Something that I always have at my side, is my Leatherman Wave. It has all kinds of tools that can help out at a moments notice except for one, a punchdown tool! As a system admin, sometimes I have the need to terminate a keystone jack or punchdown block and I don't have room in my pocket to carry a real punchdown tool with me everywhere I go. Now with this quick mod, I can! Everyone that has a Wave knows about the "large screwdriver" aka "pry-bar." I never understood it's true meaning since you already have four different screwdrivers to choose from. Now you can ditch that and have a nice useful punchdown tool.

Step 1: Thin Down the Tip!

The first thing you will need to do is use a bench grinder or dremel to thin the metal down to about half the current thickness, 3/8" from the tip in order to make it fit the block. Be careful not to make the tip sharp, you don't want to cut the wire you're trying to punch down.

Step 2: Make It Shine!

Next you will want to file down and then sand both sides where you ground the thickness down. This will make it smooth and shiny.

Step 3: Cut the Slot!

Now you can begin the fun part of cutting the slot for the "vampire teeth" of the punchdown block. Use your dremel to cut slightly into the middle of the tip. You will want to cut 1/8" into the tip. You may want to widen the slot slightly. See the picture for reference.