Swiss Army Knife

Dillon Romney

City College of New York

ENGL 21007: Writing for Engineering

Professor C. Rodwell

March 22, 2023

Table of Contents

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………. 3

Can Opener with small screwdriver …………………………………………………………… 4

Philips screwdriver ……………………………………………………………………………… 5

Fish scaler ……………………………………………………………………………………… 5

Pliers …………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

Large blade knife ……………………………………………………………………………… 6

Scissors ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 6

Wood saw blade ………………………………………………………………………………… 7

Nail Filer ………………………………………………………………………………………… 7

Small Knife Blade ……………………………………………………………………………….. 7

Magnifying Glass ……………………………………………………………………………….. 8

Bottle Opener with Large Screwdriver ………………………………………………………….. 8

Key Ring ………………………………………………………………………………………… 8

Corkscrew ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 9

Fine Screwdriver ………………………………………………………………………………… 9

Screwdriver ……………………………………………………………………………………… 9

Reamer ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 9

Figure A-1. Victorinox SwissChamp swiss army knife Red

Introduction:

The swiss army knife could come in multiple shapes, sizes and colors and could have 

more or less parts than the image shown above, which is the Victorinox SwissChamp swiss army 

knife Red. It was originally created in 1891 by Karl Elsener with the German knife manufacturer 

Wester & Co, in Solingen, Germany. However, the swiss army knife in figure A-1 wasn’t the 

original knife created and was instead a switchblade type of pocket knife used for the swiss army 

in figure A-2. A couple of decades later Karl Elsener’s mother passed away and used her name 

“Victoria” as a brand name and in 1921 the invention of stainless steel is known as “acier 

inoxydable” in french. Because of these two names, Karl Elsener’s son renamed the company to 

Victorinox. As the years passed by the swiss army knife became more advanced and turned into 

a multi tool knife for many purposes such as bottle opening and cutting wood.

Figure A-2. Original Swiss Army Knife

Can Opener with Small Screwdriver:

The can opener shown in figure A-1, is the main part of the knife part, while the small 

screwdriver is on the tip of the blade and is a subpart of the knife part.

Main Part: The can opener is gray and made of stainless steel alloy. Being 0.25 inches in length, 

this can opener can open a variety of cans with no difficulty. Using the sharp part, you can open 

cans such as canned tomatoes, beans, peas, corn and more. Since a regular can opener is bigger 

than the one shown in figure A-1, this swiss army knife is reliable for you to use it at any time 

wherever you are.

Subpart: The small screwdriver is a subpart of the can opener. It is gray and made of stainless 

steel alloy. The length is 1.1 inches and is utilized just like a regular used to twist and open a 

screw. Being a flat end screwdriver however it can screw open countersunk, raised countersunk 

and round screws. With great precision and accuracy it can even screw and unscrew very small 

fasteners to work on any utilities you have at any time.

Phillips Screwdriver:

The phillips screwdriver is a main part of the knife that can work better than regular 

phillips screwdriver at times depending on how you use it. It is gray and made of stainless steel 

alloy. These types of screwdrivers are mainly used for phillips head screws which are fairly 

common on toys and consoles. Also useful for putting together a desk and chair, even a door 

when installing a new one. 

Fish Scaler:

The fish scaler is a main part of the knife that is used to scale fish, combining of a ruler 

and a hook disgorger. It is gray and made of stainless steel alloy. About 3 inches long, it can 

scale fishes such as panfish, trout, bass, catfish, and more. On the tip of this knife is the hook 

remover and on the blade itself is a ruler that can measure in inches on one side and in metric on 

the other side. This is an essential part of the swiss army knife if you intend to you use it for 

fishing, as you can remove the scales on the fish and prepare to cook it, using the hook remover 

to separate it from the fish, and lastly measure the length of the fish if you’re in a friendly 

competition with someone else to see who has the better fish.

Pliers:

These pliers are a main part of the knife that are much smaller than slip joint pliers and is 

used to grip tools, and could force open wires at will. It is gray and made of stainless steel alloy. 

The pliers do an okay job on small bolts which are ½ inch or smaller. Also a valuable asset when 

gripping tools using thread, wire, and other things that don’t use much force to strain the pliers. 

While they don’t have a wire cutter, they can open wires from the inside with a gauge of 16 or 

smaller. Another use for these pliers is that they can twist wires together like regular pliers.

Large Knife Blade:

The large knife blade is the most commonly used of all the knife parts and is a main part. 

It’s gray, larger compared to the small knife, made of stainless steel alloy which is composed of 

15% chromium like everything else on this list. As well a length between 4.53-5.1 inches. Has a 

little indent to take it out of the case. The thing about this large knife blade is that it can be used 

for cutting meat, dicing vegetables, chopping nuts and carving up animals when hunting in the 

wild. Much sharper compared to everything else listed can also be used to carve up wood as well 

as useful for starting up campfires.

