You have finally decided to make your first folding knife. This is right. In any case, this one gives me great pleasure, and the result inspires new creativity. Try it. You won't regret it anyway. Someone smart once said: "It's better to do it and then regret it than to regret not doing it."
Since you have already decided, it means that you have some design ideas. Let's assume that you have chosen a lock (Liner Lock), and this is one of the best knife locks. If not the best. It contains a minimum of parts, which means it has a maximum of reliability.
A bit of history. The modern linear lock was invented by Michael Walker in 1981. The most important thing that Michael did was to create an independent blade fixation system with only one spring. The leaf spring of the lock not only blocks the blade in the open position, but also ensures its secure fixation in the closed position.
In addition, such a lock allows you to open and close the folding knife with one hand. This invention in the full sense of the word changed the face of the modern folding knife. Honor to him for this and praise.
Make a sketch of the future design on paper or in some graphic editor. For example, it turned out like this:
First of all, choose materials. It is preferable for a blade, since when moisture gets inside a folding knife, it is not so easy to remove moisture. Therefore, if there is something to rust, it will rust. If there is a thermist capable of working with high carbon alloy stainless steels, then you are very lucky in life (at the level of happiness).
If not, then you will have to work on hardened material, and this is not easy. For drilling holes in hardened metal, I use ceramic and glass drills with an arrow-shaped tip. It is necessary to work hard, at low speeds, but carefully. You can chip the drill. And, of course, monitor the heating of the part. Be sure to refrigerate often, otherwise it will be released.
Attach desired shape blade. I have used blades from Tramontina Professional Master knives several times. They are slightly more expensive than the usual kitchenware of this company, but they are made of Sandvik 12C27 or 1.4110 from Krupa. This is good steel.
For folding knife dies, I recommend titanium. With a small thickness, it is strong enough and has sufficient rigidity and springy properties. In addition, titanium is lightweight and does not rust at all. There are some peculiarities in the processing of titanium.
Titanium should be handled at low speeds. For example, I could not cut a 4 mm plate with a grinder, and manually with a hacksaw for metal - easily, however, for a long time. The thread in titanium must be cut slowly, with oil, every 0.5-1 turn back.
To cut out the contour of the retaining spring in the lower die, at the place of its intended end, I drill 3-4 holes with a diameter of 2.5 mm, connect them, put a hacksaw blade there and go. Slowly, almost to the axle hole. In this place, I also recommend drilling a small technological hole for a clear end of the cut. It remains only to saw through the line of the stopper itself. Here it is necessary that there is a margin, which is then removed when setting up the lock.
The second, upper, plate has exactly the same dimensions (as a rule) as the lower one. But it should have a recess for the hole for opening the knife. All mating holes should be drilled in batches. Start with the axle holes. Do not forget that the diameter of the holes for the fastening screws in the bottom die must be for the thread, and in the top one for the screw diameter.
So, everything is cut and drilled. Choose, or make your own, two washers made of fluoroplastic or bronze, which will be used as a bearing on the axis of rotation (folding) of the knife. Insert the axle into the lower die, put the locking pin, washer, blade, and fold the future folding knife.
If something doesn't fit, resize to fit. This must be done very carefully and carefully. Remember Zhvanetsky: "One careless movement: and you are the father." Well, everything fits together!
On the retaining spring of the lower die, mark the place for the ball and in this place drill a hole with a diameter 0.1-0.2 mm smaller than the diameter of the ball. I use balls with a diameter of 1.5-2 mm, from the bearing. Then, in a vise (putting a piece of hardened metal under the ball, otherwise it will fit into the vise jaws), press the ball into the locking plate. The ball should protrude outward by about 0.5 mm. The thickness of the washer on the axis between the blade and the die.
Next, using a marker, blacken the place of the heel of the blade where the ball will move and fold / unfold the future folding knife several times. A clear mark from the ball will be visible on the blade. Stepping back from the place where it (the trace) ends 0.3-0.5 mm, drill a hole into which the ball will enter in the folded position of the knife. Carefully bend the plate in the desired direction.
Assemble your future folding knife without the top die and adjust the lock (you have a stopper cut out with a margin). Do it very carefully (remember Zhvanetsky). As soon as the lock is hooked, stop. Assemble the folding knife completely, with the top die and try to fold / unfold it several times, apply force (as if cutting something). Do this several times. And postpone everything until tomorrow.
Final adjustment of the parts of a homemade folding knife.
Sleep with the thought that you've made your first pocketknife. Tomorrow there will definitely be something to finish. Get the castle up to speed. The locking plate should not reach the upper end of the cut of the heel of the blade, otherwise it will fall right up to the upper die and jam the lock.
If the spring is too tight (depending on the thickness and grade of the applied
A variety of types of knives does not dry out the theme of their manufacture on their own. The knife is an ideal assistant not only in household but also for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. Some people probably need a knife for tough self-defense. But it is better to still try to avoid using a knife as a weapon of self-defense. There are less dangerous to human life and more legal self-defense items, so to speak. But life is life and you never know when, how and with what it will have to be protected. Hiking and Hunter knives it is convenient to carry in a scabbard, but in urban conditions, a cleaver on a belt will look pretty wild and will naturally attract the close attention of law enforcement agencies. Therefore, there are folding knives that are convenient to carry in a trouser pocket. We are going to make this today.
Naturally, it will be much easier to buy a folding knife, but people come to this site who do not pursue simplicity, but try to do everything with their own hands. The article is introductory and is aimed at readers who already have an idea about the manufacture of knives, so the description is rather short; but from the photographs you can understand almost every step of the work.
To make a folding knife, we need a titanium plate, although you can use stainless steel or some other good steel. Naturally, it all starts with the manufacture of a template, the shape of which you then transfer to a steel strip.
To begin with, we will make the liners of the handle of the folding knife. We outline the shape of the liner on a titanium plate and cut it out using any tool available to you. Next, we do a rough processing of the liner, grinding off excess metal on emery and files. Making the second liner. To do this, we apply the finished liner to a strip of metal and drill through two holes. We cut the threads into them, fasten the liners with screws without a cap and cut out the second liner, using the first one as a template. Next, we process the paired liners on sandpaper and files, approaching as close as possible to the contour line of the liner.
