The knife is very useful tool, you can use it to defend yourself, sharpen a stick, cut sausage, or use it instead of a screwdriver if necessary. In order for the knife to always be with you, it must either have a protective cover or be foldable. The second option is more convenient, since such a knife will be more compact and you will not be able to lose the case. Folding knives come in a wide variety of designs, we will look at the simplest of them.
The author decided to make the handle of his knife exclusively from wood. This material is accessible and easy to work with. The author used only hand tools to make the knife. The main emphasis in the article is on making a handle. You can either find a blade ready-made from an old knife, or you can sharpen it yourself, it’s not difficult. So, let's start making a knife.
Materials and tools used
List of materials:
– blade blank;
– wooden board;
– steel rod (as an axis for the blade);
– wood glue;
– electrical tape;
– oil for impregnation.
List of tools:
– jigsaw;
– wood hacksaw;
– drill;
– marker;
– plane;
- sandpaper;
– files;
– vice;
– clamps.
Knife making process:
Step one. Cutting out blanks for the handle
To make a handle you will need a piece of board. You can use different types of trees based on your preferences. But just remember that more hard rocks will be more difficult to process. We will cut the board lengthwise into two halves, and in the end we will get two blanks. Here you will need to correctly take into account the thickness of the board.
We apply the blade to the board and trace it. Now we know approximately how long the handle should be so that the blade can fit into it. Also consider the location of the locking pin and so on. Having done everything necessary calculations, clamp the board in a vice in a vertical position and begin cutting. The author first marks the cutting line using a jigsaw, and then a hacksaw with a wide blade comes to the rescue. Slowly, slowly, cut the board into two halves. Step two. We make and install the blade axis
Step three. Finalizing the handle halves
Step four. Internal spacer
Step five. Drilling holes for the axle
Step six. Gluing
We clamp the whole thing with several clamps and let the glue dry completely. Epoxy dries in about a day; wood glue should also take about the same amount of time. Step seven. Final processing
At the same step, you can sharpen the blade; fine sandpaper dipped in water is perfect for this. Step eight. Impregnation
That's all, the making of the knife has come to an end. As a result, we have a small, convenient pocket knife. Do not forget that the handle is made of wood, so the knife will not be able to withstand high loads on the blade. However, for most household work its strength should be sufficient. That's all, good luck and take care of yourself! Dec 21, 2018 Gennady
The blade is attached to the handle using one metal axis. We look for a rod of suitable diameter and cut off the required piece. We drill a hole in the blade of such a diameter that the axis fits tightly into the hole. The blade should not dangle on the axis.
After the board was sawn into two parts, we got two halves. Each of them needs to be thoroughly leveled and polished, since after cutting the parts will have a lot of irregularities. They can be leveled using a plane or by grinding, which is safer. Finally, sand the parts with sandpaper until they are perfectly smooth.
Between the two halves there is another piece of wood, with its help we get the required gap. We select the gap in accordance with the thickness of the blade. The main idea is for the blade to fit tightly into the handle and not fall out. There are no additional fasteners here. This part will also act as a stop for the blade. Use dense wood for this part, like oak, maple, and so on.
Attach the blade to the workpiece and drill holes for the axle. It should fit tightly into the part. Try to collect all the parts in a pile and make sure that all the parts are made correctly. The blade should not spontaneously fall out of the handle. If this is the case, you need to reduce the gap between the handle halves.
Epoxy glue is suitable for gluing, but the author decided to use wood glue, which is also quite sufficient here. Apply glue to the “spacer” on both sides, and then glue the halves to the sides. As for the axis on which the blade rests, it is highly advisable to apply epoxy glue to it before assembly, so that it will reliably stick to the handle. But be careful, if the glue sticks to the blade, you may not be able to open the knife after making it.
When the glue dries, remove the clamps. You now need to cut off the protruding parts of the axle; for this we use a hacksaw.
Finally, all you have to do is create the desired profile of your handle. This can be done manually, since the sizes are small. We take files and form the desired profile. Then we switch to sandpaper. Finally, we use the finest sandpaper to bring the product to perfection.
