You've finally decided to make your first folding knife. This is right. In any case, this gives me great pleasure, and the result inspires new creativity. Give it a try. 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 made up your mind, it means 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 maximum reliability.
A little history. The modern linear lock was invented by Michael Walker in 1981. The most important thing Michael did was create independent system blade fixation, which has only one spring. The lock's leaf spring not only locks the blade in the open position, but also ensures its secure fixation in the closed position.
In addition, this 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 and praise to him for this.
Make a sketch of the future design on paper or in some graphics editor. For example, it turned out like this:
First of all, choose your materials. It is preferable for a blade, since if moisture gets inside a folding knife, the moisture is not so easy to remove. Therefore, if there is something to rust, it will rust. If there is a thermal operator capable of working with high-carbon alloyed stainless steels, then you are very lucky in life (at the level of happiness).
If not, you will have to work on hardened material, and this is not easy. To drill holes in hardened metal, I use ceramic and glass drills with an arrowhead tip. You need 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 frequently, otherwise it will release.
Give the desired shape to the blade. I have used blades from Tramontina Professional Master series knives several times. They are a little more expensive than regular kitchen appliances from this company, but they are made from Sandvik 12C27 or 1.4110 from Krupa. This is good steel.
For folding knife dies, I recommend titanium. Despite its small thickness, it is strong enough and has sufficient rigidity and springing properties. In addition, titanium is lightweight and does not rust at all. There are some peculiarities in titanium processing.
Titanium should be worked at low speeds. For example, I couldn’t cut a 4 mm plate with a grinder, but I could easily cut it with a hacksaw for metal, although it took a long time. The thread in titanium must be cut slowly, with oil, going back every 0.5-1 revolution.
To cut out the contour of the locking spring in the lower die, at the place where it is supposed to end, I drill 3-4 holes with a diameter of 2.5 mm, connect them, insert a hacksaw blade there and off we go. Slowly, almost to the hole for the axle. In this place, I also recommend drilling a small technological hole for a clear end of the cut. All that remains is to saw through the line of the stopper itself. Here it is necessary to leave a reserve, which is then removed when setting up the lock.
The second, upper, die has exactly the same dimensions (as a rule) as the lower one. But it must have a recess for a hole for opening the knife. All mating holes should be drilled in batches. Start with the holes for the axle. Do not forget that the diameter of the holes for the fastening screws in the lower die must be threaded, and in the upper one the diameter of the screw.
So everything is cut and drilled. Select, or make your own, two fluoroplastic or bronze washers that will be used as a bearing on the axis of rotation (folding) of the knife. Insert the axle into the bottom die, install the locking pin, washer, blade, and fold the future folding knife.
If something doesn't match, adjust it to the correct size. This must be done very carefully and carefully. Remember Zhvanetsky: “One careless movement: and you are a father.” Well, everything fits together!
On the locking spring of the lower die, mark a 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 vice (placing a piece of hot metal under the ball, otherwise it will fit into the jaws of the vice), press the ball into the locking plate. The ball should protrude outward by approximately 0.5 mm. The thickness of the washer on the axis between the blade and the die.
Next, using a marker, draw in the place on 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 0.3-0.5 mm from the place where it (the trace) ends, drill a hole into which the ball will go 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 (your stopper is cut out with a margin). Do this very carefully (remember Zhvanetsky). As soon as the lock engages, stop. Assemble the folding knife completely, with the top die, and try folding/unfolding it several times, apply force (as if cutting something). Do this several times. And put it off until tomorrow.
Final adjustment of the parts of a homemade folding knife.
Sleep with the idea that you have made your first folding knife. The next day there will definitely be something to finish. Bring the castle to condition. The locking plate should not reach the upper end of the heel cut of the blade, otherwise it will fall all the way to the top plate and jam the lock.
If the spring is too tight (depending on the thickness and brand of used
A folding knife is a great tool in a man’s pocket and not only that. You should definitely take it with you when going on a hike or just in nature. Using a knife, you can not only cut sausage or open beer, but also protect yourself from enemies. Moreover, more often the enemy is not a person, but an animal, for example, a dog or even a fox. In this instruction we will look at how to make a good simple folding knife with your own hands.