It was the turn of the manufacture of the blade of the folding knife and the back of the handle. We act in exactly the same way: templates, transfer to a titanium strip, sawing and processing on emery.
We drill holes in the liners for attaching the back of the knife handle. We assemble the knife and look where there are inconsistencies, gaps. If necessary, we refine these places, with files, achieving the perfect combination of all parts of the folding knife.
We dress the second liner and drill additional holes for attaching the back of the knife. You can fasten the parts of the knife handle with the help of special screws, having previously cut the threads in the holes with a tap. The screws are convenient because, if necessary, the knife can be easily disassembled and any modification can be performed. We flare all the holes for the screws with a larger drill so that the screw head does not stick out above the surface of the liner.
Next, we cut out the two upper and two lower metal lining of the knife handle. Glue them to the liners with superglue. Now we drill holes for the screws through the liners into the metal lining. The holes in the overlays should not be through. Now we put the knife in a bath of acetone to dissolve the superglue.
We chamfer the blind holes of the metal lining of the folding knife and cut the threads into them. We fasten the lining to the liners with screws. We customize the lining, under the shape of the liners, grinding off excess metal on the emery.Next, we make the final grinding of the knife handle.
From the inside, on the front metal plates, we drill recesses under the axis of the blade with a drill sharpened at an obtuse angle. For the axis, we grind the support screws on lathe. We cut the thread with a die.In the back of the handle we cut out a cone-shaped (dovetail) groove for the leaf spring.
All metal parts of the folding knife are hardened using homemade bugle or gas burner.We will make the middle part of the overlays from any available material: wood, bone, plastic, plexiglass, textolite, etc.
We cut and grind the plate, adjusting its shape. The work requires precision, so adjust the middle lining slowly and periodically trying it on. After that, we drill blind holes in the liners for attaching a wooden lining. And cut out L-shaped slots.
All that's left is the lock. We drill holes for the lock at each end of the liner. We connect them with a slit. Then we make a transverse cut and get an L-shaped slot, which forms a blocking plate. We harden it gas burner and bend it to the side by three, four millimeters.
We drill a hole in the corner of the lock plate and press a metal ball into it. The back of this locking ball is ground flush with the spring plane.We sharpen the axis screw, making it a rectangular shape. We mill the slot for the screw in the liner body.We sharpen the fin of the back of the knife handle on both sides. We grind the metal parts of the handles. We make bevels on the blade of a folding knife.
Collecting a knife. But the axis is put on a thin washer, a blade, another washer. Then the second liner is put on. We insert the middle pads, snapping them into the L-shaped holes. We tighten the screws with a flat special wrench.
The urbanization of the modern world has led to an increase in the popularity of folding knives (colloquially - "folders" or "folders", from the English folder - a folded object). Such a knife is compact and convenient for a city dweller, attracts less attention, and usually its wearing is absolutely legal.
It can be used for a variety of operations - opening envelopes and cardboard boxes, opening plastic packaging, cutting adhesive tape, etc. In a critical situation, it can also be used as a personal defense weapon. There was even a special term for the knives of a city dweller - “everyday carrying knife” or an EDC knife (from the English abbreviation EDC - Every Day Carring).
The activities of human rights organizations in many countries of the world have led to the fact that folding knives have come to replace fixed-blade knives in law enforcement agencies and even in special units operating in urban environments. These knives are called "tactical". Surpassing urban knives in strength and reliability, they are inferior to them in size and weight.
In addition to self-defense, they can be used for a wide variety of operations - breaking doors, breaking through office partitions and of course, cutting ropes, etc. These knives are often used as auxiliary knives in army units, as well as tourist (camping) knives or knives for working in field conditions.
The main types of blade retainers
The achievements of modern metallurgy and inorganic chemistry, the introduction of new materials processing technologies make it possible to implement the most daring design ideas. The close interaction of knife masters with hand-to-hand combat experts allows you to create original models of tactical knives with enhanced combat qualities. As a result, there are new models of folding knives with unusual shape blades, ergonomic handles, additional elements designs that increase the convenience and safety of using the knife.
Knives with increased cutting properties
There is no perfect knife. Certain design solutions and elements increase the performance of the knife for certain types of work. In addition, there are no identical people, they have different hand sizes, they can have a leading right or left hand. For those who are not experts in the field of bladed weapons, the variety of designs creates a certain difficulty in choosing a knife for their needs.
Folding knife design
Folding knives have a long history and have gone from primitive designs to high-tech products, the manufacture of which uses the most advanced technologies.
A typical folding knife is a blade with one-sided sharpening, mounted on the axis of the handle. When folded, the blade of the knife is hidden in the handle.
The main structural elements of a knife are the blade and the handle.
IN classic version the rotation of the blade occurs in the plane of the handle. Much less common are knives in which the axis of rotation of the knife is perpendicular to the plane of the blade. These knives look very original, but in terms of reliability they are inferior to knives of a classic design. An exception to this rule is articulated knives with a transverse opening of the blade.
In most folding knives, when open, the blade is in line with the handle. Among folding knives designed for personal self-defense, you can find knives in which the blade can be fixed in an intermediate position - perpendicular to the handle. In this case, the knife turns into a knuckle-grip knife like the famous “push daggers” (push dagger), originating from the daggers of the hidden carrying card players of the Wild West. The advantage of such knives is a simplified technique for striking - a blow is similar to a punch.
STI even developed the Tai sabaki knife (from the name of the Japanese body reversal technique), in which the blade can be fixed in six positions, which allows you to expand the technical arsenal of striking.
STI knife with blade lock in several positions
According to the opening principle, knives can be divided into knives:
- with manual opening and closing of the blade;
- with semi-automatic and automatic blade opening;
- fully automatic.
In knives with semi-automatic opening, to bring the blade into working condition, it is enough to move the knife blade slightly, and then it is brought to working condition by a special spring.