Wood is a very treacherous material; it instantly changes in size, cracks, and becomes deformed if moisture gets on it. To avoid these unpleasant consequences, the tree needs to be protected. It will save you here linseed oil or any others intended for wood processing. Do not use mineral oils as they do not dry out. We impregnate the handle everywhere, both outside and inside. Let the oil dry. You can also easily use varnish instead of oil.
DIY folding knife. How to make a folding knife with your own hands. DIY folding knife drawings. Friction folding knife. Author. Hello everyone, I present to your attention photos step-by-step production friction type folding knife. Master class It’s hard to call it a tutorial, a lot is missing. Friction folding knives are common in countries where knives with locking locks are prohibited. Knives of this type are widely used by European knife makers.
If, like me, we don’t know how to use Corel, we draw for a long time and tediously with our hands. cut out of cardboard - fold and unfold
The clutch has characteristic feature- a long tail protruding beyond the dimensions of the handle when folded, the principle of operation of such a knife is simple, in the frame of the knife there is a locking pin into which the tail of the blade rests when unfolded, and a special recess in the blade when folded so that the edge of the blade does not touch the insides of the frame . Well then, to the point:
Making a blade requires a separate master class. The axle and sliding washers are from an unknown Chinese folding unit.
we cut them out with a grinder, transfer the centers of all the holes from the drawing to the blade, and drill them, pressing the blade to the die, drill holes through the blade, first in one, and then through one in the other.
We cut a groove between the locking holes, in my case with a grinder, ideally with a router
let's take a look at the assembly
From thick stainless steel (5mm) we cut out a spacer into the back of the handle
we carefully consider this whole thing many times, we spit and swear
we attach the spacer to the dies, drill, insert pins, rivet, grind the tops of the heads flush
we make bevels on the blade roughly, hardening and tempering, remove bevels to zero+ on the diamond on top, rough assembly
hand sanding, etching. The etching process is also missed because this needs to be done separately by MK.
We finally tighten the axial screw with cyanoacrylate fixation, roughly saw out the lining with a spare, and drill recesses for the axle heads.
we glue one die, through the frame we drill holes in the die for the stop pin, and pins in the backplate, similarly we glue the second die and through the first we drill in the right places, glue the pins, and roughly grind them.
glue in the locking pin, cut it off and grind the pads closer to the desired shape
in intimate places where it cannot be removed with a grinder (for example), we remove it with a Dremel.
you can matte all metal elements, although this is unnecessary
As you can see, at the beginning of the process I had an axial screw from a Chinese folding frame, but during the manufacturing process I lost it, and I had to quickly make it out of anything. I did not remove this. It is better to do the etching process as a separate MK, because There are many nuances that are important. In general, I missed a lot, I didn’t have enough hands. Article taken from the original source http://forum.zadi.ru/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=11774 Here are some photos of the finished knife.
How to make a simple folding knife with your own hands. DIY folding knife made of Damascus steel. Damascus steel made at home. I bring to your attention a high-quality, stylish, unique knife self made made of Damascus steel. We will make steel with our own hands by forging. This knife is folding, friction type, the design is very simple, but this does not prevent the knife from doing its job perfectly. It would not be a shame to give such a knife as a valuable gift, or it can even be sold for substantial money. So, let's take a closer look at how you can make such a knife! Materials and tools used by the author:
List of materials:
- brass rod (for the pin);
- wood for the handle (walnut);
- borax;
- ferric chloride;
- rapeseed oil;
- a lawn mower blade and a file (for the blade);
- screw with nut (for the blade axis);
- epoxy adhesive;
- oil for impregnation, etc.
List of tools:
- forge furnace, anvil and hammer;
- welding machine(preferably);
- orbital sander;
- vice;
- Bulgarian;
- drill or drilling machine;
- jigsaw;
- hacksaw for metal;
- clamps;
-pencil and more.
