DIY EDC Pry Bar

Welcome to my Instructable,

today we will be making a handy little EDC (Everyday Carry) pocket tool. The tool is mix between a pry bar and a bottle opener. I originally made this as an easy way to remove work off of the bed of my CNC machine but then decided to upgrade it with a opener, leather and a 3d printed skull.

Brass bar - 25mm wide, 100mm long and 9mm thick

Angle grinder - I'm using a extra thin cut off disk for this project

Drill - For my tool I will use a 7mm drill bit

Belt sander- I'm using 80 grit glass paper

Dremel- This is optional but I'm using it to add texture to the brass

Blow torch- Used to heat the brass and rapidly cool it to induce a patina

I first started by cutting my brass to the required dimensions for my project.

I did this with an angle grinder and a cut off wheel.

I cut scribed the length that I wanted onto my brass blank and then carefully cut it with my grinder. Once I was happy with the length I then cut the brass to the correct width. I did this by scribing a line along the length of the brass and cut it with my angle grinder once again.

The brass was held down on a sacrificial piece of wood with strong double sided tape.

Once I was happy with the dimensions of the brass blank I drilled two holes into it,

The first hole was towards the back of the blank and in the centre, this will be the hole I will later attach a leather cord to.

The second hole was more towards the front of the blank and offset from the centre, this hole will be cut in the next step to make our bottle opener.

Once I was happy with the drilling procedures I then used my belt sander to clean the scale off of the brass. If you're following this Instructable please be very careful doing this. Brass gets hot quick and your fingers will be very close to the sander.

Now its time to cut the bottle opener section of the tool.

I start by making the cuts as shown in the first picture, this is done with a scribe and a straight edge. I then carefully cut on the line and cleaned the cuts up with a file.

Once I was happy with the bottle opener aspect I then cut the wedge for the pry bar. This was also cut with the angle grinder with a cut off wheel. I then used my belt sander to clean up the wedge to a point where I was happy with it.

This step is purely optional, but I felt that my new EDC tool looked too new.

I took my Dremel and fitted a metal grinding wheel and added a texture to the tool.

Finally I heated the brass up with a blow torch until it was glowing red, I then plunged it into cold water to turn the brass slightly green.

Now its time to sit back and admire the work that you've just done. I decided to add a leather cord and 3D printed skull to finish mine off, if you've made this project please post below as I'd like to see your version and interpretation of this project.

Thank you for reading,

Dean Makes.