Semi-automatic knives and automatic knife (right)
In knives with automatic opening, for this you only need to press a special button or a folding trigger guard on the handle. In knife literature, such knives are often referred to as "automatic" or "automatic knives", although this is not entirely true, since the reverse operation of folding the blade is performed manually in them. A classic example of such knives is the "Italian stiletto" and its numerous clones.
Buttons for opening semi-automatic knives and Italian stiletto
In fully automatic knives, both opening and closing of the knife is automatic. Moreover, the blade extends from the handle along the longitudinal axis of the blade (frontal ejection of the blade), and in the closed position it is completely retracted into the handle. This allows the use of dagger-type blades with two-sided or one-and-a-half sharpening in such knives, but imposes restrictions on the width of the blade - it cannot be greater than the width of the handle.
The process of opening / closing the blade is controlled by a special slider on the handle. These knives usually have a characteristic blade play. Only the specialists of the Mikrotek company, known for the high quality of manufacturing knives, managed to create automatic knives that are practically devoid of this drawback. But the price to pay for this is their high price.
Microtek automatic knives
The legislation of many countries, including Russia, classifies automatic knives with a certain blade length as criminal, and their wearing in these countries is prohibited. These restrictions do not apply to semi-automatic knives.
In order to avoid the risk of injury when accidentally opening such knives in a pocket, they often have a special safety catch.
The main advantage of automatic and semi-automatic knives is to quickly bring them into working condition with one hand. This is of great importance in knife fighting, as well as for people who, as a result of professional activities, can only operate with one hand.
The disadvantages of these knives include increased sensitivity to dirt due to the rather complex design of the opening mechanism, and therefore less reliability. Cleaning the mechanism is a rather complicated procedure, especially in fully automatic knives, where it can only be carried out by qualified personnel. Therefore, automatic and semi-automatic knives are not well suited for field conditions.
These shortcomings are devoid of knives in which the opening of the blade occurs due to its gravity ("inertial knives"). The most famous of them is the knife of the airborne units of the Wehrmacht, which is still produced in a modified version today. The knife is very reliable simple design and can be easily disassembled for routine cleaning.
Fixing the blade in the open position is provided by special structural elements - locks(in English literature - lock). This fixation of the blade provides safe use knife, especially during operations where its stabbing effect is necessary.
On the first primitive folding knives, the latch-lock was a special protrusion on the butt of the knife like a straight razor. Currently, there are many varieties of these devices. However, only three types of locks are most widely used - back up (lock on the butt of the blade), liner lock (strip lock) and axis lock (axial lock), as well as their varieties. All of them allow you to create knives that can be opened with only one hand, and provide a fairly secure blade in the open position.
A kind of lock on the butt of the blade
The lock on the butt of the blade (back up lock) considered the most reliable. But knives with this type of latch are difficult to fold with one hand. In addition, there is a possibility of accidental folding of the blade when the handle is strongly compressed.
Knives that use the kind of back up lock that was originally used on Spanish Navaja knives are free from this drawback. A similar lock is used on the South African Okapi. In this latch-lock, the blade is locked in the open position by a protrusion of the butt, which enters the hole on the spring bar of the lock. To disengage the latch in them, just pull on the special ring. IN modern versions the ring is replaced by a more compact and convenient folding bracket - a lever.
Linear lock (liner lock) compared to the previous one, it allows you to close the knife with one hand (in fairness, it should be noted that due to the asymmetry of the design, this is not very convenient for people with a leading left hand). Experts believe that in terms of the reliability of fixing the blade, this lock is inferior to the lock on the butt of the blade - with a strong longitudinal load, the end of the locking strip can disengage from the heel of the blade.
Much less common is ring lock, which is used on the French Opinel knives, which have been produced since the end of the 19th century. This lock has a very simple design - a slotted ring. To unlock the blade, it is enough to turn the ring so that its slot is aligned with the line of the blade. The same type of lock is used on the original domestic knife "Fortel".
In addition to the classic ones, there is a very interesting type of hinge-frame type knives. In these knives, the main structural element are special frames or hinges, which at the same time ensure the fixation of the blade. Such knives are distinguished by high reliability of locking the blade in the open position while the knife is held in the hand. They have a symmetrical shape, so they are equally convenient for both right-handers and left-handers.
Frame knives consist of two frames, the planes of rotation of which are mutually perpendicular. Among domestic knives, these include "Chizhik" by master Konstantin Sazhin and "Skat" by the company "NOKS".
Frame knives "Chizhik" and "Skat"
Of the hinged knives, the most famous is the Philippine balisong (butterfly knife) and its antipode, in which the plane of rotation of the blade is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the knife. The latter is, perhaps, the only knife with a transverse tear-off of the blade, which provides a very reliable fixation of the knife blade in the open state.
Among articulated knives, the most complex structure have pantograph knives. Typical representatives are the German Paratrooper knife and the Power Glide knife from Smith & Wesson.
Knives with transverse rotation of the blade
The Paratrupper knife, patented in Germany in 1938, is sometimes erroneously called the knife of the Wehrmacht landing units. An indispensable condition for knives for paratroopers is the ability to open it with one hand, and it is impossible to open the Paratrooper with one hand. The reason for this misconception was the name of the knife, which translates as "parachutist". However, this name is not associated with the purpose of the knife, but with the fact that its opening resembles the opening of a parachute dome. Unique feature This knife is that the length of the blade in the open state exceeds the length of the handle.
The main disadvantage of hinged-frame knives is the impossibility of opening the knife with one hand and the complexity of the design. The only knife of this type devoid of these shortcomings is the famous Filipino balisong knife.
Articulated knives
In most folding knives, when folded, the blade is completely hidden in the handle of the knife. Only part of the butt protrudes from the handle (for this reason, double-sided sharpening of the blade is not used in folding knives). However, there are knives in which, when folded, the blade comes out of the handle - semi-folding knives. A classic example of such a knife is the daggers of Admiral D'Estaing. This design combines the advantages of large fixed blade knives with the small dimensions of folding knives. This design of knives in the last century was quite common on hunting and jaeger knives. It is with this knife that Kuzmich cuts pineapple from the garden in the popular comedy "Peculiarities of the National Hunt."
Semi-skewed knives
The disadvantage of these knives is the need to use a sheath to carry them. Knives are free from them, in which the blade is retracted into a special groove that extends from the handle when the blade is folded.
