Best materials

T

tique

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Oct 28, 2000
Messages
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I have been thinking about designing a set or two of handles in my machine shop and having a friend of mine help me make them. What is the best material for handles, they will most likely be skeletonized. I am thinking about 17-4PH stainless. Also, when I get a guy to do the blades for me, what is the best blade material for overall strength and edge holding on a bali?
 
Depends on how much work you plan to put in. If you want good handles, try titanium. If you want a good blade steel, use CPM-420V. However, from what I hear, these steels are veryhard to grind and work with. For simplicity, stainless (17-4PH) should be easier and for the blade steel, I hear 440c is fairly cheap and easy to work with.

Hope this helps
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Dave
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My collection
 
Well, I debated titanium for the handles, but it scratches too easily on my BM42 and I really liked one of my old bali's that I got rid of that had stainless steel handles. And I'm not doing the blade, but the guy that will be doing it for me said he will do about any material that I want. I'm not too familiar with the CPM-420V, do you have any more info on it?

By the way, I would be interested in getting ahold of one of the old stainless Bali-song's too if you know where one is available. I think it was the 4" version with a weehawk blade that was about the last production model BM did before the 42.
 
303S stainless is what the older custom knives had for handle stock. Walt Erickson and Ralph Turnbull use 416 stainless as it can be heat-treated and stress relieved. You can buy 303S stock from Koval Knife Supply. If you get into stainless blades you'll need to have them professionally heat-treated; if you use high carbon steel, i.e., 5160, 1084, 1095, D2, W2, etc... they can be heat-treated by the maker, more than likely......

[This message has been edited by Dawkind (edited 10-30-2000).]
 
How about a Talonite Handle?
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nono.. I wasn't serious. Go for what you know and use 303 stainless cause of historical significance. You can't go wrong with 440c what about CPM3v? That will drive the blade maker nuts to grind. Ask Jerry Hossom
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<A HREF="http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html
</A> If you play with love you will be heartbroken; if you play with knives you will [bleed]


 
Ok, it's gonna take me a bit to get the cash on hand and the design drawn up, but I'll probably have the handles done out of 303 stainless, that actually was my second choice on the stainless steels. I don't have any trouble getting materials, I will get them through the machine shop I work for. I'm still looking at the blade materials though, I don't know much about the CPM-420V or the CPM3v that y'all have mentioned and the maker will take care of the heat treating.

And I think that the 45 was the model that I was looking for. Are there any in good or above condition that are available for trade?
 
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