wolfe with an e's blog
Hacking the Kershaw Pub knife.
The Kershaw Pub is a sturdy little keychain knife and multitool. The simple design and construction makes it one of the most hackable EDC (everyday carry) knives out there. Below find out how to hack your handle and more.
Hacking Pub handles.
The Pub comes in a choice of three scales: Anodized black or blue aluminum and carbon fiber. The anodized handle is the easiest to hack. You remove it with Torx wrenches and there’s no spring to deal with. You can strip the black or blue dye off down to the nude aluminum with a pure lye drain cleaner. (Put a teaspoon in a pint of cold water and soak for about 15 minutes until bare. Rinse well.) The bare aluminum looks good and you may want to pop the scale back on and let it age naturally.
Or you can buff off the color as shown above: with a Dremel tool and the finer-grit Finishing Abrasive Buff wheel. Leave it like this if you want your Pub to look like a well-used tool Grandpa willed you and not a cute, new knife.
To give a bare aluminum handle the unique patina shown above: wrap it loosely in aluminum foil and wash it in the dishwasher on the pot scrubber setting. A chemical reaction randomly colors the area where the handle and foil were in contact. (Note this only works on aluminum once the anodized dye has been removed.)
You might see less need to hack the carbon fiber handle, but you may find the edges on the back to the handle a little sharp. These can be easily smoothed with the Dremel tool and the finer-grit Finishing Abrasive Buff wheel mentioned above. The carbon fiber can weather over time and can get a milky finish. If so, it can be restored with Meguiar’s Scratch X 2.0.
To see some amazing Kershaw Pub handle and blade hacks, check out Nutter Grinding Metal’s Instagram. Neil Middleton does some very cool mods. Here’s a video of him making a brass scale for the Pub. DNA Lasering did some nice laser scroll work on this blue Pub
Adding a lanyard to the Pub.
If you do a lot of group activities, you’ve likely found you’re the only one with the forethought to bring a multitool, so everybody need to borrow your Pub. If so, it’s easier to keep it on a neck lanyard or a fob that dangles from your pocket to quickly and safely hand it off. A simple lengthy of high-visibility paracord works. Or make something more elaborate with some of the paracord projects at Instructables.com
Adding a lanyard hole to the Pub.
Seems no need, since the Pub already has a great carabiner, but you have to remove the lanyard from the clip to use the knife. About the only spot where you can put a small hole in the Pub and not greatly affect the function is just above the screwdriver (marked in red). You’ll want this hole to be tiny, just large enough to get a small ring or Kevlar kite cord through. A larger the hole is more likely to damage the screwdriver.
Hacked your Pub? Talk about it on Twitter or show it on Instagram.
About the Kershaw Pub The quirky little Pub is actually a workhorse-of-a-knife, a basic multitool and a bargain. Construction is rudimentary so you won’t feel the need to baby it. Keep it clipped to your belt loop or backpack and the clever design lets you unclip and open one-handed (with caution). The cleaver-style blade is sharp enough to shave with (uhh…just take my word for it) but surprisingly thick and can stand up to any cutting task. The toolset is minimal, but seriously functional: a well-angled slotted screwdriver that triples as a scoring tool and a prybar (for removing staples to opening lids), a bottle opener (it gets used more than you’d think) and a 2” straightedge. When closed, the Pub is shorter than a clicker car key, so it can comfortably live clipped to your keychain until a task calls for it. It come in black, blue or carbon fiber.
