Some times it's fun to make more than just knives...

Drew Riley

Well-Known Member
Edit: Mods, feel free to move this if this isn't the right place for this....

I love making knives, but really it's more than that: I love making tools. One of the first tools I built was my NWGS. Then a heat treat oven. Then a workbench. Then a center scribe, and so on and so on, until I finally realized that I'm not just passionate about building and making things, but building and making things that serve a purpose and are going to be used.

Keeping with this thought it only made sense to be to make a tool that I would use quite often: A bottle opener. I wanted to make one that I'd be sure to have on me at all times. It needed to be small and light weight. Almost to the point that you forgot you had it until you needed it.
Ideally, it would be small enough to carry on a keyring, and be roughly the same size (if not smaller and lighter) as a typical key. Most of all, it had to function at least as good as a typical bottle opener. (It'd also be nice if it looked cool too!)

Now I know there are about 100,000 different key chain style bottle openers out there, but I just wouldn't be satisfied until I put my own spin on one.

So thus we have the Beverage Breaching Tool:
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Made from 6Al-4V Titanium, and coming in at only 2.5" long, .625" wide at it's widest point, and .125" thick, it is extremely compact and lightweight, but very strong and durable at the same time. Gotta love that titanium!
I had made a couple of prototypes out of stainless (and without the bit driver) but this one (along with a few others) was cut out via a waterjet cutter.

Of course, it's very good at it's original purpose of opening bottles:
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But wouldn't it be cool if it could do more than open bottles? What about a tab lifter for cans?
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I didn't have a soda can to take a picture of, but the hook also fits very easily under the tab as well, and the opener easily levers it up. Perfect for those of us with short nails (or don't want to break a nail).

While we are popping tops and pulling tabs, why not open some paint cans?
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Makes a nifty little pry tool for those pesky lids.

Since we are starting to move on to home improvemet, what if we could use the BBT for a light duty screw driver?
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Need a heavier driver? It can do that too:
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Speaking of key rings by the way: it also makes a great split ring opener....
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and box opener:
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And last but not least, it also makes quite a handly little marlin spike for paracord and other smaller diameter cordage:
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Thanks for lookin!
 
Looks like you had fun and were successfull in making a useful toy!
It looks pretty cool too.

One of these days we're going to have to get together. We dont live that far apart.

Keep up the good fight!
 
well thought out. I would think that the tip would get pokey in the pocket. Any trouble with that?

I deburr these and run them through a vibrabratory tumbler for a couple of days, so they edges/points aren't too terribly "sharp", and definitely no sharper then any of your keys that will also be on the key ring. Gives it a nice looking stonewash as well.

I've also carried one of these by itself in a pocket for a day, and noticed no issues. Fits well in a watch pocket too!
 
I reckon this site needs an area for cool stuff such as this. Unless it already has one, in which case it needs to be less stealthy.
 
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