Knife making process:
Step one. A few words about Damascus steel
Damascus steel is a mixture of different grades of steel. They are mixed by heating, that is, by forging. Next, when a blade is forged from this mixture, it is then immersed in acid. Thanks to chemical reaction Each grade of steel darkens differently, some are lighter, others are darker. As a result, interesting patterns are obtained on the blade. The key is to find an interesting mix of metals that will look good. Also, do not forget that the steel for the knife must be durable.
The author decided to use a lawn mower knife as a material, as well as old file. The resulting Damascus steel when mixed is called "Twisted Damascus". The steel from the file will be darker after pickling, while the steel from the lawn mower blade will be lighter.
We take a file, as well as a lawn mower blade. You will need to cut them into approximately 4 pieces of equal length to make 8 layers. In general, the more layers of metal in Damascus steel, the more interesting it looks. One piece should be long, this will be the handle that you will hold on to while forging.
All plates need to be connected into one single block; it is best to secure them by welding. If there is no welding, we clamp the workpiece in a vice, and then twist it thoroughly with steel wire. That's all, now the workpiece is ready for the next stage!
We send the workpiece to the forge and heat it to the specified temperature. The steel should become soft like plasticine. Then we remove the workpiece, clamp the tip in a vice and twist it. This way we mix layers of metals together.
We work with a grinder, cut off the excess, and polish the workpiece. The author's strip was so long that it was enough to make two knives.
You can start making the blade. First, the author decided to immerse the workpiece in ferric chloride for 10 minutes to see how the pattern would turn out. Finally, neutralize the acid using baking soda.
We cut out the rough profile using a grinder, using grinding discs where necessary. As a result, all you have to do is modify the blade with files, sandpaper and drill a hole for the mounting axis.
Now the blade needs to be hardened so that it holds an edge for a long time. For this, the author used gas burner, but a forge oven will do just fine. We heat the blade until red hot and cool it in vegetable oil. Next, you will need to temper the metal so that the steel is not brittle. We take a burner and heat the blade until it has a straw color, let it cool in the air. The same procedure can be carried out in a regular household oven.
Finally, sand the blade with sandpaper and polish it.
To etch the blade you will need ferric chloride. Depending on the etching time, the pattern will be different. The author first dipped the blade for one hour and then polished it with 2000 grit sandpaper, and then etched again. In general, everything here is done through experimentation.
Select beautiful, valuable wood for the handle and cut out two halves. Drill two holes, one for the mounting axle and one for the locking pin. The author decided to use a brass rod as a fixing pin.
Using epoxy glue, glue the fixing pin into the handle. We select the required gap so that the blade fits in with a small gap and does not dangle. To fasten the blade, the author used a nut with a screw.
Check if everything is working correctly.
Finally, saturate the handle with oil, this will protect the wood and make it more beautiful. If desired, the handle can be polished, so it will look even better.
All you have to do is sharpen the blade well. Here you will need special sharpening device or even regular sandpaper.
That's all, the wonderful knife is ready! Share your opinions.
The creation and use as a bladed weapon is prohibited; according to Article 223.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, it is punishable by imprisonment for up to two years!
The urbanization of the modern world has led to an increase in the popularity of folding knives (in common parlance - “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 is usually absolutely legal to carry.
It can be used for a variety of operations - opening envelopes and cardboard boxes, opening plastic packaging, cutting tape, etc. In a critical situation, it can also be used as a weapon of personal defense. There was even a special term for the knives of a city dweller - “everyday carry knife” or 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”. While superior to city 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 military units, as well as tourist (camping) knives or knives for working in field conditions.
Main types of blade clamps
The achievements of modern metallurgy and inorganic chemistry, the introduction of new materials processing technologies make it possible to bring to life the most daring design ideas. Close interaction between knifemakers and hand-to-hand combat experts allows us to create original models of tactical knives with enhanced fighting qualities. As a result, new models of folding knives with an unusual blade shape, 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 a knife for performing certain types of work. In addition, there are no identical people, they have different sizes hands, they may have a dominant right or left hand. For those who are not experts in the field of bladed weapons, the variety of designs creates certain difficulties when choosing a knife to suit their needs.