A Soviet knife designed by A.I. Shilin, deputy chief designer of the Kovrov Plant No. 2 named after A.I. K. O. Kirkizha (State Union Plant No. 2). The knife was developed as part of the competition for the selection of a folding knife for the officers of the Soviet army, which was held in 1944, and took second place in this competition. According to some reports, in 1945 a small trial series of these knives was made. However, for unknown reasons, the knife never entered service. The knife had a blade with double-edged sharpening. When folded, the blade was hidden in the handle for two-thirds of its length. Used to carry a knife wooden scabbard, inside of which there were special hooks that automatically extended the blade to its full length when the knife was removed. In addition to the blade itself, the knife handle contained a standard set of tools needed in Everyday life- Awl, corkscrew, screwdriver, can opener and bottle opener.
Officer's knife designed by A.I. Shilin and its modern Chinese counterpart
The ideas laid down by Shilin in our time have been used by the Chinese in the development of a special knife that is in service with the Chinese police.
The blade is the main part of the knife. It is from him that the piercing and cutting properties of the knife depend. The main factors determining the operational characteristics of the blade are the material and technology of its manufacture, as well as its shape and section. The blades of modern folding knives are made of corrosion-resistant steels. On blades from well-known manufacturers, the steel grade is often stamped on the blade at the base of the handle. On cheap knives, you can often see the inscription on the blade - “stainless” or “rostfrei”, which simply means “ stainless steel". Currently, the knife industry uses several dozen different steel grades. Because in different countries Since there are different standards for the designation of steel grades, the same steel may have different designations. The most common steel grades used for the manufacture of folding knife blades are shown in the table.
For an inexperienced user, it is enough to take into account the fact that the more expensive the steel, the longer it keeps sharpening, but this increases the fragility of the cutting edge and makes it more difficult to straighten the knife at home. The quality of the blade is largely influenced by the technology of thermal hardening of steel used by the manufacturer. With proper heat treatment, even relatively cheap steels provide good cutting qualities of the knife, and vice versa, even expensive views steel with flaws in heat treatment will not allow to provide good quality blade. It is with this that the high cost of folding knives of well-known manufacturers with modern equipment and carefully monitoring the quality of blade manufacturing.
The hardness of the cutting edge is expressed in Rockwell units. Typically, folding knife blades are hardened to 42–60 HRC units. The larger this number, the longer the knife keeps sharpening, but you have to pay for this with less resistance to shock loads and the complexity of sharpening the knife. And, conversely, at low HRC values, the cutting edge is more plastic, easily sharpened, but does not hold sharpening well. With an increase in hardness above 61 HRC, the blade of knives with a normal butt thickness becomes very brittle. The edge of blades tempered to 42 pts. and less, has low strength and is difficult to cut common materials. This indicator is not given on the packaging of knives. Even when describing the model on the manufacturer's website, it is not always possible to see it. When using a knife, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the knife blade is very sensitive to temperature rise. That is why you should not stir up the coals of a fire with a knife or use an electric grinder for metalwork or carpentry tools to sharpen it.
The surface of the blade can be polished, matted, blued, chrome-plated or have a special protective coating.
Polishing increases the resistance of the blade to corrosion, but such a surface shines in the sun, which is not entirely acceptable in tactical knives. Matting increases the anti-reflective properties, but worsens the corrosion resistance of the knife.
When the blade is burnished, a thin layer of protective oxide film is created on its surface, while the blade acquires a dark color. In chromium plating, a thin layer of chromium is applied to the surface of the blade, which prevents corrosion of the blade, but not its cutting edge.
In modern knives, blade coatings made of synthetic materials (epoxy resins, Teflon) are becoming more common, which provide high resistance to moisture or acid and alkaline environments. Since this coating prevents the blade from reflecting in the sun, it is often referred to as "anti-reflective" and is often used on tactical knives. The disadvantage of such coatings is low wear resistance and sensitivity to scratches.
IN Lately with the reduction in the cost of industrial production of Damascus steel, more and more blades are made from it. Damascus steel is obtained by forge welding several layers of steel with different carbon contents. As a result, a beautiful pattern appears on the surface of the blade. Contemporary industrial production Damascus steel allows you to pre-design the shape of this pattern (“mosaic Damascus”).
The combination of low-carbon steel strips for ductility and high-carbon steel strips for hardness of the cutting edge makes it possible to create blades with excellent performance. In addition, the cutting edge of Damascus steel knives has micro-teeth, which increase the cutting ability of the knife.
Knives with blades made of Damascus steel look very impressive. However, it should be borne in mind that the risk of getting a defective Damascus steel blade is much higher than when purchasing a knife with a conventional steel blade. This is due to the rather complex manufacturing technology of such steel.
Doly, which are often referred to as bloodlines, are longitudinal grooves along the axis of the blade and serve to lighten the weight of the blade. At the same time, they increase the rigidity of the blade in the transverse direction. Sometimes they are through cutouts.
Ricasso- the unsharpened part of the blade at the handle serves for the convenience of sharpening the knife.
false blade came from combat knives with a fixed blade that has one and a half sharpening.
Folding knives use a variety of blade shapes. For ordinary household operations, knives with a straight blade or a blade converging to a point are preferred. The disadvantage of the classical form of the blade is its lower strength at the point, since the thickness of the blade gradually decreases towards the point. Blades in the form of "tanto" or "modified tanto" are free from this drawback.
At the beginning of this century, first on knives with a fixed blade, and then on folding knives, a special blade shape with a reinforced tip began to be used. At the end of the last - the beginning of this century, knives with a sickle-shaped blade, which is typical for Malaysian karambit knives, came into fashion. Such a blade does not cut, but rips open the surface of the target like a plow. Knives with such a blade are used for self-defense or for cutting car seat belts. Knives in which the blade is located at an angle to the handle serve the same purpose. This idea has received its maximum development in knives with a pistol grip from the STI company.
Flat wedge has high performance, combining the strength of the blade and a sharp blade. Due to the even distribution of force, it cuts well soft materials great thickness. Disadvantages - the complexity of sharpening, does not cope well with cutting hard materials.
