Aircrew Folder

D

DeanoD

Joined
Nov 26, 2007
Messages
171
Utilizing the traditional Chad Carroll http://www.carrollknives.com folder design, we came up with a corrosion resistant, firm grip, strong-yet lightweight, folding knife that cuts like a razor and stays sharp forever. It took 11 months from the time we started the collaboration to come up with this result.

All components of the knife were handmade by Chad himself.

Folder steel: Forged from 1 inch round 52100, Black-T coated by Walter Birdsong, cryotreated by Jeb Burnett from Deep Freeze Cryo.

Scales: Black G10 hand checkered 30LPI

Bolsters/Backing: cut from flat bar of titanium, backing hand checkered 30LPI

Liners: .050 titanium sheet then drilled and tapped for 2-56 threads.

The bolsters and scales were dovetailed, and screwed to the ti liners.

Screws: "14 titanium screws per knife all but the pivot screws were from .125 titanium round bar. The screws were turned to .08-.083 for the thread section and then threaded with a free chuck and a button die in the tail
stock. Then I cut them off with a little extra material on the head. That section took about 1 hour to make 8-10 screw bodies. The heads were ground to 220 grit for finished size/ shape and slotted freehand with a thin abrasive wheel." (quote from Chad himself)

Clips: made from .040 sheet of titanium

Thumb stud: purchased, titanium, then ground/hand checkered 30LPI

Pivot pins: turned and polished, drilled and tapped from 3/16 titanium rd rod. They were turned specific to each individual blade to make the fit up tighter. There is a .012 nylatron washer on each side of the blade.

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Looks good. I like the deep pocket clip too. What is the blade length on the blades?
 
Just a suggestion but I would switch to PB washers instead of nylon. They usually hold up better and tend to reduce friction and blade play better. I like the looks alot and I bet it feels great in the hand too.
-Barry-
 
2sparky said:
Just a suggestion but I would switch to PB washers instead of nylon. They usually hold up better and tend to reduce friction and blade play better. I like the looks alot and I bet it feels great in the hand too.
-Barry-
Click to expand...


nylatron isn't just nylon. it works great for this application.
 
thats amazing , hand made right down to the screws . Awesome . I can't afford one but I want one . Chad was blessed with 2 gifts at least , knife making skills and patience . Very nice and well done .
 
Keith Montgomery said:
I'd rather see torx or allen head screws, but I like the design.
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The folders were made with stainless screws, since they were constantly being removed during the build. The final 14 hand made screws per folder were installed at the end. Chad didn't want to mess up the flat tip heads. Since each screw was machined by hand, I don't know if he could have punched out a torx or allen head...doubt it. I like the heads, as it shows they are not mass produced titanium screws. Chad is a machinist by trade, so this was right up his alley. To tell the truth, both Chad and myself were blow away by the expense of titanium screws, which inspired him to say the hell with it and make them himself.
 
DeanoD said:
The folders were made with stainless screws, since they were constantly being removed during the build. The final 14 hand made screws per folder were installed at the end. Chad didn't want to mess up the flat tip heads. Since each screw was machined by hand, I don't know if he could have punched out a torx or allen head...doubt it. I like the heads, as it shows they are not mass produced titanium screws. Chad is a machinist by trade, so this was right up his alley. To tell the truth, both Chad and myself were blow away by the expense of titanium screws, which inspired him to say the hell with it and make them himself.
Click to expand...

I imagine that hand machining torx or allen head screws would be difficult. Thanks for the explanation.
 
Thanks everyone for your comments!
I have never used pb washers but know they work good also. Nylatron holds up very well and havn't had any fail before. I like torx screws myself, but made from Ti they would be easier to strip then flat head. They would also be harder to make because I would of had to clamp on the threads when drilling and broaching.
Chad
 
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