Design of folding knives
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 a single-sided sharpening, mounted on the axis of the handle. When folded, the knife blade is hidden in the handle.
The main structural elements of a knife are the blade and the handle.
In the classic version, the blade rotates 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. Such knives look very original, but are inferior in reliability to knives of classical design. An exception to this rule is hinged knives with a transverse blade opening.
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 knife with a brass knuckle grip of the type of the famous “push daggers”, which originate from the daggers of the hidden carry of card players of the Wild West. The advantage of such knives is a simplified striking technique - a blow is similar to a blow with a fist.
The STI company even developed the Tai sabaki knife (from the name of the Japanese technique of turning the body), in which the blade can be fixed in six positions, which allows you to expand the technical arsenal of striking.
STI knife with blade fixation in several positions
According to the principle of opening, 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, you only need to press a special button or a folding trigger guard on the handle. In knife literature, such knives are often called “automatic” or “automatic knives,” although this is not entirely true, since the reverse operation of folding the blade is performed manually. A classic example of such knives is the “Italian stiletto” and its numerous clones.
Buttons for opening semi-automatic knives and an Italian stiletto
In fully automatic knives, both opening and closing of the knife occurs automatically. 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 double-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 specialists from the Microtek company, known for the high quality of knife manufacturing, managed to create automatic knives that are practically free of this drawback. But the price for this is their high price.
Automatic knives from Microtek
The legislation of many countries, including Russia, classifies automatic knives with a certain blade length as criminal, and their carrying in these countries is prohibited. These restrictions do not apply to semi-automatic knives.
To avoid the risk of injury if these knives are accidentally opened in a pocket, they often have a special safety lock.
The main advantage of automatic and semi-automatic knives is that they can be quickly brought into working condition with one hand. This is of great importance in knife fighting, as well as for people who, as a result of their professional activities, can only use 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 complex procedure, especially in fully automatic knives, where it can only be carried out by qualified personnel. Therefore, automatic and semi-automatic knives are poorly suited for field conditions.
Knives in which the blade opens due to its gravity (“inertial knives”) do not have these disadvantages. The most famous of them is the knife of the Wehrmacht airborne units, which is still produced in a modified version today. The knife is very reliable, has simple design and can be easily disassembled for preventative cleaning.
Fixing the blade in the open position is ensured by special structural elements - locks(in English literature - lock). This blade fixation ensures safe use knife, especially during operations where its piercing action is necessary.
On the first primitive folding knives, the latch-lock was a special protrusion on the butt of the knife, similar to a straight razor. Currently, there are many varieties of these devices. However, only three types of locks are most widespread - 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 reliable fastening of the blade in the open position.
A type of lock on the butt of a blade
Lock on the butt of the blade (back up lock) considered the most reliable. But knives with this type of lock are difficult to fold with one hand. In addition, there is a possibility of accidental folding of the blade when the handle is squeezed tightly.
Knives that use a type of back up lock, which was originally used on Spanish Navaja knives, are free from this drawback. A similar lock is used on the South African Okapi. In this lock-clamp, the blade is locked in the open position by the protrusion of the butt, which fits into the hole on the spring bar of the lock. To disengage the lock, just pull the special ring. IN modern versions the ring has been replaced by a more compact and convenient folding bracket - a lever.
Linear 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 entirely convenient for people with a dominant 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 - under strong longitudinal load, the end of the locking strip may disengage with the heel of the blade.
Much less common is ring lock, which is used on French Opinel knives, which have been produced since the end of the 19th century. This lock has a very simple design - a ring with a slot. To unlock the blade, simply turn the ring so that its slot aligns with the line of the blade. The same type of lock was 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 design element is special frames or hinges, which simultaneously secure the blade. Such knives are characterized by high reliability of locking the blade in the open position while the knife is held in the hand. They have a symmetrical shape, making them equally convenient for both right-handed and left-handed people.