To make the knife, the author used a fairly professional set of tools; he needed a jigsaw and other tools. But you shouldn’t despair, if you have skillful hands, such a knife can be easily made with ordinary hand tools. The fixing device for the knife is also simple; all parts are made by hand. So let's get started.
Materials and tools used
List of materials:
- high carbon steel (which can be hardened);
- pins (can be steel or brass);
- material for the linings (wood, plastic, and so on as desired);
- epoxy glue;
- spring rod (for making a spring).
List of tools:
- ;
- drilling machine or drill;
- clamps;
- Bulgarian;
- vice;
- paper, pencil, scissors for making a template;
- sandpaper;
- furnace, oil for hardening.
Knife making process:
Step one. Sample
First of all, the author makes a template, including all internal parts. For those who have already made a knife at least once, it will not be difficult to make such a template. You need to think over a locking mechanism; it is made in the form of a lever with a hook.
Step two. Cutting out blanks
The author cuts all the parts of the knife from sheet steel. The locking mechanism consists of two parts, one part holds the spring, and the second is a lever with a hook that holds the blade.
To make a handle, you will need to carve two identical parts. The author cuts out all the details, including the blade, using a grinder. IN hard to reach places where it is impossible to reach with a grinder, we make a lot of cross cuts, and then gradually cut them out.
To make a blade, you will need steel with a high carbon content; in America it is customary to use 1050 steel; in Russia, the most common grade of steel for making knives can be considered steel 65X13. Good steel that can be hardened is widely used in tool making. You can also use steel from an old cutting wheel.
When you cut out the blanks for making the handle, assemble them on pins or simply on bolts. Now sand the product along the contour, in the end you will get two identical parts.
Step three. Grinding
We proceed to finer processing of workpieces, namely grinding. This is where a belt sander comes in handy. We bring the details to perfection, and at the end we go through them manually with a file where we couldn’t get them with a machine.
Using a sander, you will also need to remove the bevels on the blade. The author attaches the blade to a special device and gets to work. Main criterion here – the symmetry of the bevels.
Finally, the author processes the parts manually using sandpaper. The next step for us will be hardening; before this, do not forget to drill all the necessary holes in the workpieces, since this will be problematic later.
Step four. Tempering the blade
In order for your knife to hold its edge for a long time, the blade must be hardened. Since we have the blade small sizes, it can easily be heated to the desired temperature using a burner, as the author did. We heat the metal until the steel is no longer attracted by the magnet. If we take a more professional approach to this matter, then for each steel there is a clear heating temperature.
When you heat up the steel, lower the workpiece into the oil. Used oil from a car, as well as vegetable oil, is quite suitable. After cooling the workpiece, run a torch over the metal to burn the oil. Now the steel can be checked; if it cannot be taken with a file, it means that the hardening was successful.
The next step in hardening is necessarily tempering the metal, otherwise the steel will be very brittle. A household oven is suitable for holidays. Place the blade in it and heat it for about an hour at a temperature of 200-250 degrees Celsius. Then let the oven cool closed with the knife inside. Vacation is done! Now the steel will spring back and the blade will not break under high load.
Step five. Let's move on to assembling the knife
After hardening, polish the blade until it shines, as after heat treatment it will change color. Now the knife can be assembled. Lubricate all internal parts motor oil so that the knife does not rust from the inside. Now we assemble everything on pins. We glue the overlays using epoxy glue.
Clamp the handle tightly with several clamps and let the glue dry completely. Epoxy usually dries in about a day.
When the glue is completely dry, we perform final sanding. First, the product is processed using a grinder, and then manually using sandpaper. Finally, we bring the handle to perfect smoothness using fine sandpaper.
Making a knife miscarriage
Button switchblade, but at first glance it is very difficult to do. But in fact, if you carefully understand its structure and have it at home necessary equipment and material, then making a blowout knife yourself does not present any particular problems. Just as a theater begins with a hanger, so every product (regardless of its complexity) begins with a drawing. Take a piece of paper or cardboard and draw a knife on it. If your talent as an artist is still deeply buried, then simply trace the outline of the knife with finished product. Separately cut out the shape of the blade of the future switchblade from cardboard. Attach it with a pin to the sketch of your drawn knife and figure out how its components will interact. Make all the necessary markings.
