It looks like Chris did a great job planning and executing some usable ergos into that handle. The vintage micarta just adds the right amount of WOW factor for bottle opener number 1.

Thank you Danny, I went all out on the bottle opener, I think I pimped it out about as much as I could and make it still useful, I definitely walked away feeling on cloud 9 after getting this one out of my head and in my hands.

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

I'm waiting on Jerry's (Warrior108) Zinger teasing me about the Schick inspiration, but all I hear 👂 is crickets

 

[M4Super90]

I have to admit, you lost me on this one, pictures please!

Wasn't worded very well. We kept losing the bottle opener in camp and at the river. The one shown is attached where it needs to be via a quick detach sling mount. Not sure how you could get one through the lanyard hole and still sand easily, but the hidden tang got me thinking. Very specific to my use, but you can use the QD mounts for a ton of things.

 

[heat_treat]

I thought the vintage Micarta added that Pub feel as well, and I had a lot of fun making it. I can see a CF handle one in your future perhaps?

Yep. My first thought right after "Whoa, that's bad ass!" Italian sport car inspiration and carbon fiber (glow in the dark, blue carbon fiber )... :thumbup:

 

[Warrior108]

I'm waiting on Jerry's (Warrior108) Zinger teasing me about the Schick inspiration, but all I hear 👂 is crickets

Thoughts were floating in my head last night at pool and I still get a kick out of the inspiration. Just figured I'd behave for a change.

But while on topic; Doesn't your girlfriend mind that you shave your legs and pits with her razor??

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

Thoughts were floating in my head last night at pool and I still get a kick out of the inspiration. Just figured I'd behave for a change.

But while on topic; Doesn't your girlfriend mind that you shave your legs and pits with her razor??

Behaving, are you sure you are feeling okay?
Ha I would need a few razors to shave my legs, I have enough hair for a few people. I actually don't use a razor often at all, I hardly shave my face and use clippers when it gets unruly.
I have never really enjoyed shaving and hated doing it even more everyday in the military sometimes twice a day, my shit grows fast, LOL.

I was in the shower the other day when I was trying to figure out a spatial reference that was similar in shape to my conception. I do a lot of brainstorming in the shower, while driving, etc.. Not very conducive to writing your ideas down. And yes my girlfriends razor was staring at me and fit the bill. I have to say if you take to time to admire some women's products you can see a pattern in regards to lines and ergonomics. They got it figured out.:thumbup:

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

Wasn't worded very well. We kept losing the bottle opener in camp and at the river. The one shown is attached where it needs to be via a quick detach sling mount. Not sure how you could get one through the lanyard hole and still sand easily, but the hidden tang got me thinking. Very specific to my use, but you can use the QD mounts for a ton of things.

I see what you saying now, that's a really good Idea. I am going to remember this, I was a fan if these in the military but were not readily available until close to my exit.
Thanks for sharing!