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 “Scat”
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 blade tear-off, which ensures very reliable fixation of the knife blade in the open state.
Among articulated knives, the most complex design have pantograph knives. Typical examples are the German Paratrooper knife and the Smith & Wesson Power Glide knife.
Knives with transverse blade rotation
The Paratruper knife, patented in Germany in 1938, is sometimes mistakenly called a Wehrmacht airborne knife. An indispensable condition for knives for paratroopers is the ability to open it with one hand, but the Paratrooper cannot be opened with one hand. The reason for this misconception was the name of the knife, which translates as “paratrooper”. However, this name is not related to the purpose of the knife, but to the fact that its opening resembles the opening of a parachute canopy. Unique Feature This knife is that the length of the blade when open exceeds the length of the handle.
The main disadvantage of hinged frame knives is the inability to open the knife with one hand and the complexity of the design. The only knife of this type that does not have these shortcomings is the famous Philippine 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 and the small dimensions of folding knives. This design of knives was quite common on hunting and huntsman knives in the last century. It is with this knife that Kuzmich cuts a pineapple from the garden in the popular comedy “Peculiarities of the National Hunt.”
Half-mounted knives
The downside to these knives is that they require 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.
The Soviet knife designed by A. I. Shilin, deputy chief designer of the Kovrov plant No. 2 named after. K. O. Kirkizha (State Union Plant No. 2). The knife was developed as part of a competition to select a folding knife for officers of the Soviet Army, which was held in 1944, and took second place in this competition. According to some reports, a small test series of these knives was made in 1945. However, for unknown reasons, the knife never entered service. The knife had a blade with double-sided sharpening. When folded, the blade was hidden two-thirds of its length in the handle. Used to carry a knife wooden scabbard, inside of which there were special hooks that ensured automatic extension of the blade to its full length when the knife was removed. In addition to the blade itself, the handle of the knife contained a standard set of tools necessary for Everyday life- awl, corkscrew, screwdriver, can opener and bottle opener.
Officer's knife designed by A.I. Shilin and its modern Chinese analogue
The ideas laid down by Shilin have now been used by the Chinese to develop a special knife that is in service with the Chinese police.
The blade is the main part of the knife. The piercing and cutting properties of the knife depend on it. The main factors that determine the operational characteristics of a blade are the material and technology of its manufacture, as well as its shape and cross-section. The blades of modern folding knives are made from corrosion-resistant types of steel. 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 grades of steel. Since in different countries Since there are different standards for designating 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 holds an edge, but this increases the fragility of the cutting edge and makes it more difficult to edit the knife at home. The quality of the blade is largely influenced by the technology of thermal hardening of the steel used by the manufacturer. With proper heat treatment, even relatively cheap types of steel provide good cutting qualities of a knife, and vice versa, even expensive types steel with flaws in heat treatment will not allow to ensure good quality blade. This is precisely why the high cost of folding knives from well-known manufacturers with modern equipment and carefully monitoring the quality of the blade.
The hardness of a cutting edge is expressed in Rockwell units. Typically, folding knife blades are hardened to 42–60 HRC. The higher this number, the longer the knife holds an edge, but this comes at the cost of less resistance to impact loads and the difficulty of sharpening the knife. And, conversely, at low HRC values, the cutting edge is more ductile, easy to sharpen, but does not hold an edge well. When the hardness increases above 61 HRC, the blade of knives with a normal spine thickness becomes very fragile. Blade blades hardened to 42 units. or less, has low strength and is difficult to cut ordinary 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 increases. That is why you should not stir up the coals of a fire with a knife or use an electric sharpener for plumbing 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 blade's resistance to corrosion, but this 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 a blade is blued, a thin layer of protective oxide film is created on its surface, and the blade acquires dark color. When chrome 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 are becoming increasingly common ( epoxy resins, Teflon), which provide high resistance to moisture or acidic and alkaline environments. Because this coating prevents the blade from reflecting in the sun, it is often called "anti-glare" and is often used on tactical knives. The disadvantage of such coatings is low wear resistance and sensitivity to scratches.
