While I agree that Aluminum handles are lighter than anything else, they are extremely strong and durable.
I speak from experience as I carried a three inch weehawk "Bali-Song" for years and had nothing but good service from it.
I retired all of my "user collector's", and now carry an aluminum handled and stainless handled daily. For "Show and Go".
When I started making my balisong knives, I started out with 6061-T6 aircraft quality aluminum mainly because it was so much easier to work with than stainless or even brass.
I later started working with the stainless and brass. The stainless is much more difficult to mill properly than the other two types of materials, but not impossible.
I discovered that while the skeleton hole pattern is necessary in the brass and stainless to reduce the overall weight of the knives, it does make the aluminum handled knives even lighter.
I found that by not drilling the skeleton holes complete through the aluminum handles, you could maintain more weight in the handles
thereby leaving the knife with a heaver "feel"
I also have an idea as how to add additional weight to the aluminum handles on my knives without sacrificing any strength or compromising the structurial integery of the handles
The main advantage to the skeleton hole pattern on the knives lies in the improved ability to grip the knife when manipulating the knife through its range of motions.
The biggest advantage of aluminum handles shows itself when you start putting longer blades on the knives.
Stainless handles on blade of five inches and longer slow down the speed during manipulation and seem to be more difficult to work with because of their added length.
I just made a five inch weehawk with aluminum handles and found that it manipulates like my four inch stainless.
Stay Tuned For Tthe Never Ending Saga of the Custom Balisong Makers, More Power To Us All.
ChuckG
(Not Gollnick).
Bandityo,
Knives look very nice, keep up the good work and good luck to you. We need different ideas and designs to keep us from getting stale
ChuckG
I speak from experience as I carried a three inch weehawk "Bali-Song" for years and had nothing but good service from it.
I retired all of my "user collector's", and now carry an aluminum handled and stainless handled daily. For "Show and Go".
When I started making my balisong knives, I started out with 6061-T6 aircraft quality aluminum mainly because it was so much easier to work with than stainless or even brass.
I later started working with the stainless and brass. The stainless is much more difficult to mill properly than the other two types of materials, but not impossible.
I discovered that while the skeleton hole pattern is necessary in the brass and stainless to reduce the overall weight of the knives, it does make the aluminum handled knives even lighter.
I found that by not drilling the skeleton holes complete through the aluminum handles, you could maintain more weight in the handles
thereby leaving the knife with a heaver "feel"
I also have an idea as how to add additional weight to the aluminum handles on my knives without sacrificing any strength or compromising the structurial integery of the handles
The main advantage to the skeleton hole pattern on the knives lies in the improved ability to grip the knife when manipulating the knife through its range of motions.
The biggest advantage of aluminum handles shows itself when you start putting longer blades on the knives.
Stainless handles on blade of five inches and longer slow down the speed during manipulation and seem to be more difficult to work with because of their added length.
I just made a five inch weehawk with aluminum handles and found that it manipulates like my four inch stainless.
Stay Tuned For Tthe Never Ending Saga of the Custom Balisong Makers, More Power To Us All.
ChuckG
(Not Gollnick).
Bandityo,
Knives look very nice, keep up the good work and good luck to you. We need different ideas and designs to keep us from getting stale
ChuckG
