Leatherman Daily bLog

Secret Book Stash

2010-06-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

I've seen this done with larger books, cut out the pages in the middle and you can hide your secret documents, gun, or other spy paraphernalia inside. I ran across this pocket moleskine for two bucks and had a thought. It's not very often that I get dressed up but when I do I find that it looks ridiculous if I have all my usual stuff with me. That being:
- Wallet
- Leatherman
- Flashlight
- Sharpie
- Small Swiss Army Knife
- Thumb Drive
- Keys
- Lighter- Cellphone and/or iPod
- And sometimes a notebook

Now while one can usually get away with having a cell phone on them, bulging pockets when you're the best man or out with The Missus are a no no. The thought was to put a pocket Swiss, car key, house key, license, credit card, cash, thumb drive and whatever else that's tiny and I think I need. (You may think it odd that I have this Batman complex but when you're a Sound Guy you get so you can't function without the ability to whip out an object that will fix the problem at hand.)

The book has a nice little folding pocket in the back which is a good spot for all the flat stuff, cards, money and whatnot. Cutting out the middle of about 150 pages (out of 192) makes a nice little pocket that's deep enough for the rest. A smoker could even tuck a few away with a lighter and avoid the shakes without carrying a pack. Lucky for me it was graph paper, which made alignment a snap, although if hollowing out a printed book you can just use the margins.

Here's the finished product and now I can step out with just this in my pocket. (Phone and Leatherman always withing easy reach, lest I get twitchy). The only thing I'm considering is diluting some white glue and just swiping the edges of the cut pages to help them hang together. It'll have to be done gently though so the book doesn't wrinkle up.

Getting It Together

2010-06-18T21:24:00.001-07:00

I'm in the final stages of a project at work, getting the nursery ready to go back in service. (I work at a hospital.) Despite having the room crammed full of tools I still reach for my Leatherman pretty often.

- Attaching ports to new medical gas cabinets
- Re-attaching cabinet hardware
- Opening hundreds of tiny parts
- Fixing the wired remote for a TV in a patient's room
- Installing outlets

Take It Off

2010-06-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

I can't remember all the things I did with my Leatherman this week, but some things that I dismantled with it do stand out in my memory. See if you can guess where I work.

- Removed two oxygen ports
- Took the top off a mammogram machine
- Tricked a code locked door to let me into a remodeling project
- Dismantled a fan to replace a HEPA filter
- Pulled phone wires out of a distribution frame to re-route them

Sharp As A...

2010-05-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Today I was knocking some things off the list around the house while my family was out. I had gotten to the burdocks and was looking around for something to help me whack my way through the forest that is the West end of my garden. Finding nothing helpful around the shop I looked inside and quailed at the idea of taking one of The Missus' chef's knives out to the garden.

Then a flash of inspiration hit me.

I had recently purchased a trio of military style digging tools on eBay. I say military style because the ones that are three for ten bucks are smaller, cheaper, and a good deal flimsier, but even if they turn out to be single use, a tiny, flimsy shovel is better than no shovel at all in an emergency.

So I grabbed one out of the truck and flipped out the file on my trusty Leatherman. A few minutes quick work had one side of the aluminum digging head honed into some semblance of sharpness (indicated by the white arrow in the picture above). It turned out to be quite effective in the battle against the burdocks, and the serrated edge, while likely not up to the task of sawing actual wood, was more than a match for some of the two inch thick pricker bushes I ran into. The short handle was actually a bonus and let me whack away in tight quarters and avoid plants I wanted to keep.

Snip Snip

2010-04-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

Friday was a busy day. Had lots of chances to put my Leatherman to good use. I:

- Sliced through some plastic sheeting to build containment around the entrance to a construction area at work.

- Pulled a bunch of stubborn sheet metal screws out of some metal studs in a chase I was re-working in said construction area.

- Pulled a sharp sheet metal scrap out of my boot.

- ~~Unlocked~~ Pried open a cabinet containing networking gear to check on a connection.

- Removed some screws that were keeping a window closed so I could hang out and grab a dangling extension cord.

- Cut the seal on a fresh bucket of mud to finish up a drywall job after work.

- Popped the top on a quart of canned peaches at dinner.

Used And Abused

2010-04-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

It's been slipping my mind to update. The only thing I can definitely remember doing with my Leatherman in the last week was taking apart a cordless phone base to re-install the power cable. Tiny Phillips in the bit set came in handy.

I thought for a lark I'd post a list of all the tools I've used improperly lately:

- Lineman's pliers and screwdriver as hammer and chisel
- Lockblade knife as screwdriver and pry bar
(with a Leatherman right there on my belt no less!)
- Zip wheel as grinder
- Solar garden light as battery charger
- Nail set as center punch (ow, sorry)
- Padlock as hammer

That's all that comes to mind at the moment, although I'm sure there's loads more infractions on my permanent record. Leave your best in the comments.