Chisel profile- Differs in manufacturability and ease of sharpening. It is widely used on Asian knife blades. It has excellent chopping properties, cuts thin materials well.
Flat wedge and its variety, the plano-concave wedge with a supply, is easy to manufacture, easy to straighten and sharpen, perfectly performs a shallow cut. Disadvantages - low mechanical strength, difficulties in cutting thick materials due to protruding side ribs.
wedge profile has excellent cutting properties. The disadvantage is the fragility of the cutting edge and the difficulty of sharpening (it is necessary to sharpen the entire plane of the blade). From this disadvantage, a wedge-shaped section with a supply is free.
Pentagonal profile combines manufacturability, strength, good cutting qualities, well corrected. Disadvantages - the difficulty of sharpening when restoring the cutting edge.
In addition to the blade, folding pocket knives may have additional auxiliary tools - an awl, a corkscrew, a can opener, a bottle opener. In the so-called "Swiss Army knives" (Swiss Armyknives), the number of such tools can reach several dozen. Such multifunctional knives are called "multitools". For self-defense, knives with two working blades are also produced, which allow you to hit a target with a forward and reverse stroke of the hand without changing the orientation of the knife or changing its grip.
Part of the blade of the blade can be sharpened in the form of a saw for cutting fibrous materials. In the knife literature, such sharpening is called "sereytor" or "sereytornoy" (from the English. Serrated"sawtooth"). In self-defense knives, sereytor sharpening facilitates cutting through the upper dense clothing and can be performed along the entire length of the blade. The tooth configuration of this mini-saw may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. The presence of a sereytor makes it difficult to sharpen the blade at home; for this, you need to have a special tool and skills to work with it, or contact the appropriate specialist. 
The design of most modern folding knives allows you to open them with one hand, both right and left. To do this, there are special elements at the base of the blade - cylindrical pins, round or square dies, or holes in the blade (a round hole is protected by a patent owned by the American company Spyderco, and other manufacturing companies are forced to use its other forms). It is more convenient to open knives with protruding elements - pins or dies, but they reduce the effective length of the blade.
At the beginning of this century, a special device appeared on the knives in the form of a hook on the butt, which ensures the automatic opening of the knife when it is pulled out of a trousers pocket. Owners of such knives should be aware that if the trousers are made of thin material, then after several cycles of pulling the knife, they are likely to be torn.
Much less common on modern knives is a special semicircular cutout on the blade. Most often it is used in models that have several working blades or tools, or in knives without blade fixation, which are well known to the older generation in Soviet times.
Another element that facilitates the opening of the knife is the flipper (from the English. flipper"fin") - a special ledge on the butt of the blade. For opening ordinary knife it is enough to move the blade a little by pressing the flipper with the finger of the hand, after which, with an energetic swinging movement of the brush, bring the blade to the working position. In semi-automatic knives, there is no need for such a move; the blade is brought to the working position by a spring mechanism automatically.
In addition, the flipper plays the role of a kind of guard, preventing the hand from slipping onto the blade.
The most common grip on folding knives is the straight diagonal (fencing) grip. In this grip, the thumb is located on the butt of the blade. For more comfortable control of the knife, a special notch is made at the contact point of the thumb on the butt of the blade. The part of the handle adjacent to the blade may also have a notch.
handles
The handles of most modern knives have a package type-setting design, consisting of an internal frame (frame) in the form of metal strips - liners (liner) and overlays. Blade fixing elements, automatic opening mechanism (for semi-automatic and automatic knives) are mounted inside the frame.
Simple monolithic handles with a groove for the blade or handles made of bent strip steels are rare in modern knives, mainly in the French "Opinel" and the African "Duk-duk". Previously, the parts of the handle were connected into a single unit using rivets. The axis of the blade was also riveted. IN modern models screw connections are usually used for this. The use of screw connections allows you to eliminate the loosening of parts that occurs during the operation of the knife, adjust the “softness of the blade stroke”, and facilitate the disassembly of the knife for maintenance work. Most foreign folding knives use screws with a torx slot (torx). To work with such screws, a special tool is required - screwdrivers or socket wrenches with the appropriate head. Some companies include such keys with the knife, otherwise they have to be purchased separately.
The shape of the handle, its section, as well as the texture of the lining determine the convenience and safety of using the knife. The rectangular section of the knife is technologically advanced in production, but not convenient when performing long work with a knife. The handle with a round section fits comfortably in the hand, but it does not allow you to determine the orientation of the knife by touch. Therefore, oval-shaped handles are most convenient. The rectangular shape is compact, but it does not provide protection against slipping of the hand onto the blade. The wedge shape of the handle better protects the hand when working with the tip of the knife, but when trying to pull out the knife stuck in dense material, the hand will slide off the handle. Small penknives often have this shape for small household work.
The concave shape of the handle provides a more secure grip, but is not entirely comfortable. The convex shape of the handle fits perfectly in the hand and is comfortable to work with. It is this shape of the handle that time-tested Finnish-type knives have.
Even more convenient is the handle of a convex-concave shape and a shape that is often used on tactical knives. In modern knives, handles of a complex shape are increasingly used, taking into account the ergonomics of the hand. However, its configuration is calculated for a medium-sized arm, and a person with a large or, conversely, a small hand, will not be able to take full advantage of its advantages.
overlays
For their manufacture, materials of natural (wood, bone, horn) and artificial origin (metals, plastic) can be used. The main advantage of wooden overlays is their "warmth" and the beauty of natural material. In expensive handmade knives, exotic woods with a very beautiful texture can be used. The main disadvantage is poor wear and moisture resistance. The multi-layer lacquer coating in some way solves the problem, but it reduces the reliability of holding the knife in your hand. Another material of natural origin is horn and bone. Handles made of these materials are well polished and look very nice. The disadvantage is that they can crack and scratch easily. Metal linings are highly durable, but in the cold season, knives with such handles are inconvenient to use. In addition, they are difficult to hold in a wet or sweaty hand, even if they have a notch. In modern knives, titanium alloys based on aluminum or titanium are used for their manufacture. Damascus steel can also be used in expensive designer knives.
