Any knifemakers care to give a Balisong making tutorial ? PLEASE !?

RDT

RDT

Joined
Dec 17, 1999
Messages
4,117
Hi All,
Okay, the first folding knife I am gonna make is the Balisong. I love them and custom Balisongs are just awesome (usually). Anyway, I know what I need to do and know most of what I need to make them. I plan on using some BG 43 3/16" thick and 7/8" diameter 303 stainless rods milled and drilled then ground of course for handles. I will probably throw in some inserts as well (G10, micarta, wood. etc.,) Anyway, what I would like to see before I just jump into it is maybe someone out there who makes them or has made them regularly post some pics or simple to read instructions on the construction of a Balisong. Things like what the best pivot pin material is and what the best tang pin material is ? how to insert the tang pin. How a latch is contructed ? etc., I have taken apart Bali's before and they are fairly simple tools, yet very effective. So figuring it out wouldn't be blind brain surgery. But there are far superior and much better known makers out there who could teach us a whole lot more I am sure...Darrel Ralph, Mauricio Dobruski, Allen Blade (I hear he's supposed to make some, but I haven't seen them yet ?), etc. In the past other of the well known makers have dabbled in Balisongs as well like Elishewitz for Bm back in the day. For instance, I love the whole torx screw removeable pivots on the new BM 40 series Balies and DDR and Dobrsuki Bali's. Where can I get Torx screw barrel styel pvot pins like these for Balisongs ? Could anyone give me a hand ? Any input will be endlessly appreciated. Thanks a bunch and take care.....RDT
 
It's really no big deal..
1. make two folders.
2. lose one blade.
3. drink lots of beer and attach both folders to the remaining blade.
4. brag about in the morning.:D
 
RDT, let me very calmly say... RUN AWAY AND DON'T LOOK BACK! Just trust me when I say you are risking your sanity going down this path...
:eek:
Dave
 
It's not that bad. What I did that made it a lot easier is to buy a Jaguar and take it apart. Take a bunch of measurements and plan your cuts. A milling machine is a must if you're not making a slab construction bali.


Start with 5/8" stock, 7/8" is too large.

Let us know how you do.

Mer
 
RDT, I'd say give it a try. I'm glad you started this thread because I just finished this balisong 2 days ago, and I wanted to show it off. It was my first one to try, and I probably would not have made it if it had not been an order.

I made the knife without a milling machine or surface grinder, so you don't realy have to have them. (However, it would have been nice.) I started by drawing the blade shape onto a piece of 1/8 inch 1084. Then I decided where the pivot holes needed to be by using a square and a ruler. After drilling my holes, I roughly cut some liners out of 1/32 inch brass. I made some spacers to go into the ends of the handles out of 1/8 inch brass. In the picture below, I've put the handles on backwards, but you can see the spacers. You can also see where I made some temporary stop pins for testing. I made the stop pins by drilling 3/32 inch holes in the blade and placing a pin through them. I then took some 1/8 inch tubing which has a 3/32 inch center and placed them over the pins. Then I peened the heads on the pins over the tubing.

balisong1.jpg


Next I took the knife apart and made bolsters out of 1/8 inch nickel silver and soldered them on. I cut my scales out of walnut Dymondwood, and I ground and heat treated the blade. I used superglue jel to hold the scales on until I got the pins in them. You can see in the second photo where I have a center hole in the scales. This is where I made a 1/8 inch thick spacer out of tubing and placed it between the liners. Then I put a brass pin through it and peened it down. This keeps the liners from pinching the blade in the center if you put pressure on the handles.

balisong2.jpg


I used a barrel style pivot pin and torque screws to hold the handles to the blade. The blade has "ears" coming off each side where the handle is attached. You can see this in this last picture. I also used nylon washers to give the knife a smooth feel.

image.asp


The knife is just over 9 inches when opened. The gentleman who ordered the knife requested that it not have a latch at the back to keep it opened or closed. That was fine with me!

I've had no experience in making a balisong before this, so I hope this may be an encouragement to anyone who has been wanting to try one. You don't need as many tools as you may think. Just use what you have and be creative.

-chris
 
Yeah, I was think the same thing about taking a Jag apart. Mer, I bought 7/8" 303 because i thought I'd make a few mistakes along the way and that lil' bit of extra thickness would give me room to fix any flubbs and grind them out. I almost bought 3/4" and the 5/8" but then changed my mind as I was ordering it just to be safe. Thanks for all yer input guys. Hey Chris, nice job on that Bali !, the inserts look excellent on that. Take care.....RDT
 
Nice knife, and a nice mini tutorial."Just use what you have and be creative" Very good advise,I'm always putting off projects for the lack of something when all i have to do is improvise.
 
Great work, Chris.

BTW, why would you guys recommend tearing apart a Jag? Are they simpler? I have a BM-42 right now that comes apart just fine. Same concept?

Has anyone tried using small bearings when they manufactured them?
 
I have searched for small enough bearings
The side plates would be very thick with exisiting bearings.
 
Hi Krept,

I recommended the Jag because the dimensions are the same as the old Benchmade customs, 3/16" thick blade and larger handles. It is also a $20.00 knife that you can take apart and not really care if it ever goes back togethar. The blade is also great to use as a pattern and for test fitting the handles. I guess mainly the cost, it is a cheap teaching aid.

Mer
 
WOW !, I have yet to own a Jag, never liked them much. I always went for the better of the BM stuff only with the exception of the first few cheapies I bought. However, I did not realize that Jag's were 3/16" thick ??? I thought they were 1/8" thick blades but had thick handles like the better BM/PC Bali's.....Duh ! I guess I'll head over to China Town today and get one.....RDT
 
The Jag's are really not that bad. The only real downfall is the cast handles don't hold up to manipulation. The pins are a little weak too. The blades are actually pretty good. They are 420 stainless and polish up pretty nicely. I drill out the pivot pin holes to .1875" and sometimes replace the tang pin. I think you'll be pretty suprised at what you're getting for the money. If you have any trouble finding them KNIFEZILLA.COM has them. Tell Josh I sent you.

Mer
 
Ditto, what Mr. Ralph said about bearings. I've looked too, and can't find the type I'd want, small enough. Chuck Gollnick says that the few balisongs he has with bearings don't really perform better anyway. Again, though, with the right bearing configuration perhaps there would be a difference.
 
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