Scissors:

This knife part, the scissors shown in figure A-1 is a main part and are around the same 

size as safety scissors and much smaller compared to larger scissors. It’s gray and made of 

stainless steel alloy. It’s just like any other scissor except it is small and compact, useful incase 

you have to cut something on the go if you’re in a hurry. It has a small return spring to make 

things easier when cutting. When fully opened the blade locks into place so you won’t have to 

worry about cutting yourself. The blade itself doesn’t need any maintenance, but on the off 

chance it stops moving freely add in a drop of mineral oil so it can return to its normal state.

Wood Saw Blade:

This knife part is a main part and has a length of 2 ⅞ inches, and is a very dangerous and 

sharp part of the knife, able to cut wood on a pull and push stroke. It is gray and made of 

stainless steel alloy This particular saw works best with materials 2 inches in diameter, like a 2×4 

lumber piece for example. It can also be used for chopping firewood by making two cuts in a v 

shape pattern until the wood can snap. Remember to use light pressure for cutting with this 

particular knife part, as it can bend at the base very easily and snap.

Nail Filer:

This knife part is a main part of the swiss army knife and has a length of 2 inches. It is 

gray and made of stainless steel alloy. The length of this nail filer is 9 times smaller than the 

average nail filer you’d buy from the store being 18 inches long. Although small, it has a very 

rough surface used for removing rough spots on fingernails and toes. Thanks to the material it’s 

made out you won’t ever have to worry of it losing durability. 

Small Knife Blade:

This knife part is a main part of the swiss army knife and as the name entails, it’s a 

smaller version of the large knife blade. Because the large blade overshadows this one in usage, 

the small blade is usually sharper, also making it a very effective tool for carving out meat. It is 

also sharper because the spine of the knife is thinner than the larger one. The small knife blade is 

very accurate when it comes to carving wood out, leaving more finite details into what you’d 

want to carve.

Magnifying Glass:

This main part of the swiss army knife is gray has a 2x lens with a width of about half an 

inch. Just like every other magnifying glass, shine it when the sun is out and you could start a 

fire. Since the lens is made of plastic, be careful not to scratch it.  

Bottle Opener with Large Screwdriver:

This bottle opener is the main part of the swiss army knife and is not mainly used since 

most bottles nowadays are twist on and off. It is gray and made of stainless steel alloy. This 

bottle opener in particular is different from the types of bottle openers you’d see on keychains 

and on simple bottle openers in the store. This swiss army knife bottle opener is mainly used to 

remove plastic stoppers and corks from wine bottles.

The large screwdriver is a subpart of the swiss army knife and is on the tip of the blade. It 

is gray and made of stainless steel alloy. It’s also a flat end screwdriver like the small one, able to 

unscrew screws of the same type just being at a larger proportion. As well as having other 

functions such as scraping or prying in certain situations.

Key Ring:

This main part of the swiss army knife the key ring being half an inch. It’s gray and made 

of stainless steel alloy. Not much is to be explained about this part other than you can hang it 

with the rest of your keys for an easy carry on. Despite this however it does tend to snag on other 

parts of your swiss army knife so people just end up removing it all together.

Corkscrew:

This knife part is the main part of the swiss army knife being 1 and ¼ inches . It’s gray 

and it is made of stainless steel alloy. It is about 3 and ½ inches long and could be used to open 

up corks from wine bottles. Other than opening corks for wine bottles, the corkscrew has other 

uses such as removing cotton from aspirin bottles, screwing into trees as a fastener for clothes 

drying lines, and toasting marshmallows over a candle.

Fine Screwdriver:

This knife part is the main part of the swiss army knife being 1 and a half inches. It’s gray 

and made of stainless steel alloy. This screwdriver is just like the small screwdriver, except it’s 

more narrow, longer, and sturdier. 

Screwdriver:

This knife part is the main part of the swiss army knife. It is a flat end screwdriver like all 

the others aside from the phillips head screwdriver. As such, it utilizes the same way as all the 

other screwdrivers do. 

Reamer: 

This knife part is the main part of the swiss army knife. It’s gray and made of stainless 

steel alloy. It has a small indent in the middle of the blade. While having similar characteristics 

and looking identical to the small and large blades, it’s primary purpose is to create new holes on 

a belt and trim excess leather using the sharp side of the blade.

References:

Parts and components of a swiss army knife – January 9, 2019

Parts and Components of a Swiss Army Knife

SmartKnives

https://www.smartknives.com/Victorinox-Tools