Materials based on synthetic resins allow you to simulate the structure natural materials and at the same time avoid their inherent shortcomings, although they lose weight to them. One of the most popular materials of this type is one of the types of micarta textolite. Recently, overlays from various kinds plastics, such as ABC, Zitel, Kydex, etc. These materials are technological, moisture resistant, durable and resistant to the external environment. They allow the production of rubbers of any shape with any texture pattern - from a simple roughness inherent in the rubber material itself, or a rectangular cut to specially designed surface types. So, in the knives of the "For those who serve" series, CRKT uses a special honeycomb structure that prevents the knife from slipping in the hand. For the same purpose, rubberized inserts or structural inserts such as sandpaper are used.
At the end of the handles of many models of folding knives there is a through round hole for attaching a lanyard or lanyard to it.
Security elements
Although modern designs of blade retainers are quite reliable, nevertheless, as noted above, there is a possibility of accidental folding of the blade. To prevent this, modern knives have special fuses. For knives with a lock on the butt, they are usually located in the cutout area of the locking lever. In linear lock models, they are located in front of the handle under the thumb. The addition of blade locks with guards practically transforms the knife from a folding knife into a fixed blade knife.
For the safe wearing of semi-automatic and automatic knives, the fuse must prevent the knife from opening in a pocket of clothing if the trigger mechanism is accidentally actuated. Therefore, in such knives, the safety often has a double action - it blocks the blade in the closed and open state.
Clip (clip) for wearing
An almost mandatory attribute of modern folding knives is a steel spring clip. In knife literature, the term “clip” is often used to designate it (from the English. clip clamp, clip). It provides convenient carrying of a knife in pockets of clothes or on a trouser belt.
Many knife manufacturers make the clip adjustable - that is, it can be fixed on different sides of the handle, depending on whether the owner is right-handed or left-handed. In addition, sometimes you can change not only the side of the clamp attachment - at the base or at the end. In this case, the knife in the pocket will be oriented either with the tip down or up. Some experts believe that when carrying a knife with the point up, there is a possibility of a cut when trying to get the knife out of the pocket, if for some reason the blade comes out of the handle. At the same time, with such an orientation of the knife, it is faster to bring it into working condition.
In some models of folding knives, the clip attachment point is not Z-shaped, but shaped like the letter "G" or "P". In this case, when carrying a knife in a pocket of clothing, the upper part of the handle is hidden from the outside eye - only the spring plate of the clip protrudes from the pocket. Outwardly, it looks like a regular ballpoint pen.
Elements that expand percussion capabilities
For self-defense, the knife can be used without opening the blade. In this case, it is used as a palm stick and the blow is delivered by parts of the handle protruding from the fist. In tactical and self-defense knives, the end of the handle to increase the effectiveness of such strikes often has a triangular shape or a special impact element in the form of a cylinder, cone or pyramid.
Concluding the review of folding knife designs, it should be noted that the legality of a knife, that is, the fact that it is not a cold weapon, can only be determined by an expert by law. Therefore, when purchasing a knife, it is always necessary to ask the seller for a copy of the information sheet for the certification test report (in common parlance it is often called a “certificate”). The absence of such a document, no matter what the seller says, may indicate that the knife you like has not passed the tests for belonging to melee weapons. Moreover, it is best if such tests were carried out by the parent organization "Expert Forensic Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs." It is best to always have a copy of this document with you, which will allow you to avoid unnecessary conflicts with law enforcement officials. 
Most high-quality folding knives on the Russian knife market are the products of foreign companies. Unfortunately, the majority of serial domestic folding knives are inferior to foreign ones in almost all respects, and you can rarely find original models among them. Russian craftsmen and knife companies prefer to create knives with a fixed blade, and among them there are very original models that have no analogues abroad, which include Vitaly Kim's knives, the Kondrat knife, the NDK-17 knife (saboteur knife designed by Kochergin) . This is largely due to the more complex technology and the expensive equipment required for it. Among Russian craftsmen, only a few design and produce original folding knives of the author's work that are not inferior to foreign ones (including in terms of price). Folding knives of the Ural master Urakov and the workshop of the Shirogorov brothers are shown as an example. The rapid pace of development of the Russian knife industry allows us to hope for the appearance of domestic folding knives that are not inferior to foreign models.
Anatoly Fomin. Magazine "Bratishka" 2013-01
Today, buying a folding knife is not at all difficult, since such a product is not only presented in a huge assortment, it is also sold in many retail stores, as well as on Internet sites. But, despite this, every day the number of people who want to make handmade folding knife. This is due to the fact that homemade folding knives are unique and a person can customize it as much as possible to suit their preferences. Moreover, in the process of self-manufacturing a knife, a person can use any materials, which will make the device reliable and durable.
Before you start making your own folding knife, you need to clearly define the following indicators:
- what will be the shape of the future knife;
- what material will be used for its manufacture;
- what design will the future knife have;
- what will be the design of the knife.
DIY folding knives can be made of any material and have any shape, the main thing is to adhere to the established standards in the manufacture. When choosing materials for a knife, it is necessary to give preference to the most durable and strong material. For the blade, stainless steel with high hardness or Damascus steel is suitable. Of course, most people prefer stainless steel, because it is easier to make a knife out of it and, unlike Damascus steel, it is resistant to corrosion.
In addition to materials, for the manufacture of a knife, it is necessary to prepare tools that may be required in the process of performing the work. It is worth noting that in the manufacture of a simple version of a folding knife, you will need the simplest tools at hand. Special attention should be paid to the choice of material for the handle, since it must be not only reliable and durable, but also convenient to use. That is, it is necessary to think over the shape of the handle correctly so that it is securely fixed in the hand and does not slip out. Having decided on the most convenient form of the handle, you need to choose the material from which it will be most convenient to perform it.