Take the one you plan to use and transfer the design onto it using the blade template. Now you can start sanding the blade. I would like to say that now for home use, you can buy any equipment. Starting from an emery machine and ending with a mini lathe. If you don’t have at least some sandpaper, then you shouldn’t start making something as simple as a switchblade. However, the most stubborn ones can use: hand drill, homemade sharpener on the fan motor, a file, a hacksaw for metal and a set of needle files. It's longer, but no worse. You can also use old kitchen knives for the blade.
After you have sanded it to the desired shape and sharpness, clamp it in a vice and start sanding it. First we do rough processing with a diamond file, then finishing with a small block. Saw off the excess steel strip from your blade and drill a center hole on it using a drill press. Sand the end of the blade using an emery machine.
Now let's start making the handle of the switchblade. Thin titanium will do just fine. Using a metal jigsaw, we cut a rectangular strip of the required size. Since titanium is a viscous metal, lubricate the area where you are cutting with oil. We make two such rectangles. We make preliminary markings on one of them, and clamp both pieces into clamps. Exciting work on the sanding machine awaits us again. We then process the ends of the switchblade handle blanks with a file to give both halves complete identity.Place the blade on the handle blank and clamp it with a clamp. We drill both halves of the handle along the central hole of the blade.
We cut out another part from a steel strip, called a spring. We process it and cut the necessary holes on it according to the sketch. Now, attaching the spring to the switchblade handle, drill holes. Don't forget to chamfer the outside of the holes. We punch holes on the handle for the button and spring retainer. Now we drill them out with a thin drill. We process the needle file until required sizes. Bronze bushings can be used to secure the linings. We insert them into the side plates and rivet them from the inside.
Now we can assemble our entire valve design. We cut pieces of wire or nails for riveting. Let's rivet. We grind the rivets with a file to obtain a uniform surface.
We cut a rectangular hole in the blade with a diamond needle file. Now with the help lathe let's make an axis. If desired, you can do without a lathe by using files.
We adjust the blade to the latch by cutting out rectangular grooves. We make a U-shaped clamp. We insert the latch into the handle of the miscarriage knife. Now we need a spring for the latch. You can cut it out of steel strip. Secure the retaining spring with a bolt. Now when you press the latch, you will feel that the spring is trying to push it back. The blade ejector spring can be used from car starter. Grind the blade with Goya paste.
Next we make the overlays. We discussed what material to use for knife handle linings in. Let's cut out two rectangular strips of lining. Let's drill grooves in them. Place it on the handle and shape it using sandpaper. Let's finish it with a file. We have all the parts, you can start assembling the switchblade. We insert the blade, the axle, cock the release spring, insert the button, connect the linings, screw them in with bolts. The switchblade is ready.
Of course, the above photographs and mine brief description It’s not even enough to complete the work of making a switchblade. Therefore, I provide a link to the video on YouTube, http://youtube.downloader.com.ru/KiD2Cf8ammA where the master describes in great detail and step by step how he makes this push-button switchblade. All photos are taken from this video. Consider this article just for informational purposes.
In the most simple models the blade is not locked in the open position: it will fold if you press it hard enough in the appropriate direction. This is how a classic pocket penknife works. In English literature, a knife equipped with a similar mechanism is called slip joint folder or a folding knife with a sliding joint (more like a joint).
I could not find the corresponding Polish term. Well, okay, it doesn’t matter what it’s called scientifically; what matters is how it works. A spring, attached with one end to the upper edge of the handle, with its other end presses on the disc-shaped surface of the back of the blade. And this surface is designed in such a way that both opening and folding the knife causes the spring to bend or unbend; at the same time, it provides a certain resistance, which allows you to hold the knife either in the open or closed position (Fig. ). But if in the folded state the spring holds the blade quite reliably, then in the open position such a knife cannot be called one hundred percent safe. Practically you have little to fear if you only use the knife for light, ok controlled cutting- for example, for opening correspondence or sharpening pencils. Perhaps this is why such models are becoming a thing of the past; few of them are produced now. Even typical multifunctional pocket knives are now increasingly equipped with mechanisms that allow them to hold at least one, the largest (main) blade in the open position.
Want to make your own switchblade? Then take a closer look at these instructions. Such a knife will be very useful in your pocket, especially if you go hiking or just walk in nature. You never know who you will meet along the way? Also, with a knife you can always cut something, cut it, pick it up, or even unscrew some screws if necessary. In this instruction we will look at how to make just such a knife.