Brand New Bag

2010-02-26T16:01:00.001-08:00

Today I found to my dismay that Nite Ize no longer makes the carrier that I've been keeping my Leatherman, MagLite, Treo, Bit Set and flash drive in on my belt. So I took a chance and bought the new model that seems to be the next size down. Worst case scenario? I'll have to switch to a AAA cell Mag and pick and choose which bits I keep with me at all times. On the bright side the new one has a magnetic catch. That should be nice because the only thing wrong with the old one is that apart from being a little stretched out, the velcro is shot.

As for what I did with my Trusty Leatherman Supertool today...

- Punched down some telephone pairs in the switch room at work
- Crimped some Scotchlocks on a phone line
- Scaled off some doors on the plans for some new doctors' offices
- Cut into the steak to see if it was done
- Opened a bag of salad

Hump Day

2010-02-17T19:32:00.001-08:00

My Leatherman and I crawled over the hump today. I found it close at hand when I:

- Relocated a phone at work
- Tracked down an electrical problem
- Opened some well packaged Valentine's candy for the kids
- Straightened out the threads on the yoke of a Source Four (spot light for you non-theater types)

It's all down hill from here.

Quick On The Draw

2010-02-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

The tricky thing about a boring blog is remembering to update it. I don't think I even took out my Leatherman today, but it did get a little use the other day during a fire marshal inspection. I was leaving the construction yard to follow a group of firemen, the chief, and the building inspector inside the building. The chief snagged his hand on a sharp spot on the fence and started grousing about OSHA. So I whipped out the file and disappeared the offending burr, along with a couple others just for good measure. The Eagle Scouts and the goat from Hoodwinked have got it right:

Always be prepared.

Now It Opens Doors

2010-02-14T19:10:00.000-08:00

I've seen on the net that people are taking apart their Leatherman Micras and cutting down their keys to go in place of the blades. I'm not much of a metal worker so I gave it a try with a cheap knockoff first.

With a five dollar mini-tool I got at Wally World I managed to splice in my house and truck keys with nothing more than a bench grinder and a couple pairs of pliers. I expect it would have gone smoother if I had a Dremel at my disposal, but it works for now.

This one's a little fat, and I've already got enough tool power on my person at all times so I'm not really using the rest of the blades for anything. Although when dressed up and not wanting to wear the Bat Belt it might be handy to keep they keys and a couple odd tools in the pants pocket and keep a low profile.

For daily use though I think a micra might be just the thing. Then I could grab one that has wire strippers, replace all the blades with keys and be ahead of the game with a slimmer, more useful package. Of course with the one I have now, I could just take 2/3 of it off and only carry one handle-half loaded with keys.

Now, my friend Tom over at the Leatherman Journal will likely come up with his own CNC milled version in titanium next weekend just to show me up. I may be hitting him up with a few design ideas myself. Maybe we could start a mail order company, fitting folks' keys into the tools of their choice.

Useful Little Bugger

2010-02-04T20:01:00.000-08:00

Today I pulled out my Leatherman to:

- Scale off a room on a set of blueprints
- Took a bite out of a ceiling tile to let a cable through
- Took the center post out of a door so 27 bathtubs could be delivered
- Cut four "No Smoking" signs down to size
- Fixed the door on an elevator
- Took a blade out of another multi-tool so I could replace it with my house key.

Switching It Up

2010-01-25T18:21:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted a thing about my Trusty Leatherman in quite a while. My buddy over at Leatherman Journal guilted me into it by making a comeback himself today. So here it is:

We took the whole fam-damly out to the Strong Museum of Play for my girl's seventh birthday today. Normally I've got the Bat Belt thing going with a fairly large assortment of tools and gadgets tucked away in a NiteIze holster but I wanted to be a little less conspicuous today. Normally I'm either the house electrician at the local hospital or the guy who fixes all things broke at my house and not much else unless I'm out on a gig where it's more of the same. But today I wanted to cut a fine figure as the hip dad in minimal black.

So I hauled out my Leatherman Wave. A groomsman gift from a college friend's wedding, it's engraved and therefore too special to be wearing out on regular duty. The holster it came with holds a fine point Sharpie and a keychain LED light and that's enough for a little light trekking. Especially in a venue where fixing stuff is somebody else's problem. So slim and trim I wafted through the glorious Halls of Play and unless you knew where to look you would never know that I had on me the means to fix anything but the most major of mishaps.

Hump Day

2009-05-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

I slogged up over the hump today, Leatherman in hand. The construction project at hand today at work required quite a bit of fiddling, as did the ol' homestead when I finally arrived there.

- Fixed the shield on the shop's angle grinder... again.
- Bent and twisted all manner of fasteners into submission.
- Started to take the crib apart.
- Stopped to replace an arcing outlet.
- Filed off a snaggy fingernail.