Making a folding knife can occur using handle materials such as, hard rocks natural wood, impact-resistant plastic or metal. And, of course, planning independent production knife, you need to think about the mechanism of its folding. Moreover, the mechanisms of the knife must be treated with extreme caution and everything must be thought out for the smallest details, since an incorrectly executed mechanism can cause injury during the use of the knife. Before starting work on the manufacture of a folding knife, you need to make sure that all necessary materials prepared.
folding knife mockup
So, if a person is interested in a question, how to assemble a folding knife, then it is possible to do this even without special skills. The main thing in this process is to take into account all the established parameters and adhere to all the rules for performing such a process. The first thing to do, starting with the manufacture of a knife, is to sketch the future fixture on paper. You can also use special graphic editors. The best option for cutting a template for a future knife blade is cardboard, since it is more durable than paper. Moreover, all the components of the future knife can be cut out of cardboard, and then fasten the cardboard blade and the handle with a screw and nut, for this you need to cut a hole in the cardboard for the axis. This approach will help to understand how proportional the elements of the knife are, and how the manufactured fixture will close.
In addition, the execution of a cardboard model of the knife will help to correctly fit the shape of the heel of the blade, and this part, as you know, is extremely important for comfortable and practical use of the knife. You can find out how the supporting part of the heel should look like by viewing folding knife do it yourself video. The video will help make sure that the heel of the blade is really made correctly and has the required bevel angle, the angle of 7-9 0 is considered optimal. After that, it is necessary to sketch a linear knife lock, as you know, it is based on three points that form a triangle. Each point of the linear lock has its own purpose:
- to install the pivot pin;
- for mounting a corkscrew pin;
- the contact zone of the supporting planes of the heel of the blade and the pressure plate, that is, the stopper.
It is worth noting that it is the lateral pressure force of the stopper that fixes the blade in the closed position; there are no other elements that perform such a function in this knife design. That is why it is extremely important to mount a small steel ball from the bearing into the stopper, it will become an additional retainer for the closed blade and, accordingly, will secure the use of the knife. It is very important to choose the correct location of the ball retainer, since the functioning of the entire knife lock depends on it.
Having marked the location of the ball retainer on the cardboard mock-up of the blade and the locking spring, you need to make sure that it will fit tightly there and will not interfere with the folding of the knife. After that, it is necessary to decide on the fasteners that will tighten the dies together. It is not recommended to use fasteners with large heads and place them too close to the edge of the handle. This is due to the fact that subsequently it may be necessary to install a spacer or tubular racks between the mounts.
How to make a folding knife with your own hands
After the cardboard layout of the future knife is ready and all its elements meet the standards, you can begin to manufacture the device itself. On this stage material for the future knife and tools that may be useful in the process of its manufacture should already be prepared. As already stated, optimal material stainless steel is considered to be used for making a knife blade, since it will not rust even if moisture gets inside the fold.
For drilling holes in hardened steel, it is best to use ceramic or glass drills. It is very important to drill at low speeds, while applying little effort. If you approach the process of drilling holes in the workpiece irresponsibly, then you can simply erase the drills without achieving the desired result. In order to prevent the steel from sinking, it is necessary to constantly monitor the level of its heating and often cool the part.
As for the dies, it is better to use titanium for them, since, even with a small thickness, this material has high strength indicators. In addition, titanium is lightweight and does not corrode, which is also important for a folding knife. When processing titanium and giving it the desired shape, it is also recommended to work at low speed grinders, you can even use hand saw for metal.
In order to make a folding knife, the next thing to do is to cut out the contours of the corkscrew spring, which will be located at the bottom of the die. In the intended place of the end of the die, it is necessary to drill holes with diameters of not more than 2.5 millimeters, there should be 3-4 such holes. After making holes, they need to be connected and a hacksaw blade should be brought there. The next step will be sawing the stopper line, but when performing this procedure, it is necessary to leave a small margin, which is removed during the process of setting up and checking the finished knife.
As for the bottom die, it often has the same dimensions as the top one, but there is one difference: in the bottom die, you need to make a special recess, under the hole for opening the knife. Another difference between the top and bottom plates is the diameter of the screw hole. In the lower die, such holes must be made for the screw thread, while the diameters of the holes in the upper die must have the screw diameter. After all the details have been cut out and all the holes have been drilled, it is necessary to make or pick up two small washers. Washers made of bronze or fluoroplast are considered the most optimal. Such washers will act as a bearing, and are attached to the axis of rotation of the knife.
The next step in the manufacture of the knife will be its direct assembly. You need to do this in turn:
- insert the axle into the lower die;
- put a locking pin;
- install the washer;
- put the blade and assemble the knife together.
If any inaccuracies arose during the assembly process, but they need to be eliminated, for example, if the parts of the knife do not match, then they need to be adjusted in place. After the knife is assembled, it is necessary to install the corkscrew ball. To do this, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe corkscrew spring, it is necessary to drill a hole with a diameter of 0.1-0.2 mm, that is, it must be smaller than its ball. The average size of a bearing ball is 1.5-2 mm. The ball is pressed into the locking plate using a vise, while it should protrude to the surface by about half a millimeter.
After the ball is installed, it is necessary to determine the place of its contact with the wedge, for this it is enough to close and open the knife several times. After that, a trace will remain on the knife blade, stepping back from the edge of the trace 0.3 millimeters, it is necessary to make a small hole, into which the ball will enter when the knife is closed. In order to set and test the functionality of the knife lock, it is initially recommended to assemble the fixture without the top die. If everything works properly, you can fully assemble the knife and check its operation already in the folded state.
That's all the knife is ready. As it becomes clear to do do-it-yourself folding automatic knife it may take a little time and patience.
Well, to complete the review of the anatomy of folding knives, we should consider one more the most important detail, for some reason in the above article only mentioned in passing: fuse / lock. The lock is the mechanism that locks the knife blade in the "open" position and prevents it from spontaneously closing. For modern folding knives, many various designs castles, it's hard to say which one is better - each has its own characteristics.
Liner lock
The most common type of lock, relatively easy to manufacture and yet reliable enough for most everyday tasks. The lock mechanism is based on a flat spring, which is part of the liner and rests against the blade shank when the knife is opened. You should pay attention to how much the spring enters the shank - this largely determines the reliability of the lock. This distance must be greater than the thickness of the spring itself, otherwise the knife may fold from light pressure. 