Recently, as the industrial production of Damascus steel has become cheaper, more and more blades are being made from it. Damascus steel is produced by forge welding several layers of steel with different carbon contents. As a result, a beautiful pattern appears on the surface of the blade. Modern industrial production of Damascus steels makes it possible to pre-design the shape of this pattern (“mosaic Damascus”).
The combination of low-carbon steel strips, which provide ductility, and high-carbon steel, which ensures the hardness of the cutting edge, allows you to create blades with excellent performance qualities. In addition, the cutting edge of Damascus steel knives has micro-teeth, which increase the cutting ability of the knife.
Knives with Damascus steel blades look very impressive. However, it should be borne in mind that the risk of receiving a defective Damascus steel blade is much higher than when purchasing a knife with a regular steel blade. This is due to the rather complex technology of manufacturing such steel.
Doly, which are often called blood flows, 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-cuts.
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 with a 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 the tip are preferred. Disadvantage classic shape The blade is less durable at the tip, since the thickness of the blade smoothly decreases towards the tip. 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. If increased cutting properties are required from a knife (knives for self-defense), blades with a blade having a convex or wavy shape are used. At the end of the last - beginning of this century, knives with a sickle-shaped blade, which is characteristic of Malaysian karambit knives, came into fashion. Such a blade does not cut, but rips up 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 received its maximum development in knives with pistol grips from STI.
Flat wedge It has high performance qualities, combining blade strength and a sharp blade. Due to the even distribution of force, it cuts well soft materials large thickness. Disadvantages: difficult to sharpen, does not cope well with cutting hard materials.
Chisel profile— differs in manufacturability and ease of sharpening. It is widespread on the blades of Asian knives. It has excellent chopping properties and cuts thin materials well.
Plano-concave wedge and its variety, a flat-concave wedge with an inlet, is distinguished by its ease of manufacture, is easy to straighten and sharpen, and performs excellent shallow cuts. Disadvantages: low mechanical strength, difficulty 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). The wedge-shaped section with inlet is free from this drawback.
Pentagonal profile combines manufacturability, strength, good cutting qualities, and is easy to straighten. Disadvantages: difficulty in sharpening when restoring the cutting edge.
In addition to the blade, folding pocket knives can have additional auxiliary tools - an awl, a corkscrew, a can opener, and a bottle opener. In the so-called “Swiss Army knives” the number of such tools can reach several dozen. Such multifunctional knives are called “multi-tools.” For self-defense, knives with two working blades are also produced, which allow you to hit a target with forward and backward strokes of the hand without changing the orientation of the knife or changing its grip.
Part of the blade blade may be sharpened in the form of a saw for cutting fibrous materials. In knife literature, such sharpening is called “serator” or “sereitor” (from the English. serrated"sawtooth") In self-defense knives, serrated sharpening makes it easier to cut through thick outer clothing and can be done along the entire length of the blade. The configuration of the teeth of this mini saw may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. The presence of a serrated blade makes it difficult to sharpen a blade at home; for this you need to have a special tool and skills to work with it, or contact an appropriate specialist. 
The design of most modern folding knives allows you to open them with one hand, both right and left. For this purpose, there are special elements at the base of the blade - cylindrical pins, round or square dies or holes in the blade (the round hole is protected by a patent owned by the American company Spiderco, and other manufacturing companies are forced to use 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 knives in the form of a hook on the spine, which ensures automatic opening of the knife when pulled out of a trouser pocket. Owners of such knives should be aware that if the trousers are made of thin material, then after several cycles of drawing the knife they will most likely 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 fixing the blade, which are well known to the older generation from Soviet times.
Another element that makes it easier to open the knife is the flipper. flipper"fin") - a special protrusion on the butt of the blade. To open regular knife It is enough to move the blade slightly, pressing the flipper with your finger, and then, with an energetic swing of the hand, bring the blade into the working position. In semi-automatic knives there is no need for such a swing; the blade is brought to the working position automatically by a spring mechanism.