All Kinds Of Stuff

2009-05-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

So much for daily postings about what I've used my Leatherman for. I've been slowly dismantling four stories of an old hospital and using my Leatherman for most of it. It's finally Springtime and I've been busy around the house with it as well. Here's the stuff I remember doing with it today:

- Cut open a package of raisins for the Short People
- Fixed a necklace for my daughter
- Re-wired some amps at a club I mixed at tonight

I've also been geeking it up looking at Leatherman mods and some other multi-tools that I hadn't thought of before. Apparently some enterprising individuals are chopping up Leatherman Micras and splicing in their keys. Looks like you can fit half a dozen or more in there depending on how many of the blades you decide to keep. The other thing that caught my eye was the Ka-Bar hobo knife. It's basically a really slick version of the old Boy Scout standby, the pocket knife with the fork and spoon. Call me geeky but I don't think I'll be able to go much longer without having one of those in my kit.

Switchin' It Up

2009-04-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

I'm in a bit of a conundrum this week. Two days ago my Nite Ize Side Office holster bit it. The clip broke. That left me looking for a way to carry around my Leatherman, MagLite, Phone, iPod, lockblade, Sharpie, and bit set. Yeah, I know. It's a lot to carry around. People only make fun of me until I reach in there and pull out something that saves the day.

So for now I'm making do with an old cell phone holder and my pockets. I just leave behind whatever doesn't fit and miss it several hundred times throughout the day. I ordered a different holster from Nite Ize and hopefully this one will hold things a little better and also not fall off my hip just when I need it.

In Da Club

2009-04-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

Last night I mixed a battle of the bands at a local club. Ten bands in five hours. I saw everything from garage bands just getting started to semi-pros heading out on tour shortly. One thing is for certain though, with fifty three band members in the room, they were going to need a lot of help from my Leatherman.

- Cut cable ties
- Removed price tags
- Tightened screws
- Pried out stuck connectors
- Fixed a kick drum pedal, mid-set

One Good Turn

2009-04-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days my Leatherman has been busy as a beaver. Weather at a gig or at work there's been plenty to do:

- Disassembled and reassembled a road case at a gig
- Filed my nasty fingernails before picking up my newborn son
- Helped the data geeks fish wires at the hospital
- Repaired ailing office equipment
- Opened numerous packages

Crafty

2009-03-27T19:00:00.001-07:00

Today I got all crafty with my Leatherman and the bit set and opened a bunch of crash bars to make loading in to the gig easier. I promise... I only used my powers for good.

Tough Going

2009-03-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

Today I used my Leatherman to fight off a hoard of zombies, hacked my way into a burning building to save the lives of some orphans, and fashioned a sling to rescue a kitten stuck in a tree.

Not really... I'm sitting home with my sick family feeling wretched. Just needed to lighten things up a bit.

How'd You Do That?

2009-03-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was mixing an event at a school in the city. The night maintenance guy had let us in and opened a crash bar on an exit so we could load our gear in without letting all the heat out and getting locked out ourselves. When we finished up he opened it up again but was nowhere to be seen when we were ready to leave.

I whipped out the Leatherman and started digging through the bit set for the right sized hex key. After a moment I had found it and was releasing the crash bar so the school would be secure again. Just at that moment the guy came up behind us.

"Hey! You can't have all those tools with you?!"

He wasn't sure to be pissed off or thank me.

"Sure I can. Relax, I'm a maintenance guy at a hospital. I tweak crash bars all day every day."

"Oh... thanks?"

Screw Driving Mania

2009-03-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

It was all about slapping stuff on the walls today. The Phillips bit on my Leatherman got a real workout. I also picked up the Bit Set and am looking forward to having a 1/8" hex key on hand at all times. Those pesky door closers are always in need of attention.

- Hung a sharps container
- Hung two paper towel dispensers
- Hung a wall mount stereo
- Hung a hand sanitizer dispenser
- Moved a wiremold box
- Replaced a dozen outlet covers
- Assembled a utility sink

Fix It

2009-03-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

Had to grab my Leatherman to fix many and varied objects today:

- Circular saw at work
- Flat screen TV mount, also at work
- Covers on roof drains, you guessed it... at work
- Put a new end on the cans (headphones) that ride with my iPod

Whistle While You Work

2009-03-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

My Leatherman leaped to my hand today so often I can scarcely remember all the things I used it for.

- Installed paper towel dispensers
- Installed a wiremold outlet
- Modified a cabinet
- Removed some chair rail
- Hung a phone on the wall
- Pulled some staples
- Forgot the rest

This and That

2009-03-02T18:06:00.001-08:00

Been a while since I logged any Leatherman activity but I remember it all today.

- Installed a card reader for a secure room at the hospital
- Opened a can of Spaghetti-Os at lunch
- Trimmed my thumbnail during a meeting in the shop
- Adjusted the gain on a wireless mic
- Removed a pin that my wife sewed into a baby blanket

Checkin' Em Off

2009-02-24T20:05:00.001-08:00

- Installed 'Bed Dock' in new patient room
- Installed outlet covers in patient room
- Installed bunk beds in kids' room
- Assembled speaker cable on seat of truck