Framelock (monolock, integral lock)
A variation of the liner lock. The only difference is that the part of the knife handle, which in such cases is made of metal, plays the role of the locking plate. This adds strength to the entire castle, because. it becomes harder to deform the spring in this case. In addition, the hand holding the knife additionally presses the locking plate. 
back lock
In locks like back lock the blade shank is fixed from the side of the butt by a spring-loaded rocker lever. These locks are more difficult to manufacture due to the fact that the part of the rocker that engages and the slot on the shank must be fairly accurately fitted to each other. Otherwise, the blade is either poorly fixed (the rocker does not fully enter the shank) or staggers (the rocker enters freely). And even if they are identical, at a certain load vector there will be a slight backlash, which is due to the design itself. 
In 2008, Cold Steel improved the back lock and introduced its new creation - Tri-Ad Lock. The original design received minor improvements: a locking pin was added that takes on almost all the mechanical load, the geometry of the rocker arm engagement itself and the groove in the shank was redesigned, and the hole of the rocker axis was made oval. As a result, the strength has increased radically, and when the contacting parts are worn, the rocker will simply change its position without increasing the backlash of the structure. 
compression lock
It is a hybrid of liner lock and (to some extent) back lock. The peculiarity is that the flat spring rests on the shank not from behind, as in liner lock, but from above. Another feature is that the spring on one side enters the shank, and on the other side rests against the locking pin. An indisputable plus of the mechanism - when closing the knife, not a single finger will be in the path of the blade. 
Levitator lock
Knives with locks of this type are produced by Benchmade. Due to its characteristics, the lock can only be used in knives with a metal handle. A special pattern is carved on the handle, forming a springy plate, when pressed, the rod entering the blade shank moves and releases the blade. 
Clutch lock
Under the name Viroblock is used in most modern knives. trademark Opinel. The blade is fixed by a swivel metal sleeve with a longitudinal slit. In the extreme position, the clutch blocks the opening of the blade, and when the knife is in the open position, turning the clutch in any direction blocks its closure. With a small cost of such knives, the lock in them is simply excellent. 
pin locks
The AXIS lock type is a patented highlight of Benchmade. The blade is fixed with a spindle-shaped pin, which enters the corresponding grooves on the knife shank. In this case, the fixation is carried out both in the open and in the closed position of the knife, which makes it possible to avoid accidental closing of the blade. According to the results of testing the strength of locks for budget knives by knifelife.ru enthusiasts, AXIS turned out to be the most durable in the Benchmade Griptilian 551 model. The main enemy of such a lock is dirt, which can disable the knife. 
Arc lock, patented by SOG, is very similar in principle to AXIS, but has slight differences - the pin is additionally attached to a small swinging rocker inside the handle. 
rolling lock- another lock from Benchmade. Here the pin is completely inside the handle and is actuated by an L-shaped lever with a peg brought out. 
Ultra Lock- another type of pin lock, this time from Cold Steel. In this version, the pin moves along a U-shaped groove in the blade shank. The locking rod locks the blade at the extreme points, which ensures a secure fit in the open and closed positions. 
push-button locks
lock type button lock(or plunge lock) is most commonly found on automatic knives. A spring-loaded button-pin of variable diameter, when pressed, moves with a thinner part into the plane of the blade and releases it. Holds the blade both open and closed. The quality of locks of this type depends entirely on the manufacturer. In general, they can be very durable, but they are afraid of dirt. 
Axial lock- a rather unusual castle, which most inexperienced knife lovers enter into a state of light thoughtfulness. Such a knife opens and closes by pressing the axis of the knife and turning it with your thumb. On the axis there are protrusions that engage with the grooves on the blade and in the handle. 
Stud Lock
A moving pin lock design found on knives in the Kershaw range. When opened, a spring-loaded peg on the knife blade engages with a notch in the front of the handle. To unlock the blade, you need to move the peg towards the tip. With proper dexterity, closing the knife is solid and fast, and the lock guarantees proper strength. 
Crossbar locks
Lock ram safe lock installed on a rather unusual and recognizable Cold Steel Pocket Bushman knife. For all its technological simplicity, the lock is very powerful. In it, the blade shank is locked with a rod (crossbar), which moves parallel to the butt. The rod on the opposite side of the blade is pressed by a rigid spiral spring, and in order to open the knife, it is necessary to pull the lanyard. Opening (and even more so closing) with one hand is extremely difficult, but in order to break such a lock, you will have to work hard. 
Design bolt lock differs from the previous lock by the presence of a peg attached to the crossbar and brought out to the side surface of the handle. According to the principle of operation, the lock is very similar to pin structures. 
gear lock
In design ratchet lock(or cogwheel lock) the rounded shank of the blade is made in the form of a comb with straight or slightly curved teeth, and the locking is done by a slip plate with a slot for one tooth. When the knife is opened, the plate rises, and all the teeth of this half gear pass through it, and in order to close the knife, it is necessary to manually lift the retainer plate (most often by the ring). The lock is traditional for Spanish Navaja knives, but is also found on South African okapis (and their modern incarnation Cold Steel Kudu). 
Balisong
It is difficult to call the design of a balisong knife (popularly “butterfly”) a lock, and, nevertheless, we will describe this method of fixing the blade. When folded, the blade is closed by halves of the handle on both sides. When opened, each half turns 180 degrees; in some designs they are then latched together, while in others they are simply held together with one hand. 
Slip-joint
Perhaps one of the simplest types of lock, which has found its application in many budget models of tourist knives. In extreme positions, the blade is held from above by a rounded shank with a flat spring. The lock does not provide a rigid fixation of the blade, but nevertheless does not allow the blade to accidentally fold and injure the fingers. 
Friction fixation
So-called friction folder- the oldest design of a folding knife, the blade in which is held open due to the friction of the shank against the handle in the area of \u200b\u200bthe axis. In most of these knives, there is a lever on the shank, which protrudes from the handle when the knife is closed. By pressing it, you can remove the blade from the handle, and then open the knife by the blade. In an open knife, the same lever is pressed by hand during operation and additionally prevents folding. According to this principle, well-known dangerous razors, European medieval peasant knives and Japanese knives by higonokami are made. 