The author used N690 steel as the material for making the blade. It is well suited for making knives, it is easily hardened and knives made from it hold an edge well. Assembling the knife is not difficult, but the author uses a belt sander, which greatly simplifies this process.
Materials and tools used
List of materials:
- ;
- spring;
- bolt;
- aluminum foliage for making handles;
- textolite or something similar (used for finishing internal parts pens);
- epoxy glue;
- pins (nails will do);
- screws.
List of tools:
- ;
- vice;
- drilling machine;
- ;
- Bulgarian;
- files;
- marker;
- “Dremel” with grinding and polishing attachments;
- keys, pliers, etc.
Knife making process:
Step one. Let's start with making the blade
The first thing you need to do is develop a blade design for your knife. There is nothing complicated about this; the blade should have two grooves, thanks to which the blade will be held closed, as well as open. First draw the desired profile on paper and then cut it out.
We apply the finished template to the steel and trace it with a marker. The steel for the blade must have large number carbon, otherwise you will not be able to harden it. Now you can start cutting out the blade. To do this, we clamp the workpiece in a vice and work with a grinder, and if there is band saw, then this is all done much faster.
Now we process the blade on a belt sander, bringing the profile to perfection.
Finally, you will need to carve grooves in the blade; this design provides two pieces. First we cut them out using a grinder, and then we finish them using a flat file.
Don't forget to also drill a hole in the blade into which the axle will be installed.
Step two. Making a locking lever
The locking lever must also be made of durable steel, since when long-term operation The retaining hook may wear out. The lever fixes the blade in two positions, first in closed and then in open state.
We apply the profile to the metal and cut it out, modify it using files and hand hacksaw. Finally, drill a hole for the axle.
Step three. Final grinding of the blade
You need to form bevels on the blade; this is a very important undertaking. This can be done quickly and efficiently using a belt machine. grinding machine. The main parameter here is symmetry. Do not sharpen the knife too much at this stage, as the blade may lead during hardening, and the thin metal may overheat.
Step four. Making a handle
The author makes the handle from sheet aluminum, gluing two more layers to the inside. One of the layers is textolite, and the second, outer one, is probably plastic or something similar. Thanks to this layer, friction is reduced and the knife opens perfectly.
Using the template, cut out two parts of the handle, and you will also need to cut out two similar parts from PCB. Glue the parts together using epoxy glue. When the parts are ready, glue them with epoxy glue to the final layer. Once the glue has dried, cut them out.
Finally, sand the parts using a belt sander.
Step five. Final preparation of all parts
You need to drill holes and tap threads in the handle; it will be assembled with screws. You also need to bend the holding lever at a certain angle; to do this, the author heats it red-hot with a burner and then bends it.
Let's start installing the spring. Thanks to it, the blade will automatically extend from the handle. The spring is installed on the same axis that holds the blade. You need to cut out a seat for it in the PCB. First, the author cuts it out by drilling a series of holes, and then drills it out using drilling machine and a special nozzle. To attach the spring you need to drill two holes. We drill one in the handle, and the other in the blade.
All you have to do is install the “handle” with which you will activate the knife. To do this, we weld a bolt to the lever, and then cut off the excess parts. Under the “handle” in the handle you need to make a groove using a round file.
The handle also has another spring that supports the lever. For this spring you will need to machine and install a stop. We fasten the stop using pins. Ordinary nails can serve as pins.
Step six. Steel hardening
Let's start hardening, thanks to this the knife will not become dull for a long time. For N690 steel, the hardening temperature is 1071 degrees Celsius. Visually, this temperature is determined by a yellow glow. You can also determine the required temperature with a magnet; if it is not attracted to the hot steel, it means that it has been heated to the required temperature. Cool the blade in mineral or vegetable oil. As for the lever, it is also highly desirable to harden it. The author heats the metal using a torch and a special stove.
An integral part of hardening is the tempering of the metal; without this procedure, the metal will be very brittle. To bake, you will need a regular household oven. We heat it to a temperature of 200-300 degrees Celsius and heat the blade for an hour. Then turn off the oven and let it cool closed. The higher the tempering temperature, the more you temper the metal.
Finally, check the steel with a file; if it does not leave scratches on it, then the hardening was a success.