In addition, the flipper plays the role of a kind of guard, preventing the hand from slipping onto the blade.
The most common grip for folding knives is a straight diagonal (fencing) grip. In this grip, the thumb is located on the butt of the blade. For more comfortable control of the knife at the point of contact thumb hands, a special notch is made 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 stacked design consisting of an internal frame in the form of metal strips - liners and linings. Blade fixation elements and an automatic opening mechanism (for semi-automatic and automatic knives) are mounted inside the frame.
Simple monolithic handles with a groove for a blade or a handle made of bent strip steels are rarely found in modern knives, mainly in the French “Opinel” and African “Duk-duk”. Previously, the parts of the handle were connected into a single whole using rivets. The axis of the blade was also riveted. IN modern models For this purpose, as a rule, screw connections are used. The use of screw connections allows you to eliminate loose parts that appear during the operation of the knife, regulate the “softness of the blade,” and facilitate disassembly of the knife for maintenance work. Most foreign folding knives use screws with curly slot Torx type. To work with such screws, you need a special tool - screwdrivers or socket wrenches with a corresponding head. Some companies include such keys with the knife, otherwise they have to be purchased additionally.
The shape of the handle, its cross-section, as well as the texture of the lining determine the convenience and safety of using the knife. The rectangular cross-section of the knife is technologically advanced in production, but not convenient in execution. long work with a knife. The round handle 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 does not provide protection against the hand slipping onto the blade. The wedge-shaped handle better protects the hand when working with the tip of the knife, but when trying to pull out a knife stuck in dense material, the hand will slide off the handle. Small pocket knives often have this shape for performing small household jobs.
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 for work. This is the shape of the handle that time-tested Finnish-type knives have.
Even more convenient is the convex-concave handle, which is often used on tactical knives. Modern knives increasingly use handles of complex shapes that take into account the ergonomics of the hand. However, its configuration is designed for a medium-sized hand, and a person with a large or, conversely, small hand will not be able to take full advantage of its benefits.
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 a natural material. Expensive designer knives can use exotic woods with a very beautiful texture. The main disadvantage is poor wear and moisture resistance. A multi-layer varnish coating in some way solves the problem, but at the same time the reliability of holding the knife in the hand decreases. Another natural material is horn and bone. Handles made from these materials are well polished and look very nice. Disadvantage: 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 on them. 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 imitate the structure natural materials and at the same time avoid their inherent disadvantages, although they are inferior in weight. One of the most popular materials of this type is one of the types of textolite “Micarta”. Recently, overlays made of various types plastics, such as ABC, Zitel, Kydex, etc. These materials are technologically advanced, moisture-resistant, durable and resistant to the external environment. They allow the production of overlays of any shape with any texture pattern - from a simple roughness inherent in the overlay material itself, or a rectangular notch to specially designed surface types. Thus, the knives of the CRKT “For Those Who Serve” series use a special honeycomb structure that prevents the knife from slipping in the hand. Rubberized inserts or structural elements such as sandpaper inserts are used for the same purpose.
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 The blade latches are quite reliable, however, 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 models with a linear lock, they are located in the front of the handle under the thumb. Supplementing the blade locks with safeties practically turns the knife from a folding knife into a knife with a fixed blade.
To safely carry semi-automatic and automatic knives, the safety must prevent the knife from opening in a clothing pocket if the trigger is accidentally pulled. Therefore, in such knives the fuse often has a double effect - it blocks the blade in the closed and open state.
Clip for wearing
An almost obligatory attribute of modern folding knives is a steel spring clip. In knife literature, the term “clip” is often used to denote it. clip clamp, paper clip). It ensures convenient carrying of the knife in clothing pockets or on a trouser belt.
Many knife manufacturers make the clamp adjustable—that is, it can be attached to 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 - 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 wearing a knife with the tip up, there is a possibility of a cut when trying to get the knife out of your pocket if, for some reason, the blade comes out of the handle. At the same time, with this orientation of the knife, it is brought into working condition more quickly.
