Leatherman Squirt PS4

I hate the scissors on the Squirt PS4. They suck. Maybe I'm just spoiled by Victorinox scissors.

...and the Squirt's scissor spring sucks too. It's prone to breaking because Leatherman uses too much carbon in their steel. The tiny Victorinox scissor springs are actually more durable somehow. You can also replace the stainless steel leaf spring on the Victorinox scissors if it breaks. You just order a new spring, drive out the old spring with a small nail, and squeeze the new spring in with a pair of pliers. You can't do that with a Squirt. You have to send it back to Leatherman for a warranty claim.

Squirt P4 > Squirt PS4, change my mind. The P4 had an awl and a precision flat driver.

So anyway... guess what I discovered this morning...

spoon-a.jpg

The nail file from a Style PS/CS is a drop-in replacement for the Scissors. The plastic spacer for the scissors is actually what makes the file work. The file will be too loose without that spacer.


spoon-b.jpg

The CS/PS nail file is the perfect length for the slot, and the nail nick on the file even lines up exactly with the small cutout in the Squirt's scale for the nail nick on the scissors. You do need to add a washer though, because the file isn't as thick as the scissors are.
 
SomebodySomewhere said:
What screws did you use to reassemble, if I can ask. And how’d you get the rivets out? This is very cool.
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The Squirt PS4 was originally built with threaded pivot barrels and T6 screws when it was first introduced as a replacement for the Squirt P4. The PS4 in the pictures is one of those. They were only made for a short period of time before Leatherman switched back to using riveted pivots.

You could still buy a new PS4, drill out the pivots, and replace them with threaded pivot barrels and screws. There are people who have done that. I have not, so I don't know what the exact measurements are or where to buy them. In theory you could cut the head off of a screw and use that screw to join together two of the shorter pivots from a Style CS/PS, and then use it on a Squirt, but it wouldn't be cost effective and it would be too much work to really be worth all the effort.
 
SomebodySomewhere said:
I wish they made one without the other tools, actually, since I have those covered other ways. With thin scales. I’d buy 10 of them.
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Sorry, I somehow missed this before.

It should be possible to build this yourself using the shorter pivot barrels from a Leatherman Style PS/CS. They appear to be the exact length that you would require to rebuild a Squirt with just the scales and no outside tools.

You would need 1 Squirt P4 or PS4 and 2 of either the Style PS or the Style CS. All of them can be purchased in used condition on ebay.

You would first drill out the rivets on the P4/PS4 and disassemble it. You would then have to remove the "fins" from the two frames for each arm of the pliers. The fins act as the backsprings for the outside tools on each arm. Since you won't have any outside tools, you won't be needing the fins and they'll just be in your way. You should be able to simply file or grind them off.

You would then unscrew the 4 pivot barrels from your 2 Styles and use them to reassemble the Squirt. Done! One slight problem, though... your scales all have cutouts on the sides to access tools that aren't there anymore! Maybe you could 3D print some new scales without the cutouts.
 
SomebodySomewhere said:
That’s an incredibly helpful answer—thanks! I’ll give it a go.
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Let us know how it goes!

If you have trouble reassembling the Squirt, the trick is to first start at the pliers side of each arm. Put the first pivot through the holes in the pliers and the arm. At this point it's a good idea to put in the screws to prevent the first pivot barrel from falling out.

Now that the pliers head is attached to the arm, next you can slide the 2 springs into the arm through the side. Then Squeeze the end of the arm to make the holes in the springs line up with the holes in the arm, which will allow you to slide the second pivot in. At this point you can put the scales on.

Now just repeat the same process for the other arm. :)
 
SomebodySomewhere said:
now, to acquire the donors …
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How is that going for you?

I've just taken apart a few Squirts. The disassembly process can definitely be the most frustrating thing. The rest should be a cakewalk in comparison.

Luckily there's a simple trick to make it a little easier on yourself. You only need to drill out the rivets on 2 pivots. The other 2 pivots can be sawed or cut in half.

You have to start with the 2 pivots on the end where the pliers head is attached to both arms. Once those 2 pivots are removed, the pliers head will come off and both arms will be separated from each other. At this point, the long springs in the center of each arm can be removed by gently pushing on them, and they will slide out. The removal of these springs exposes the pivots on the opposite end of both arms. You can then saw or cut the last 2 pivots in half, which completes the entire disassembly process.

Believe me when I tell you that sawing through the middle of the pivots is far easier and safer than drilling through the rivets. It can save you from a lot of potential frustration.
 
SomebodySomewhere said:
Thanks for asking! It’s going slowly, unfortunately. Most of the people selling used Styles seem to be doing so at prices that are near new, which seems like a lot for something I’m going to render useless. So I’m still in the collection phase.
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Sorry for your troubles.

Supposedly the pivot diameter is 1/8".
SomebodySomewhere said:
This is interesting … looks like they are .125” pivots. https://www.shapeways.com/product/CPKRTZR8J/leatherman-squirt-multitool-scales-4x-universal
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...and that's exactly what I just now got done reading. 🤣

So here's the problem though... tolerances for these pivots can vary, so if you buy 3rd party pivots then you could end up in a situation where you have to slightly enlarge the holes in the Squirt to make the pivots fit. Since you're not including any tools then it's not as big of a deal.

2nd problem: what length do you need? Are you willing to buy long and try cutting them down to the right length?

Things to consider.

One more option: 1/8th inch brass rod is cheap, can be cut to any length, can be easily filed or sanded down if it's too fat, and is easily peened if you're willing.

Word of advice if you buy the threaded pivots? Order extra screws.
 
SomebodySomewhere said:
All excellent points. I will let you know how it goes. The length will be a challenge … the devil is definitely in the details there. I’m thinking if I can get close enough, I may be able to use washers as shims or something. But I think I may need to break down the Squirt to start assessing.
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Meanwhile, here's some pictures of a Squirt assembled with 4 of the shorter Style CS/PS pivots.

leatherman-a.jpg

This was super easy. It only took a few minutes to assemble. If you can get the pivots from a couple of Styles, it may be worth the high cost just based on how much time and energy you'll be saving yourself.


leatherman-b.jpg

I had to flip the scales around backwards to make the pivot holes line up. This is because of the fins on each arm being in the way. Remember how I said you would have to file or grind them off? This is exactly why.


leatherman-c.jpg

Here's a profile shot of the fins on one of the arms. Once you remove these fins, you will permanently lose the ability to have outside tools on your Squirt. The fins are the backsprings for those outside tools.
 
SomebodySomewhere said:
Can’t thank you enough here—will definitely post the results. Family emergency may distract me for a bit here but won’t forget.
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Sure thing, family first. Glad to be helpful.

One more thing though. On further reflection, it occurs to me that you might actually want to leave the fins intact and just deal with the scales being installed backwards. This is because the inside of your hand presses against the fins when you squeeze the pliers, so if you remove the fins, it will change how it feels to use the pliers and could possibly make it very uncomfortable for you. I can really only speculate without doing the modification myself, but it seems like it could be a real problem.

Best of luck to you and your family. Stay strong.
 
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