In some models of folding knives, the clip attachment point is not Z-shaped, but shaped like the letter “L” or “P”. In this case, when the knife is carried in a clothing pocket, the upper part of the handle is hidden from external view - only the spring plate of the clip protrudes from the pocket. Outwardly, it looks like an ordinary ballpoint pen.
Elements that enhance striking capabilities
For self-defense purposes, 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 striking 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 bladed weapon, can only be determined by law by an expert. Therefore, when purchasing a knife, you should always 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 test to be a bladed weapon. Moreover, it is best if such tests were carried out by the parent organization “Forensic Expert Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs”. It is better to always have a copy of this document with you, which will allow you to avoid unnecessary conflicts with law enforcement officials. 
Most of the high-quality folding knives on the Russian knife market are products of foreign companies. Unfortunately, most serial domestic folding knives are inferior to foreign ones in almost all respects, and original models can rarely be found 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 the knives of Vitaly Kim, the Kondrat knife, the NDK-17 knife (a 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 handmade folding knives that are not inferior to foreign ones (including in price). As an example, folding knives from the Ural master Urakov and the workshop of the Shirogorov brothers are shown. The rapid pace of development of the Russian knife industry allows us to hope for the emergence of domestic folding knives that are not inferior to foreign models.
Anatoly Fomin. Magazine "Brother" 2013-01
Manufacturing should begin directly with the blade. First of all, mark the place for the axial hole. We drill it and, using it as a guide, we make further markings of the blade. If you do the opposite and mark and cut the blade along the contour, and only then drill a hole, then during the drilling process, especially in hardened workpieces, the drill can move to the side and all dimensions will “float away”.
Having transferred the contours of the blade to the workpiece, we begin to make the blade. We grind it using a grinder and sandpaper along the contour. For the convenience of holding the blade during the process of removing the slopes, we do not yet cut off the blade itself from the workpiece and do not form the heel of the blade.
To remove descents you can use various instruments: grinders, emery machines, flat grinders, grinders. I do rough grinding of the slopes on sandpaper and fine grinding on a surface grinder.
Next, we begin making the side dies.
Next, drill a hole in the dies for the blade stopper pin, install the axis and stopper pin, install the blade and the second die. We move the blade to the open position and mark on the die the position of the heel of the blade, more precisely the place where the lock liner should rest. Next, mark the liner and start cutting it out.
Having prepared the pritins in this way, we proceed to install them on the dies. There are different methods: soldering, riveting, spot welding etc. The most accessible are soldering and riveting.
For soldering you will need a soldering iron, soldering acid, solder and a heat source. As a soldering iron, it is best to use a massive piece of copper, which is heated in the flame of a burner. Soldering acid is hydrochloric acid etched with zinc. POS-60, POS-90 are suitable as solder. Before soldering, it is necessary to clean and tin the soldering areas. Cleaned with sandpaper and a file. After cleaning, coat the soldering areas with acid, take a piece of solder on a well-heated soldering iron and tin the surface. During the tinning process, it is necessary to ensure that there are no gaps and that the entire surface is covered with an even layer of solder. High-quality tinning and soldering are possible only with good heating of the parts.
After servicing, rinse the parts thoroughly in water and soda, removing any remaining acid. Next, we clamp the tinned parts in a vice and begin to heat them with a burner from different sides. To reduce heat loss, thermal insulating material must be laid under the jaws of the vice; fragments of ceramic tiles work well. As it warms up, we press the vice until droplets of solder appear between the parts, after which the heating can be stopped.
Soldering the right pritina has its own peculiarities: first we solder the knife axis into the die, and then solder the pritina, while instead of one of the ceramic tiles we use a piece of tube larger than the diameter axis.
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| So, all the components of the knife are ready, all that remains is to assemble the knife and once again make sure that the lock is working correctly. Adjust if necessary. For smoother operation of the mechanism, it should be lubricated with machine oil. After some time of operation, the parts of the mechanism will rub in, the blade will rotate easily and smoothly, and the liner plate will rise slightly upward. |
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